Burton Custom too much for a newbie?
 

Hey Guys,
I know you're probably sick of new guys asking questions about which
board to buy, but it really is a confusing thrasher world out there.
I'm new to snowboarding but have been skiing for 25 years (I've
boarded 3 times on borrowed equipment). I have always bought top of
the line ski equipment and never regretted it. I'm riding Mammoth
mountain, and many of my boarder friends have recommended Burton. I've
spent the past 5 days doing research on the net and have narrowed my
choices down to a Burton Cruzer and a Burton Custom. I'm aware of the
differences in quality, my only concern is that the Custom may not be
forgiving enough for a newbie. I've read many glowing reviews about
how forgiving the Cruzer is, but I don't want to be regretting buying
it next season after "forgiving" is not that much of a concern. I'm
planning on boarding at least 20 to 30 days this year. I'm 6'2"
210lbs, I'm looking at a board in the 160+ range. Any advice you can
give would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mark

I'm 6'2"
210lbs, I'm looking at a board in the 160+ range. Any advice you can
give would be greatly appreciated.

At 210 pounds - especially if it's a strong and healthy 210 pounds - most
boards are going to be "forgiving". Look at Burton's site and look at the
recommended weights. Not a lot for a 210 pound rider.

I would suggest finding something a little less forgiving and a little more
stable... which might mean not getting a Burton.

(I personally am not a Burton fan. I like my boards designed more for
stability and all-mountain riding; most of the Burton models seem rather
freestyle oriented to me. Yes there are some exceptions like the Fish and
the old Supermodel.)



Mike T

"Mark Andrews" wrote in message m...
Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Last season when I had just started out, I bought a fairly stiff board (in the recommended
size for my weight). One person told me it was too stiff for a beginner, but it worked for me.
Hard to turn the first time out though. The strongest rider among my friends (an accomplished
racer) never used beginner equipment.

OTOH, I'd love to have a more flexy board too for playing around. I can't imagine ever
being able to wheelie my board very well.

Burton Custom's are very forgiving boards. My 159 was a bit wide for
my sz. 9 feet and slow to transition. Might be just right for you..

Burton boards are very durable and well made. They can take a
beating. One thing about Burtons is they have a very smooth base
which doesn't work that well in spring conditions where a textured
base is better. Although, they are lightening quick on cold snow.
Good for right now in the Sierra's!

og wrote:
One thing about Burtons is they have a very smooth base
which doesn't work that well in spring conditions where a textured
base is better.

Say what now? If you want your base structured, go to a good shop and
get it structured. Brand has nothing to do with it.

To the OP: just adding my voice to the general agreement - if you're a
strong skier and are over 200 lbs, a Custom will be a good starter board
that you'll probably outgrow in a season.

Neil

i'd say a custom 61 or 64 would work for you - at least for a few years.
the custom has a nice quality snap to it and the length is long enough so
you won't outgrow it in a year. after riding for over 8years, i've still
got a custom 64 rock board that i use occasionally and it works well for me.

--


jmed

On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 05:32:35 GMT, "Mike T"
wrote:

(I personally am not a Burton fan. I like my boards designed more for
stability and all-mountain riding;

Hmmm. I am a Burton fan, but like the same thing in boards.

most of the Burton models seem rather
freestyle oriented to me. Yes there are some exceptions like the Fish and
the old Supermodel.)

But hey, I've got a Fish, and I've owned two Supermodels :-)
--
Champ

Neil Gendzwill wrote in message ...
og wrote:
One thing about Burtons is they have a very smooth base
which doesn't work that well in spring conditions where a textured
base is better.

Say what now? If you want your base structured, go to a good shop and
get it structured. Brand has nothing to do with it.

To the OP: just adding my voice to the general agreement - if you're a
strong skier and are over 200 lbs, a Custom will be a good starter board
that you'll probably outgrow in a season.

Neil

I get boards tuned all the time. I've never found a shop that can
restore or add a diamond cut structure to a board.

og wrote:

I get boards tuned all the time. I've never found a shop that can
restore or add a diamond cut structure to a board.

Here's one: http://www.summitskishop.com/ptcmenu...g.php?page=PTC

These are the guys that are providing the tunes for the recent batch of
Madd alpine decks. Word is they're very, very good - if you want a
world-class tune, you can ship your board to them.

But I've heard lots of guys talk about getting their bases structured so
that can't be the only place. It's never been an issue for me, I ride
in dry snow conditions almost all the time. I know structure would give
me a little more speed but I feel I go plenty fast enough already.

If you want to find a place a little more local, a post to bomberonline
would probably turn up a recommendation.

Neil

"Jason Medeiros" wrote in message ...
i'd say a custom 61 or 64 would work for you - at least for a few years.
the custom has a nice quality snap to it and the length is long enough so
you won't outgrow it in a year. after riding for over 8years, i've still
got a custom 64 rock board that i use occasionally and it works well for me.

I highly recommend the Custom. I got one after first learning on a
run of the mill Sims board. The Custom made a huge difference and I
still ride a Custom today. It's flexible enough and forgiving enough
that it's suitable for a beginner. And somewhere in the 160-162 range
would be the size I would recommend. I'd also consider buying a used
one on Ebay, if you can find the right one. That would be fine to
learn on, cost a lot less, give you some experience with the size,
etc.