Snowboarding equipment

Hello,

I went snowboarding in Vail in December and I had a blast. I am now
buying snowboarding equipment and I had some questions.

I am 5' 8.5" tall, weigh 158 naked, and wear a size 10 boot (regular
footed). I want an all mountain board, but I want something that I can
use for years to come as I get better. I am fairly atheletic and learn
new sports fairly quickly. I think I'd like to spend most of my time
going down the mountain, hitting jumps, carving, and going fast (once i
get a little better). I'd also like to try the park - probably not
the crazy stuff.

I read the snowboarding FAQ at http://www.vpas.org/ and I still have
lots of questions so here goes.

1. Boots - I want something fairly stiff, but I dont want a hard boot.
Do soft boots pack out a little bit after usage? I am debating getting
the Vans Encore Boa vs. the Vans Fargo Boa. I really like the Boa
system - it makes my entire foot feel secure w/o slippage. The Encore
has more flex than the Fargo - and for freeriding I've heard that a
slightly stiffer boot is good - leading me to think i should get the
Fargos. Any thoughts?

2. Bindings - Any thoughts on the Ride SPI size large?

3. I have looked at both the Ride Timeless and the Ride decade (both in
size 156). I would consider the size up in each (159 and 160
respectively) but I talked to some people and they suggested I ride a
156. Can people comment on the two boards and the choice of size?

4. Are the waste widths of the Timeless (249mm) and Decade (249mm) big
enough for the Vans boots considering I am going to use a size 10 boot
and ride with an average foot width apart and use binding angles around
20 and -3 degrees?

Thanks in advance for your help.

249mm is plenty wide.

The timeless is pretty stiff so if you were going to go with the longer
board I'd get the softer of the two.

I have the Van Contras which are fairly stiff BOA boots. I am
extremely pleased with them. I like the quick and uniform tightening
and they are very comfortable. The only way to decide on boots is to
try them on. I would have bought them locally, but couldn't find any
last year here in the NJ/NYC area. Wound up buying them online, which
may can be a viable option. Many places allow you to send them back
easy for full credit, so you are only out the shipping. And
considering how many places you might have to go and how much it costs
to drive, time etc, doing it online is a definite option worth
considering.

I decided to go with the Vans Fargo boots. Slightly stiffer and will
probably last me many more seasons of riding. Also, the liner in the
Fargos are heat moldable.