Buying advice for my first board

Posted: 06 August 2011 02:51 PM

Hey all,

I’m a beginner with around 1 week experience last season who is looking for advice for my first board. I can do falling leaf, how ever I am still struggling in linking turns. I am not interested in park or jumps, just plan to enjoy cruising or ride in powder.

I’m 143 lbs (65kg) and 5’8 (172cm) tall. I am looking at a all mountain freestyle, and seems K2 Raygun is a good choice for me. And I also found a pretty good deal for a Raygun in 156. So my question is, given that I am not interested in park, is a 156 Raygun size still too big for me? or is it good for a beginner?

Thanks for help!
Roland

Posted: 10 August 2011 12:13 AM

I know you’ve heard that the rule of thumb is about measuring the board against your height, but as I learnt from independent snowboard shop staff when I was learning, this isn’t the best of approaches!

If you have little or no interest in jibbing or jumps then you’re not really after a quick spinning or a shorter board, and since you’re learning, you want something that will be relatively catch free and help build your confidence.  The rocker on the raygun is likely to make boarding a bit easier than if you were on a traditional cambered board, and the 156 seems ok, and you could even go to a 159 if you want a bit more stability when caning runs.

The rocker will help to ensure little or no submarining of the nose when you’re in powder and it sounds like a good board for you.

If you can, have a demo of a few boards in a dome/dry slop/actual snow because you’ll be amazed at how you notice the differences of them.