"Dmitry" wrote in message news:SN%Wb.21244$yE5.97527@attbi_s54...
"msegal" wrote

it. More to the point, I'm wondering if the high-performance boards from the
top mfgs--Ride, Salomon, Nitro, Burton, Palmer, etc.--differ that
significantly. I mean, the main complaints I hear about Burton are more
political than qualitative. Do certain brands have unique qualities?

Yes they certainly do differ quite a bit. Custom is quite soft
compared to most "expert" boards. Try Johan if you want to stick
to Burton brand, but other than that demo as much as you can and
figure out what characteristics you prefer.

Say, I recently found out that I don't actually like narrow-waisted
boards. I do like the feeling of having a leverage over the edge
of the board, and being able to "dig it in" using that leverage.
Boards with waist below 25cm just don't have that trench-digging
quality, I don't feel like I have a sharp knife attached to my feet.
Also, turns out that I just love extremely stiff boards, even though
I'm very light for my size (145lbs, 5'11"). But I do not like the
narrow tail in my Palmer Carbon Circle at all, because it basically
forces me to either work harder than I'm willing to, or to descend at
speeds I'm not comfortable with. It beats everything else I've tried
so far in high-speed stability, but that's something I'm willing to
compromise for other things.

I also very much like the idea of supporting small companies like
Donek, Neversummer, Prior. Isn't it super-cool that you can actually
talk with the dude who will be hand-making your board over the phone?
Sure, they can't afford technology that's required to make boards
like Burton T6, but it's not all that important. My understanding is
that for example Donek boards have a very long effective edge for their
size, so if you're comparing swing weight they might actually come out
on top of all uber-espensive hi-tech boards with less effective edge.

Out of the "mainstream" stuff, I recently tried Palmer Classic.
There's definitely some merit in their ad saying it's the best value
on the rack - great board for the price, and it's actually quite close
to Custom in geometry and flex, maybe a tad stiffer. So if you
like your Classic, it's worth checking out - it's quite a bit
cheaper, and I personally would actually prefer Classic to Custom
even for the same money.


I rode a Ride Timless 161 for three seasons and loved it. Parks,
pipes, groomers, powder, cliffs, ice, gates, and teaching lessons.
That board rocked, super stiff but still responsive and forgiving.
They are spendy, but there often seems to be a good supply of last
year's boards available for reasonable money.