online snowboard sites for newbies needed

**Crinkle** · 12-18-2006, 05:37 PM

I have had some requests lately from a few friends looking to getting into snowboarding. They don't live in the hot areas (pennsylvania) of snow sports. I have taken a quick look but have found nothing great. Looking for a good online buyer's guide for snowboard equiptment so i can just pass the buck to them and let them make their own decisions.

thanks
crunk-diddy

**Buzzworthy** · 12-18-2006, 05:59 PM

They ridin in the Poconos?

I would have some suggestions, but I have never seen a full buyers guide that is worth it's weight. At least online.

Checking back later, kiddo needs picked up from daycare.

**Crinkle** · 12-18-2006, 07:14 PM

exzachary buzz. rockin at blue probably.

or a good suggestion for a board for heavier rider @ 220 lbs, 5'8. he will excel quickly and wants a board to grow into, not having to upgrade. I already passed on Boa's and flow binding recomendation.

**dfinn** · 12-18-2006, 07:46 PM

it's hard to go wrong with burton

**skiguide** · 12-18-2006, 10:24 PM

http://snowboarding.about.com/ - may be biased, cause i know the dude (he lives here in SLC- and he's cool as shit) and i also have some other history with the site, but the beginner info is pretty damn good - that's who it's aimed at.

**shmoesmith** · 12-19-2006, 12:42 AM

There aren't any buyers guides out there that are worth shit(IMHO). That said, I'm sure some of the more experienced riders with 15+years of snowboarding experience(myself, rideit, a few others that i'm too drunk to think of right now)could recommend some great boards for your friend.

You know the drill. You have 4,056 posts. If you want a good recommendation, you are going to have to post more than just his height and weight. You are going to have to post what style of riding he is going to 'grow in' to.

flows are great bindings for park because they are really forgiving. That said, they suck at other shit such as big mountain because you jsut dont get the support and control you need out of them. Same thing for boots. Boa's are great for certain reasons, but suck for others...

Boards, same deal. You want a park board, or a big moutnain board? Not all board companies excell at all types of boards. Example: Neversummer and Prior kick just about every other companies ass at big mountain/freeride boards. Nitro doesnt make a great freeride board, but they do a killer park board.

So to sum it up in my drunkenly long post. Give us more info

**Buzzworthy** · 12-19-2006, 03:08 PM

Originally Posted by Crinkle

exzachary buzz. rockin at blue probably.

or a good suggestion for a board for heavier rider @ 220 lbs, 5'8. he will excel quickly and wants a board to grow into, not having to upgrade. I already passed on Boa's and flow binding recomendation.

Ah the memories of Blue. Back in the day neon was cool.

I been rocking Salomon for 10+ years now. Board, boots, bindings. Have a new Solly stick under the tree currently. I got a 163 Solly Forecast, last years for $200 new from shop. Will be lots better than the board-turned-noodle I am on now. Hey, 7 seasons on it. Got my money's worth.

Since it is his first board, would recommend to find something good to learn on and ride for say, 2-4 seasons or so. Then he will want to look into something he finds he REALLY wants.

If he is budget minded, Solly can be a good choice, K2 makes some great boards too. If $$ no issue, Neversummer would be my choice.

Since it is Blue, he is going to want a bit stiffer board with a good edge and you know why. I would say to have him look at some sites on boards, make a list, ask for it and post and we can give you some feedback.

Shmoe, shhhhhhhh. Crinkle is good peeps and been around these parts a long time. He knows what is up.

**shmoesmith** · 12-19-2006, 08:37 PM

Originally Posted by Buzzworthy

Shmoe, shhhhhhhh. Crinkle is good peeps and been around these parts a long time. He knows what is up.

My bad. My computer blew up last night. Fried out the HD nstuff. Had to put down the coin for a new computer. Needless to say, it was a bad night, and I was half drunk when I posted

.

Crinkle, please accept my appology

As for a recommendation, go with neversummer.

**Crinkle** · 12-19-2006, 08:42 PM

thanks so far, shmoe, i laid a few details, but if you guys can get me some suggestions i'll throw it all out:

He doesn't mind shelling out some bucks if he doesn't have to buy again in the near future. I guess upgrading the board should be a consideration that he ponder for best results. he picked up wakeboarding in less than 10 minutes this summer and is totally hooked on that and ready to transition to snow. He is a super competitive, athletic guy, quick learner, use to ski a little. He would be disappointed if he outgrew the board in a season or two. Most of his time on the board will be carving East coast snow, very few, if any pow days. Some sort of free-carve board? I imagine a stiff board due to his weight @ 220#. Pretty sure he won't be jibbin in the park, just raging all over the mountain as fast as he can handle.

good info, thought the flow system didn't have weakness for all mountain riding. so feel free to throw binding and boot info experience here as well.

thanks for the info buzz, quite a few of my associates are on Salomon and love them.

edit: no worries shmoe, i can take a punch on the internet, not offended

**shmoesmith** · 12-19-2006, 11:56 PM

Originally Posted by Crinkle

Most of his time on the board will be carving East coast snow, very few, if any pow days. Some sort of free-carve board? I imagine a stiff board due to his weight @ 220#. Pretty sure he won't be jibbin in the park, just raging all over the mountain as fast as he can handle.

good info, thought the flow system didn't have weakness for all mountain riding. so feel free to throw binding and boot info experience here as well.

thanks for the info buzz, quite a few of my associates are on Salomon and love them.

edit: no worries shmoe, i can take a punch on the internet, not offended

My recommendation would be for a Neversummer Titan. Probably a 163-169. This has got to be the damned fastest, most stable board on the face of the planet. The Durasurf base rocks. The dampening system blows the competition clean out of the water on these boards. Also ptex sidewalls make sidewall hit repairs MUCH easier to deal with than a cap construction. You can ride this board high speed on ice and never worry about going down because it is so stable. When you want go head out west for some pow, it will ride with teh best of them and land a huck with grace that will suprise you. The downside is this board is $600 and is a bit heavier than other boards.

I would also look into Arbor snowboards. The element is a great all-mountain board. Very fast base on it. Not as stable or damp as a neversummer, but worlds above companies like Ride or K2(IMHO of course). These are also kinda pricey boards in the $500 range if I recall correctly.

I would also look into Nitro, Prior, and Libtech as good solid boards. As far as burton goes, I would only look at their custom x

As far as binders go, nothing beats the response of a good solid strap binding system. I personally like the Burton P1's. Not a fan of the Ride bindings(poorly designed straps can bite into on high pressure turns, an dall the ride bindings i've had have fallen apart on the padding within a season). Salomon makes a great strap binding as well. Cateks are also an excellent choice, but are pricey(above $300). K2 has a new binding out last year that has a dropback system like the flows, but has straps on it for a better more stable response. I forget the name of the binding,l but it looked like a well built design.

Flows are great for the park. Lotsa give in them.

I've had mixed luck with burton boots, as well as some other big names. The one boot I have loved has been salomon. Everyone I know that rides Salomon boots has been impressed, so I would go that route on the boots.

**Buzzworthy** · 12-20-2006, 02:23 PM