another virgin board buyer

Posted: 20 July 2011 04:33 PM

the more i read the further i get from actually buying my first board.
im probably an intermediate boarder, looking for a wide board.
im 6 ft 230 lbs or 183 cm 105kg. wear size 13 boots and ive got long strong legs.ive only ever hired boards and the best of those was an Option Booter 167. very fast and stable but discontinued i think.
not interested in park or jumps. just love cruising or flying down the mountain.
here is my dilemma.
magnetraction or not and camber or hybrid ?
initially i only wanted camber but my friend bought a Burton process rocker and he loves it.
we ride the same style and he seems to be happy with the rocker.
australian snowfields can often be icy so im considering mag edges
most experts recommend a few models of board but neglect to mention size. so after favouring
Lib-tech and Gnu then Bataleon, i decided on Rossignol. first the One magtek then the Angus . but im real worried that those boards 161 and 162 are too short. the shortest board ive ridden is a burton air 163 and i didnt like it. im really sold on the rossi exept the length. maybe even the Experience might be an option.
i need a board soon so any help would be great.

Posted: 20 July 2011 09:23 PM

Yeah the Rossis are a little too small in length and width. If you want a hybrid and you’re worried about missing the feel of camber you might want to check out the Never Summer Legacy 166 and the Lib-Tech Skunk Ape. These boards use camber in the nose and tail and rocker between the feel. They carve hard but pop and butter a little easier. Most importantly they float in powder better than cambered boards. Although Magnetraction is a benefit it isn’t essential for grip on ice… we managed to ride on ice before it’s invention. The Skunk Ape has Mag edges and NC’s RC tech sidecut does focus pressure at certain points along the edge, a bit like Magnetraction.

The Experience is a beast that really suits experienced riders who like exceptionally torsionally stiff boards for big drops and critical edge hold. If that sounds like your kind of board then why not… The slighly softer flex of the Skunk Ape and Legacy would be a plus for helping you progress.

Rich

Posted: 22 July 2011 11:56 PM

thanks rich
it appears i’ll be getting a NS board.
Legacy 166 or Heritage X 166 and maybe even a Raptor X 169
could you push me into one of these please as i dont understand the relevance of
dampness, vario sidecut , carbonium topsheet, SuperLight wood core etc.
what does it all mean and are they really important.
all i understand is high speed stability, edgehold, stiffness, sharper turns and i’d certainly pay top dollar for quality construction and durability
these three boards are only $80 apart so they’re all options.
which of these will make a tighter turn ? which is most stable at speed.
i remember a time when riding the Booter 167 straight down at high speed.
i lost balance and the stiffness of the board caught my fall and sprung me back to position.
was it the stiffness or just the length that saved me ?
that board would get airborne going over small bumps, often resulting with me eating some snow.
does that happen because the board is stiff or because its fast?
im pretty useless when getting air so i’d like to stay grounded as much as possible.
with that board i struggled in tight turning moguls
i dont like floppy sloppy boards but its seems the length and stiffness i desire (no jokes please) also makes things difficult re moguls and tight turns.
you also suggested the Skunk Ape but being around the same price as NS (around $500), i’d rather the latter. i also hate the Skunk Ape graphics
the Bataleon Goliath,Jam and Omni can be found for $280 but i have heard some negative reviews re
durability and damage resistance. i really take good care of my equipment/tools so i only want quality stuff. would u recommend any of those boards or is a NS still worth double the cost of a Bataleon ?

Posted: 25 July 2011 09:17 PM

Yeah the stiffer the board and the longer the sidecut the harder work the board will be to work into tight turns. I rode a 158 NS SL which is the standard width version of the Legacy. It’s not an incredibly stiff board, but the flex is firm, easily stiff enough for charging hard. Regarding the Raptor and the Heritage X, these boards are stiff, that’s for sure but they’re not ridiculously stiff. I really liked the Raptor and for longer carves and making the most of the corduroy I enjoyed it a touch more than the SL, but they’re pretty similar boards.

The more dampening you put into a board the more stable and less chattery it will feel when you are riding on chuncky snow and refroven corduroy. The down side of lots of dampening is that the board cab stat to feel quite dead. The trick is building a board that delas with bumps but still snaps out of carves and ollies high. The Carbonium topsheet is just a structural laminate on the topsheet instead of using a standard plastic or varnish finish. It just helps keep weight down and puts a bit more snap, crackle and pop into the board.

To answer your question about the Bataleon boards. I like them, they feel pretty stable on steep terrain but a little sketchy on flat cat tracks because you barely have an edge digging into the snow. Because of the nose and tail 3D shape (Triple Base Tech) the nose and tail frrl quite firm which is nice for ollies but can be a bit of a pain if you’re riding bumpy powder terrain or moguls. Bataleon boards are now built at Elan (from the 2011/12 season). My friend had a Evil Twin US lt edition last season, he rode it for two weeks and lots of the topsheet chipped of at the sides, we were’nt too impressed but with a bit of epoxy it was easy to fix, just didn’t look that sharp.

Personally I think the Legacy sounds like a good match. If you want the board to feel stiff underfoot then the Raptor is a nice board for putting down big carves and charging powder. If you want the more aggresive sidecut of the SL and the stiffer feel of the Raptor then hit-up the Heritage X.

Rich

Posted: 26 July 2011 03:54 AM

thanks alot for your help Rich.
im going to buy the Legacy and attach my new Fastec bindings
and no-one will be waiting for paul any more(they’re all skiers)
thanks stay safe

Posted: 26 July 2011 09:28 AM

Fastec bindings… very nice. Did you go for the sLab models? A lot of the pro and super solid riders around the resort that I ride use SP Fastec, never heard a bad word said about them. Look pretty neat too.

Posted: 26 July 2011 11:06 AM

yes i got the slab. its a gnu mutant and its a real solid and very adjustable binding
i think i may have bought the last pair of 2011 mutants available in the US and i got them for $ 180 USD :)
2012 models still unavailable
the volkl one looks really nice but hard to find and much more expensive buying from europe.
im really thrilled about them and pleasing to hear you also have heard positive feedback. cant wait to test them out.
i was about to get k2 cinch when i stumbled accross the fastec and they’re a big improvement on K2 and Flow imho
lastly ,i realise this may not be the appropriate forum but your experience is irreplaceable.
in australia, outerwear rated 5k waterproof & 5K breathability is sufficient . i’d like to know if there’s a big difference between 5k,10k , 20k and even gore tex. does the higher rating also mean more warmth or not necessarily.
whats your outfit if you dont mind me asking? im thinking of getting 20k jacket & pants. is it overkill?
thanks again mate

Posted: 26 July 2011 12:21 PM

No way, feel free to ask any snowboard related questions on this site. It’s nice to get a bit of variety.

With outerwear I always go as high rating as my budget will allow. I’ve ridden 5k/5k in the past and I just seemed to be in a constant state of dampness, usually as a resuly of perspiration rather than the fabric letting water in. I’d also say that slushy spring like weather is the kind of conditions you’ll end up getting damp. As a minimum I go for 10k/10k, this season I’m planning to do some touring and hiking so I’ll probably go a little higher… Gore Tex is still out of my price range. I’ve had Volcom outerwear before, that was very hard wearing and garments with 10k fabric were very affordable. For the last couple of years I’ve had Burton outerwear. Personally I think it’s a little overpriced, but the fits and cuts are pretty basic and appeal more to my conservative taste. Their fabrics are good quality and providing you go for the heavier more durable materials they’ll last a long time. Peronally I think Bonfire and 686 are offering some of the best priced clothing on the market at the moment. You’ll get a 10k/10k garment for the same price as a 5k/5k Burton garment. Bonfire are also doing nice things with their shapes and fits at the moment, I particularly like their longer fit jackets, but that’s all about personal style. Planet Earth is another brand worth looking at, their products are well priced and nicely put together, they’re also quite focused on sustainability and being environmentally concious. Those would be the brands I’d look at to make the most of your cash.

Posted: 02 August 2011 04:03 AM

hello all, ive spent the last week trying to buy a snowboard but keep hitting hurdles with international shipping and non US issued credit cards. i opened an account with a freight forwarding company and convinced the retailer that my visa card was as good as anyone elses only to be told during the purchase that the last 2011 NS Legacy in stock ,couldnt be found in their storeroom.
so here is my question. should i stick to NS and pay full price for a 2012 board or take advantage of other discounted 2011 boards.

$ 510 2012 NS Legacy-166      
$ 550 2012 NS Heritage X-166  
$ 380 2011 Ride Highlife Wide-168  
$ 330 2011 Arbor Roundhouse Wide-163/167