Which One??? And Why???
Posted: 01 February 2011 01:34 AM
I am a beginner. I have been snowboarding once and I fell in love with it. I can link turns and use heelside to manage my speed and stop. I will be going again at the end of February and I want to purchase my own board. I don’t want to purchase multiple boards as I progress. I want to do all mountain with some jumps here and there and maybe some park. I like and have researched the following boards, which are in no particular order:
2011 Ride DH2.4 - $500 - love the graphics, according to reviews it’s very stiff, not sure about their prorize tech
2011 NS SL - $510 - love the white one, mid stiff should be forgiving, not sure how the vario power grip handles groomers
2011 Gnu Riders Choice - $540 - graphics are ok, mid stiff should be forgiving, have heard all good reviews as a one weapon board, good reviews on magne track
2010 Lib Tech T.Rice - $290 - a guy is selling it used, cool graphics, mid stiff to stiff could be an issue, good reviews, advised it is for intermediate to advance riders
Which One??? And Why???
Posted: 01 February 2011 05:19 AM
Hey crash77,
If you’re wondering about the NS vario grip, I left a comment under the Heritage review where I gave my thoughts about it.
Posted: 01 February 2011 08:04 AM
Hey Crash,
All the boards you have listed are pretty firm on the flex front. As you are still in the infancy of your riding career it might be a good idea to opt for something slightly softer and more forgiving. In a season or two when you’re hiitting jumps confidently upgrade to one of the boards you’ve listed but for now I reckon a softer board would be more progressive. You will also have a better ideo of which direction your riding is going down. Just holler if you want me to suggest some boards.
Rich
Posted: 01 February 2011 05:06 PM
Ok. Here’s the real deal. I have a trip planned with 2 friends whose skills are slightly better than mine. I really want to enjoy this 2 day trip to White Tail in Pennsylvania, which will be the last of the season for me. While the idea of getting a used 2010 T.Rice for $290 shipped is tempting, I don’t want to ruin the trip. Even though I am a very quick determined learner, I don’t want to spend more time fighting the board or have the board ride me than enjoying the slopes. But on the other hand, there’s that little voice saying, “get the board, you’ll catch on.” I want to get the most out of this 2 day trip. My next option is to get the Rossignol Taipan or Angus, but part of me is thinking, my learning curve is my learning curve, no matter what board I get there will be an adjustment period. The only rational reason I can come up with for this dilemma is $290 is cheaper than $350 or $400 for the other boards. Common sense should prevail in this situation, but it hasn’t. Has anyone learned on a intermediate to advanced board rather than a beginner board? How did you fair and what were the pros and cons of your experience?
Posted: 01 February 2011 10:09 PM
Anyone have experience learning on an intermediate to advance board?
Posted: 01 February 2011 10:46 PM
You are completely right, pick up any board and you’ll adjust to the flex, the sidecut etc etc. The problem is that it won’t encourage correct technique. If you ride a manageable board that is easier to commit to the fall line, pop off rollers and is forgiving when you’re learning to stick 180s it will be much more enjoyable and you will be able to concentrate on making sure your body is aligned correctly in turns and that you are popping off jumps balanced instead of focusing on wrestling with the board. I’m definitely not suggesting you go for a cheap entry level deck, but there are boards with good specs that would encourage progression. The SL and T-Rice are pretty firm boards that need aggresive expirienced riders to make the most out of them.
Posted: 01 February 2011 10:56 PM
I totally undertsand the correct technqiue portion. I don’t want to waste this trip wrestling with the board instead of enjoying the experience. I have also looked at the Rossignol Angus and Taipan.
Rich, can you give me some boards to take a look at?
Posted: 02 February 2011 12:13 AM
Rich might disagree with me but a $290 for a T.Rice is a pretty damn good deal. I’ll take it if I were you. But yea as Rich says, it will be harder to learn on it than on a softer board.
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