Lost in a sea of choices

Posted: 07 September 2011 04:13 AM

I have bigger feet, 11.5 US, and unfortunately I lack the ability to visit shops and talk with them to see what I need best. (reason being that I live in Japan and unfortunately my Japanese is not yet strong enough to convey my desires to local vendors)

I’m a beginner. Hit the mountain for three days last year, spent about 20 hours on the board and I’m loving it, though I’m still learning.

I’ve been looking for a board that’s about 161 cm long, mid-wide and a bit of flex. I’ve seen a lot of reverse cambers out there that sort of fit the bill, but I’m not sure as a beginner if I want my first board to be a rocker or not.

I’m 6’4, my weight typically stays between 190-200 lbs and my boot size is 11.5 US (29cm). I would be doing mostly mountain riding, but at the moment I’d value control over speed, as I’d rather feel like I’m shredding slow than flailing down the mountain.

I’ve seen a few things that sort of fit what I was looking for, but were less than aesthetically pleasing to me. I’m just hoping someone could offer a bit of advice to expand my board choices.

Posted: 07 September 2011 04:17 AM

As for mountain conditions, it’s usually fairly well groomed. Though there are some hard pack spots and on the rare occasion some fresh powder. Though, since there are periods of the year it gets rode pretty hard something with a better edge is also a plus.