Question: Buying a snowboard

[Fobby]

I would actually look at a 147 - 153 cm board because of your weight... the longer board is going to give you trouble.

Get the most comfortable pair of boots you can afford. The boards and bindings can wait. Simply you do not know what you want in a board/binding yet. Boots you can keep for as long as it fits.

[Tron_fdc]

My battery on my laptop died when I was typing this out last night...

You can get away with all kinds of entry level boards then. Depending on your budget, I would probably recommend a Burton board between 150-155cm (probably a Burton Air or Custom, they're cheap and decent). You can pick these up at Sport Chek for a couple hundred.

Go with decent boots. As in be prepared to spend at least a couple hundred. Having sore feet or boots with no ankle support is no fun whatsoever. You'll also progress a lot faster with something on your feet that is better quality than a Marks Work Warehouse Sorel.

Buy snowboard socks. You can get away with woolies or tube socks, but you'll cut down on ankle bite if you wear socks that are made for riding. Again, comfort is pretty important.

Bindings are not a huge deal...you can get away with cheap ones if you have good boots.

Good outerwear is also necessary, unless you want to have a wet ass from all the time you're going to spend on it. A high threadcount pair of pants will keep you comfortable. MEC is probably the cheapest, but if you want to pick up something decent go to a local snowboard shop and pick up something from last years stock.

Now is a pretty good time to buy though. A lot of stuff is on sale from last year, so you can get really good pricing on pretty much everything.

[Tron_fdc]

A few links

http://burton.com/default.aspx
http://www.sourceboards.com/
http://www.lib-tech.com/
http://www.missionsnowandskate.com/

I ride a lib, but for a beginner I wouldn't push you into any particular direction board wise. Burton pours huge amounts of $ into R&D on their board lines, so I would probably suggest you try them out. They're also made in Canada, if that makes a difference.

[surferguy]

I am 5' 5" and 140lbs. I ride a 155 Burton. I bought it two seasons ago. Before that I rode a Sport Check Special.

Personally go into Sport Check and get the best boots you can - Spend your money on the boots! Then choose the coolest looking board in your budget that is 155 cm in length. Since you are just picking up the sport it will not matter what you are riding. You need to learn and develop a riding style (2 seasons) before you will understand the dynamics of riding a board verses skiing.

After you have developed your riding style - jumps?, technique?, speed?, carving?, etc then go to you local snowboard shop and tell them what you like doing, and they will set you up in the best equipment based on you and your riding wants.

DO NOT GO SHORTER THAN 155cm! Your friends will all be way ahead of you (speed wise) if you do.

I skiied for 18yrs before I switched to riding a snowboard. I picked it up (competent riding) in 3 days. That said it was 2 years before I developed the knowledge of what I liked to do on the mountain and what part of my equipment was holding me back.

Bindings - no need to get anything special here - as long as your secured to the board. that said try tweaking your riding stance alot. If your feet hurt - move them out, or duck stance, forward or back. Try lots of differant combinations until you find one that works for you.

Learn how to fall the right way. You will smack yourself hard at least a few times - it sucks but you will learn.

Have fun!

[Fozzie_DeBear]

I would call every snowboard shop and ask if they have any of last years model in your size. Right now a lot of them want to blow out inventory, last weekend Ski Celler in Calgary blew out their entire inventory at 50% off...I was sorely tempted to pickup a new stick for $200...if I didn't have a baby on the way I would have...

You may even want to canvas Calgary shops if you have no luck where you live...

Expect to have your ass kicked for the whole first day of riding, but it is, IMO MUCH easier to learn than skiing.

[Rhettzky]

I'm with Arsenal. Here are a few tips I picked up:

Gear

As a beginner just buy a really nice pair of stiff boots with good support and that are comfortable. People generally find it easier to learn how to carve well with good ankle support. Some guys prefer to have lots of flexibility depending on the type of riding they do but you can worry about that down the road. Try renting a board for the first little bit and mix up the board length until you find something that feels comfortable. Once you do just buy a cheapo board from sport chek (around $100). I say this because you will find yourself grinding sideways over a lot of buried obstacles that can beat the crap out of your edges. Once you get a season or two under your belt then you will have a better feel for the sport and can upgrade your gear at your leisure.

Foot Position

Make sure you bring a screwdriver to the hill your first few times so that you can adjust your bindings. Don't go overboard and change it every run or you will have trouble finding a stance that is comfortable. If your right foot is dominant than I'd recommend trying to ride left foot forward (standard) for the first bit. Also, start with the bindings in the middle position and if you find that it's a little uncomfortable to bend your knee's then move them apart. Finally, try angling your front foot forward at about 12-16 degree's and leave your back foot straight. Once you get it down then put your back foot at a negative angle to make riding backwards easier (minus 4-6 degrees worked for me).

Clothes

Warm clothes, layers, yadda-yadda all the stuff you're used to from living in calgary. But make sure you have a good pair of socks. Something that won't hold the sweat in and keeps your feet warm. Boarding with frozen feet sucks a$$ and you'll be stopping at the lodge every hour to warm up your feet. Also, make sure all your gear is water proof because you will be spending ample time on your butt and if you try to get by with something like long-johns and sweats under a pair of blue jeans then you will be dragging about ten pounds of ice pack on your lower half.

Misc

-a decent pair of goggles that doesn't fog up is key.
-a helmet is definitely a must.
-like I said, a mini tool kit helps a bunch.
-a good leash that is easy to take on and off. (I found the keyring under your lace with a hook clasp ropped to your boot worked better than the ones that go around your leg)
-a decent stomp pad makes getting off the chairs a whole lot easier.
-once you buy a board have the edge ground at the hill or a ski shop. This makes it a whole lot harder to catch an edge. Later you'll want it sharper but for now dumb it down.

Some people may disagree with some of the above but I've been boarding for over seven years now and these are some of the things I found made the learning process easier.

[arsenal]

You don't need a leash... The leash is there from begning of snowboarding. It straps to your binding, which in turn straps to your boot.
I have no idea what it's intentional function was but I am guessing it's there to keep the board from taking off on you while you are not strapped into your board.
Well, if you have tried walking with your feet out of the bindings, with your board leashed to you.. it is not easy nor fun. Just learn to "skate" with your lead foot strapped in.

The only thing I can think of when a leash would be usefull is if your binding straps break. That would keep your board attached to you. But both straps would have to fail at the same time.. on both bindings..

yah.. it's usless..

[Tron_fdc]

Yeah, leash's are pretty stupid requirements. I've been checked a few times, and had to ride the chair down at COP after a lengthy "discussion" with the operator on their benefits. Their entire existence dates back to the days when boards were completely unknown, and people with skis had those straps on them instead of brakes. People naturally assumed that a snowboard needed one as well, hence the requirement. I can't ever recall seeing someones feet come out of their bindings, and I do recall hearing somewhere that they're more dangerous to the rider than safe (not sure why though).

I don't ride with one, but you might want to keep one in your pocket in case you get checked (you get the little clip on ones for free in the box with a decent pair of bindings). I find it to be a pain in the arse to clip on and remove leashes so I don't bother. They make good keychains too...I have about 20 of the stupid things floating around my house.

Other than that just give 'er. It can be a lot of fun until you get old and sour like me, and buy a sled to avoid crowds.

[arsenal]

The only place I have ever been checked is COP. Most of the lifty's on the mountains don't even bother checking. Even if it is a policy, the lift operators know and understand that leashes are useless.

[Rhettzky]

Originally Posted by arsenal

The only place I have ever been checked is COP. Most of the lifty's on the mountains don't even bother checking. Even if it is a policy, the lift operators know and understand that leashes are useless.

I agree it's useless but when we went boarding in Tahoe they checked at the main chair all day. It's a good thing to have on you just in case and IMO it's a good thing to have for a beginner. If you put your leash on your lead foot you really only have to touch the thing twice a day... once in the morning and around lunch time.

[Ro]

Some good advice in this thread. Here's what I'd suggest-

Pick a board that, from tip to tail, lines up somewhere between your mouth and your chin. For a beginner, that's plenty long enough, and you could even go a few cm shorter if you wanted to.

It's like a hockey stick- sure, a longer stick will give you a harder shot, but it's cumbersome when handling the puck (which you do a lot more). A longer board will make you go faster, but it'll be harder to maneuver and carve with.

As for the flex, I agree that a slightly softer board is better also. If you make some progression and start going off jumps, it will be much more forgiving. Not to mention, you're a lightweight, so a board with moderate flex might be too stiff for you anyways. You won't be able to cruise at warp speed and simply mow through any choppy stuff, but in my experience, the days I went boarding as a beginner were after a huge dump of soft, fluffy snow. Perfect for learning in. If you can find a good board with a nice sidecut, it will make turning and carving infinitely more stable.

Buy boots first. You can buy them new and wear them in no problem, and I've had issues with my feet getting cold after buying used boots. As far as sizing/feel, the trick is to try on every company's boot(s), as each one uses a slightly different mold. One of them is going to feel right.

Then when you find your board, the width should match up with the length of your boots from heel to toe. This is important, as a board that is too narrow won't feel right (not enough surface area underneath), and a board that's too wide will be difficult to shift your weight from heel to toe on.

Bindings. Have you seen the step-in style of bindings? They're handy for beginners, but can be a little expensive, and to me, don't give you a true "feel" for your board. But they are an option. IMO, it's not going to matter TOO much what bindings you go with for your first set-up, you'll know a little better after some experience what you might prefer next time.

The next important thing is your stance. If you plan on learning to ride both directions, regular and switch, you'll want to set your bindings in a "V" shape. Otherwise, you can angle them both in the same direction (downhill), with the trailing foot somehwere between 5* and 0*. The angles are all preference, and I know from experience that may riders just get used to the way they originally set them up instead of fiddling with them once in while to see if something feels better. I like a width that is a couple inches more than shoulder width, but that may be a tad too wide. Start with shoulder width, add a few notches, and go from there. Find a stance you like, but don't just stick with the first one you set up.

A helmet is a personal preference, but I'd wear one. They have nice Louis Garneau ones at Costco right now for $50. When you fall, tuck in and land on shoulders, instead of your wrists. Wear an extra pair of shorts or two underneath your first couple of times, as you'll be doing lots of sitting/falling on your ass, and it will likely get wet/cold. If you can afford it, and if you're having problems, a lesson is really helpful.

Hmmmmm. What else. If there is a ski/snowboard swap coming up in CGY, go there for sure. Tons of used and new equipment, all pretty reasonable prices. If you want a cheap(er) but not not totally crappy board, you could get one at Sport Chek/Mart. Option, Ride, Morrow, Lamar, they even sell entry-level Burtons there. All of those are fine for what you seem to be after. You'll know the cheaper brands when you shop around a bit (LTD, Firefly).

Oh yeah, one of those stomp pads is essential when you're first starting. The crappiest part about the transition from skiing to boarding is the whole strap-on, strap-off thing when you get on and off a lift, or when you lose momentum and have to "skate" with one foot strapped in. One of those things will give you mucho traction and make it easier.

[LGA]

If you're looking for a decent all-around board I'd recommend a Burton Air, they're relatively cheap and again, pretty decent at just about everything, so it'll give you a little wiggle room to try out different stuff.

I've really only tried two different brands of boards in Nitro and Burton boards, but there's a ton of different boards in both brands, but yea, if you have money get a good (not great, but good) board, it does make things a little bit easier. Also try to get good binding and boots, they really make a huge difference. I personally recommend the Cartel bindings and Ion boots, but it's just my opinion. Anyways, have a fun time trying out boarding, it's super fun and a good way to spend a day (or more).

[Tron_fdc]

Originally Posted by LGA

I personally recommend the Cartel bindings and Ion boots, but it's just my opinion. Anyways, have a fun time trying out boarding, it's super fun and a good way to spend a day (or more).

Stay away from the Cartels...they're junk. Pieces break/come apart all the time on them and for some reason they feel funny on my feet. I had a set last year and I'm about ready to throw them at a homeless person. If anyone wants a set for cheap (size lg) talk to me, I'll sell you mine.

If you like the toe cups on your bindings, spend the extra money on the P1's. I'm still riding my set from 2 years ago, and love the way they feel.

[Salt Water Cowboy #10]

don't buy the Burton Mission bindings. The toe cup retchet stripped on mine the first day. Just trying to tighten them up, and pop. still work but they won't tighten up how i like'em.

[Tron_fdc]

Originally Posted by Salt Water Cowboy #10

don't buy the Burton Mission bindings. The toe cup retchet stripped on mine the first day. Just trying to tighten them up, and pop. still work but they won't tighten up how i like'em.

WTF man, why didn't you warranty that? It's not like you don't know people...

[Rhettzky]

Originally Posted by Salt Water Cowboy #10

don't buy the Burton Mission bindings. The toe cup retchet stripped on mine the first day. Just trying to tighten them up, and pop. still work but they won't tighten up how i like'em.

Weird, I've had mine for like six years and have never had a single issue with them. Sometimes they'll buckle too tight for me and my foot will fall asleep on the chair but I have really crappy boots.

[Phanuthier]

Thanks for all the comments guys

Just to get a feel of things, what do you think of this?

http://www.altrec.com/shop/detail/26852/

So I'm probably gonna have to get a nice pair of boots since I do have a history of ankle problems, should I get them new? Or see if I can get a high quality pair of used?

I kind of get used to whatever sporting equipment I used, I never seem to have a preference. Be it skiies, or squash rackets or hockey sticks, I usually conform to whatever I'm using. (Aside from skates and roller blades, both which I need a nice pair since I have ankle problems)

Width: 247mm (I'm a size 9 shoe, they recommend 240-260)
Length: 145 (I remember from last time, i had trouble shifting from toe to heel, so I think I'd want a smaller board)

[North East Goon]

I am 6ft 230 lbs and have size11 shoe. What size of board would this beginner need?

[Coach]

Originally Posted by North East Goon

I am 6ft 230 lbs and have size11 shoe. What size of board would this beginner need?

Im about the same size as you, but weigh a little less and wear a size 10-10 1/2 shoe. I'm a beginner snowboarder and have a 159 board

[Rhettzky]

I'm 6'-0" and started with a 158 and it worked great until I got some experience. Then I went for something a bit longer. Still go back to the short one from time to time and depending on the hill though. Anyway, go short!