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#1
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Help in choosing gear for a new boarder
I have been reading a lot online recently about what equipment is
recommended in terms of boards, bindings, boots, etc. but the problem is that I am based in Japan and there tends to be a lot less choice here for someone my size - 6 foot, 225 pounds, 30cm shoes (US12?) As such, I am tempted to order from the US, especially as there appear to be a lot of vendors selling direct to the Japanese market. However, although I am sure I can decide on boots, bindings and what to wear, the board is an area that seems trickiest, given that I am heavy. Many sites recommend trying out many boards to see which fit me and also there is a lot of mention of the concept of demoing a board, almost a try before you buy scheme, but I am not sure if this sort of scheme exists here. I tried skiing here many years ago and the rental equipment available in my size was scarce and in generally poor condition. The first day I went out on my own skis, I was much much better from the off, so I am eager to buy my board from the start. It would seem that for stiffness, I certainly need a 160+ board, if not 165 with a width of say 250+ Does anyone have any general suggestions about how to take the plunge and go for the right board? Also, how will I know if I have made the right decision - I may just be crap... Thanks for any advice you can offer... Jester |
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#3
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Help in choosing gear for a new boarder
I started boarding early this year and spent a great deal of time
reading as much as possible about gear as its a bit daunting starting out with your first purchase. Like you i'm 6 feet, 215 pounds, and wear a UK size 10 in shoes. Board: I was advised to get a board with a softer flex as this helps you initiate and control your turns when starting out. I also needed a wider board to ensure i didn't drag with the toe or heal from my boot. This is more important if your binding angles are quite shallow like mine (left foot 0 degrees, right 18). Binding angles are something you need to experiment with to get a comfortable stance and good control. The board I got is excellent, a burton cruzer wide (162) and was recomended by a number of places. It was part of the burton learning to ride range and will cater for everything i'll ever need to do. Bindings: UK size 10 and upwards boots will require you to use a large binding. I opted for the burton freestyle bindings. Again i think they're great. Comfortable straps, plenty of adjustment available, and reasonably priced. Boots: This is where I came unstuck, and its the most important part of your kit!!!! Cant emphasize this more. Initially I ordered online and went for burton freestyle boots in a UK size 10 to match my shoe size. Great boots but the size was wrong and caused by toes to feel cramped after a few hours riding. There was no heel lift from them and they secured nice and tight around the ankle but the toe pain was becoming unbearable. I then swapped them for a recomended pair of 32 prions in a UK size 11. These felt great initially but on drag lifts and after a number of hours riding i experience pain in the right hand side of my leading foot. Tried a number of things to cure this, all to no avail. Ultimately the boot was too big in width and my foot was rotating inside the liner. These were bought in a shop but unfortunately i could not swap them as they had been used. I decided that if I want to be able to progress and enjoy the sport then i'll need to bite the bullet and get another pair of boots. (this was getting costly!!!). Finally, I can now say I have the perfect boots. I bought a burton moto 07 boot in a 10.5 UK and the fit is perfect. I tried on several boots this time which i recomend you do. The sales guy will recomend the ones he think will work best but the only way you can really do this is to try as many on as possible. Always check for heal and toelift and if possible strap yourself into a board and move about to try. I wish I'd done this at the beginning, but hey ho. Also, dont just go to the next full size up if its too tight, try and go up in half sizes, this is what caused my problem with the 32's. Boots need to feel snug anyway, ideally your toes should just rub the front of the boot when in your normal stance. Also the moto has the new speed lacing system, beats spending ages messing about with laces!!! Hope this helps... PS. Starting out, get yourself kneepads and crash pants..... worth every penny !!!!!!! wrote: I have been reading a lot online recently about what equipment is recommended in terms of boards, bindings, boots, etc. but the problem is that I am based in Japan and there tends to be a lot less choice here for someone my size - 6 foot, 225 pounds, 30cm shoes (US12?) As such, I am tempted to order from the US, especially as there appear to be a lot of vendors selling direct to the Japanese market. However, although I am sure I can decide on boots, bindings and what to wear, the board is an area that seems trickiest, given that I am heavy. Many sites recommend trying out many boards to see which fit me and also there is a lot of mention of the concept of demoing a board, almost a try before you buy scheme, but I am not sure if this sort of scheme exists here. I tried skiing here many years ago and the rental equipment available in my size was scarce and in generally poor condition. The first day I went out on my own skis, I was much much better from the off, so I am eager to buy my board from the start. It would seem that for stiffness, I certainly need a 160+ board, if not 165 with a width of say 250+ Does anyone have any general suggestions about how to take the plunge and go for the right board? Also, how will I know if I have made the right decision - I may just be crap... Thanks for any advice you can offer... Jester |
#4
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Help in choosing gear for a new boarder
lonerider wrote:
have wide feet, I would suggest Burton Driver X, Salomon Malamutes for narrow feet[snip] I would recommend the MFR 168W (http://www.priorsnowboards.com/boards_mfr.php) to you[snip] You might also consider a Donek Wide 165 (http://www.donek.com/specs.htm). I'd be worried that those choices are on the stiff side for a fresh beginner, even one as large as the OP. Neil |
#5
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Help in choosing gear for a new boarder
Neil Gendzwill wrote:
lonerider wrote: have wide feet, I would suggest Burton Driver X, Salomon Malamutes for narrow feet[snip] I would recommend the MFR 168W (http://www.priorsnowboards.com/boards_mfr.php) to you[snip] You might also consider a Donek Wide 165 (http://www.donek.com/specs.htm). I'd be worried that those choices are on the stiff side for a fresh beginner, even one as large as the OP. Neil The boots or the board? I'm assuming you are talking about the board since and hardboot would be even stiffer. My thinking was that the recommend weight range of the Prior 168W is 165-230 lbs. So at 225 lbs the original poster would be on the high end of the scale and should be able to flex the board without much trouble. I did half consider suggesting the 165W as the recommended weight range for that it 155-220 lbs as I'm sure being only 5 lbs above the weight range isn't going to cause any significant issues in terms of stability or durability of the board. |
#6
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Help in choosing gear for a new boarder
lonerider wrote:
The boots or the board? I'm assuming you are talking about the board since and hardboot would be even stiffer. Both, but more the board. I don't advocate hardboots to complete beginners, and super-stiff softies may not be the best either but at his weight, maybe they would work out. recommend weight range of the Prior 168W is 165-230 lbs. Yeah, but the MFR is an advanced freeride board, so the weight range is not all there is to consider. I could put him on my Coiler AM which is designed for 190 lbs and I'd wager he'd find it too stiff. OTOH my head may well be up my ass on this one as I've never ridden an MFR, only flexed one in the store. If the OP is interested in Prior, I suggest he call them up and ask what they recommend for a beginner his size. Neil |
#7
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Help in choosing gear for a new boarder
wrote in message PS. Starting out, get yourself kneepads and crash pants..... worth every penny !!!!!!! And a helmet. Those first day heelside falls are murder. Bob |
#8
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Help in choosing gear for a new boarder
Neil Gendzwill wrote:
The boots or the board? I'm assuming you are talking about the board since and hardboot would be even stiffer. Both, but more the board. I don't advocate hardboots to complete beginners, and super-stiff softies may not be the best either but at his weight, maybe they would work out. I'm a lot lighter and started with Malamutes (after 3 days with rental eq) without much trouble related to the boots... the only downside is, i've gotten so used to the stiff boots that i can't imagine riding "normal" softboots now An additional comment about the boards: if it's going to be a Donek board for a beginner, i'd highly recommend to let them tune the edges to 1/1 - i believe the standard 0/0 would mean a lot more painful edge-catching, particularly during the first days. Not sure how the edge angle issue is handled by Prior. -- np: Brand New - Sowing Season (Yeah) ICQ# 8140105 public GnuPG/PGP key available @ http://dolic.com/pubkey.asc |
#9
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Help in choosing gear for a new boarder
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#10
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Help in choosing gear for a new boarder
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