Didn’t realize how bad rental boards were until this weekend

Posted: 07 March 2011 09:07 PM

A couple of weeks ago was my first time boarding (although I’d had about an hour of lessons on an endless slope before then); progressed fairly rapidly with a 90min onslope lesson at Sierra@Tahoe, by the end of which I was linking turns on the bunny hill.

The rental board’s bindings were crap, though; they kept coming loose. Aat my instructor’s suggestion, I traded in the rental board/bindings for a demo board ... didn’t know it at the time, but it was a brand new Burton Supermodel 2011 156cm with Cartel bindings. I spent the rest of the day having a great time working my way down the 3mile long green from the mountain top, so that by day’s end I was feeling quite comfortable linking turns, as well as maintaining speed on the flats. I did catch an edge here and there (owwwy), but was getting better at avoiding and recovering from these by day’s end.

This weekend, I’d hoped to spend two days boarding at Sugarbowl - alas, they have no board demo program, and I was forced to settle for their rental board/binding combo. To put it plainly, they blew - I had not realized until my first couple of runs on that garbage how lucky I’d been to end up with that demo board at Sierra. By contrast, the rental Burton board/bindings at Sierra felt squirrely, unstable, the back end seemed to keep kicking out - taking the board in to sharpen the edges, throw on some wax and toe out the rear foot helped quite a bit, but it was still total carp, compared to the demo board from a couple of weeks back.  About the only good thing about the rental board was that it had a tendence to catch edges far less frequently than the Supermodel (which I was later told was due to the rental shop grinding? the edges up specifically to make catching an edge less likely).

By mid-day, I was tired, frustrated and just didn’t feel safe on the board, so I called it and went back to skiing that day, and the day following.

So, I’m now keen to purchase a board, so that I don’t have to worry about whether or not the mountain has a demo board center. I’d already picked up some boots (32 Prion Fasttrack), and am hoping to find a good end-of-season deal on a board. I’m 5’9”, 160lbs, size 8.5 boot - not a parkhound, figure I’m looking for an allmountain/freeride board ... something in the 153-156 range, and I’m hoping to spend no more than ~$400 for board+bindings.

I had considered just picking up a Supermodel 2011, same board that I demo’d at Sierra@Tahoe, but after doing some research, I’m thinking I want a rockered, or possibly flyingV-type, board. I’m super paranoid about catching an edge and back/face-planting, and from what I’ve read, rockered boards tend to be easier to turn and less likely to catch an edge?

I’m also favoring Burton’s ICS system, fwiw ... I just recall that the Supermodel/Catrel combo made for really easy/effective control, I felt like the board responded to my inputs spot on! (haven’t had a chance, though, to compare the ICS with a traditional binding system, other than my short jaunt on that garbage rental, which of course isn’t a fair comparison.)

I tried Burton’s board advisor, as well as the board selecta on this site (both great tools!), such that my short list is currently:
- Burton Custom Flying V 2011
- Burton Process V-Rocker 2011
- K2 Raygun 2011

Would really appreciate any thoughts on my thinking - any flaws in my decision process, e.g., am I considering buying too much board?

Posted: 08 March 2011 06:52 AM

Ah yes, demo boards.  Like rental cars, people beat the shit out of them.

Burton’s are one of the top dogs in snowboarding for a reason, they make good products with solid innovation.  I fell in love with the Channel system, to adjust your bindings infinitely with two screws is genius.  That being said I have less admiration for the V profile that Burton uses.

I had a chance to ride both Burton boards you are interested in and they both felt like they were missing something, namely control.  V-Rocker is a constant arc in the profile out from the middle of the board to the nose and tail, what it is supposed to do is make the ride more forgiving and fun but it sacrifices edge hold…  especially on less then perfect conditions like hard pack and ice.  The Flying-V is a hybrid but between the bindings the profile is rockered, which again I found had a negative impact on the overall feeling of control.

Now, you were on the Supermodel which…  surprise, was camber.  That is the original profile and I think probably the best one on Burton boards.  If I was going to buy Burton I would look to their cambered boards.

The Raygun is different in that the K2/Ride profiles are flat between the bindings and then have a early rise in the nose and tail.  What this does it keep the ride predictable and stable but forgiving due to the early rising tips.  I own a K2 Parkstar and it has advanced my switch riding lightyears this season due to the fact it’s so forgiving so I don’t get hung up on poor transitions in my turning.  A friend who is riding a Technine cambered park board (which is ridiculously soft) got on my Parkstar and was blown away how easy it was to turn…  even though his board was softer which technically makes the board easier to turn.

Hope some of that info helps, if you got more questions fire away.

Oh, I hope you don’t go back to skiing once you get a board. ;)

Posted: 08 March 2011 07:05 AM

thanks, that’s really useful, particularly your experience with the two Burton boards! From what I’d read after I’d posted to this forum, it led me to think that the Custom FlyingV is probably over my head, and too $$, to boot.

fwiw, I’m not too concerned about icy conditions, as that’s rare (thankfully!) in Tahoe ... and on hardpack days, I figure I’d probably go back to my skis (I know, boo2me ;). In your opinion, does this mitigate most of the issues with the V-rocker’s edging capability?

Also, what do you think of Burton’s ICS mounting system, in terms of whether it’s really that much more responsive to traditional binding mounts?

Any other Burton or K2 boards you could recommend at my skill level which I should be looking at (preferably something including tech which is supposed to help be catch-resistant?)

Posted: 08 March 2011 07:07 AM

re: Raygun and Parkstar - do you think the Raygun would have “easy turn” and forgiveness comparable to your Parkstar?

Posted: 08 March 2011 09:14 AM

Sierra @ Tahoe, I took at look at their demo fleet…  no Process V-Rocker but you could try the Whammy Bar as it shares the same V-Rocker profile.  It doesn’t have the frostbite edges like the Process and it’s softer but it will give you an idea on how the board will feel.

If you’re blessed in Tahoe to get pow a lot then yes, the board would operate differently.  That being said I would strongly recommend a try before you buy on a V-Rocker board.

The ICS system I found was unique.  I had some similar Salomon bindings (Relays) which had minimal material on the base-plate in order to enhance the boards feel.  To me I find I like the dampening of traditional bindings, especially those with full foam footbeds.  I find with too much information coming through the board that it throws off my ability to focus on the run and not the bumps underneath my board (which can become unnerving at high speeds).

And yes, the Raygun would be easy to turn…  it has a more directional rocker that will help with the powder and is designed for directional riding which is what you’ll most likely be primarily doing for a few sessions.

The Process also comes in a cambered version…  more all-mountain freestyle but you can check that out.

In K2 the Raygun and Turbo Dream would be a great choices.  The Turbo Dream has a bit more substance then the Raygun but it’s heart is similar.

Ride has the Antic…  a great board with the same profiles as K2 but some interesting tech.

Check those out and see what resonates with you.