Does anyone know of any good snowboard forums?

Or can someone recommend an intermediate setup (board/bindings/boots) that would be good for someone who has gone before, but has always rented. Me and my wife have gone a few times and we're decent enough to be able to go down the intermediate slopes. We're looking for some gear that isn't newbie-ish or high-end. We're looking for some decent stuff to have fun in. We're not really into tricks or anything either.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

sorry for not positng any thing useful.

i'd like to know also, I went snowboarding for the first time last year and liked it alot. I might rent if i go this year or probably just buy all the equipment. but unlike jaykkub i'm into doing tricks

 

burton !! i like some k2 boards too.

i like step-in bindings with good heel support (easeier for me to manuver)

 

well...

im in the intermediate range as well and bought all of my gear this season.

i really love my gnu carbon high beam board. its very light and pretty damn stiff and is a very comfortable ride in all types of conditions.

i feel that when buying boots and bindings, you should go all out when buying these because boots especially will make the difference between a good day and a bad day of boarding. i bought the northwave kevin jones pro boot. they are soooo friggin comfortable. i feel like at the end of the day i can still walk a mile with no problem.

for bindings all i have to say is ride bindings. these are the best bindings period. i bought the ex bindings but probably next season or the year after ill buy the team bindings.

so remember, when buying snowboard stuff imo you pay for what you get. the stuff i got wasnt cheap but i felt that is was all worth it.

so my recommendations are any gnu board, northwave boots, and ride bindings. you cant go wrong with that combo. northwave and ride equipment is considered to be the best stuff out there and people will argue that lib tech and gnu are the best board makers.

hopefully this will help out your final decision. you should also go into boardshops and see what the employees are riding.

chris

 

I agree with the Northwave reccomendation.....Super comfortable...best boots i've ever tried.

Other than that, there are plenty of good snowboard makers.... Salomon, Ride, Burton, K2. I personally have a Ride Concept and it's a fantasic freestyle board, but okay for freeriding. Earlier this season my girlfriend picked up her setup and the salesperson reccomended a Ride Solace. It's a great beginner board that is technical enough for when she progresses. Roxy has also started making boards and they make a rebadged Gnu board that is also supposed to be excellent for female riders. I can't really recommend any male boards since I'm more than happy with my Ride and am not in the market for a new board.

As for bindings, I personally use Drake and I think they are one of the best.

Have fun.

 

You may want to try some demo's if your resort has them available. Most of the demo stuff is on the higher side though.

Boots ... get the most comfortable you can. These are the most important part of your setup. It's hard to tell what's comfortable when you're not using them, but make sure they fit well around all aspects of your feet. If you're doing intermediate freeriding, you'll probably want something with medium stiffness.

Bindings ... I only ride with straps. I don't like stepins at all, but that's mainly because it's so hard for me to get a boot that fits well and with stepins I get major heel and toe lift. Straps give you much more support and support equals control. Right now I'm using 02 Ride SPi's that I like a lot, except for the ratchets. The current ratchets look much better though. The Ride EX of this year uses the same older style ratchets. I'm not really big on Burton bindings and I've used them all. Technine's are good bindings with lifetime warranty. Drakes are good too, but I've only riden the higher F50 and F60.

Board ... there are so many choices it's hard to pick one without trying it and that's nearly impossilble for a lot of the stuff out there. I currently ride a Burton BMC and love it. Sickest board I've ever riden. This year it's called the Custom X (basically same specs though). This is a $550 board though. I don't think you could go wrong with the good ol' Burton Custom, but it's still pricey (~$480). Honestly, at an intermediate level I don't think you're going to notice a huge difference between decent quality boards from companies like Ride, K2, Forum, Salomon, or Burton. Just be sure to get one suited for what you want to do with it, which sounds like just freeriding.

Be sure to watch out for end of season sales coming up. Around here that means 40-50% off. That can get you a little better gear for a lot less money.

 

Jaykkub,

For casual use, just about anything will do. The single most important aspect IMO is your boots. Make sure you get boots that fit snugly, and that your heel doesn't wiggle around in. Most boots will loosen a tiny bit as they break in, so get ones that fit pretty snugly. I currently wear boots where I will sometimes get a little bit of heel lift, and that sucks when you need to turn quickly. I'm planning to get new, tighter boots soon.

For boots, Northwave offers some well-priced and popular ones. I forget the specific models, but that's not all that important. Try on some of the Salomons, Northwaves, etc., and see what fits your feet the best. Ideally, you want something that fits snugly around the heel, but that doesn't make your feet throb. Again, snug is important, otherwise you have less control over the board.

Bindings are one of the cheaper pieces (relatively speaking) of equipment, and I think you'd do well to get one of the nicer ones. I have the Drake F60's and they're good. They give good support and I love them. Burton bindings are okay, too, but I like the Drakes better overall. I picked up my F60's at least year's mid-season sale for just under $100.

For a board, you really can pick just about anything. I have a '03 Burton Custom, and it does just about everything pretty well. It retails at $480, but you can get them during sales for about 40% off. The Custom is an intermediate to high end board. My only complaints are that the top sheet chips really easily. Fortunately, although that makes it look ugly, it doesn't affect how it rides. I beat the hell out of my board so it doesn't bother me. Any Burton, Salomon, K2, Ride, or Lib Tech board would be a safe bet. Just make sure it's the right length for your height and weight. I've ridden a few different boards, and don't really notice that much of a difference in casual riding. My girlfriend has a K2 Satellite, which isn't the greatest board (it doesn't flex that well), but is pretty good for the price.

For reference, I personally have a '03 Burton Custom, Drake F60 bindings, and some sort of Northwave boots, which I plan to replace with Salomon Malamutes before this season is over. Everything cost me around $500 during the mid-season sale. Good luck, and have fun!

 

Some good advice so far. But one big thing to think about (at least right now in the season) is that boards are going to be a lot cheaper in another month. I would keep renting for this season and pick something up on the off season.

Another thing is to figure out what sort of riding you do. Those super expensive stiff boards are no good if you are sliding handrails. However, a really soft board that is good for jibbing won't hold an edge during a hard turn. It is very hard to find a board that is suited for every type of riding.

Don't go with step in bindings, no matter what. I would recommend the Burton bindings. Not the P1's because they are just too heavy. Boot fitment has a lot to do with your foot and if it is wide or narrow. It also has to do with what sort of riding you will be doing.

Let me know your price range and type of board and I will give you some suggetions and some good online board shops.

 

By the way, the Burton BMC is NOT the same board as the Custom X. The boards are completely different as far as shape and flex pattern goes.

To say what you pay for is what you get, is not necessarily the case with snowboards. Of course you can pay big bucks but Nitro makes some great boards a bit cheaper.