Snowboards

[piracer]

So im looking for a snowboard, be it used or on sale. Right now in my line of sight is a Roman Artifact 156 for $220 or Arbor 2010 Formula 155 for $190. Im 5, 8" and weigh 182 pounds, wearing a boot size 11. Would this be ok, does everyone know?

Its the first time im shopping for a board so any other input would be great if you guys have suggestions either wise for a good board with a good price of course. Probably gonna be doing just mountain riding but ive been told you can go with a park board and it doenst really matter.

 

[SK]

How experienced are you? I would recommend a freestyle board if you are a beginner. As for your size, I wouldn't go anything over 160 for a board, around 155 is what I would aim for. There are a lot of good brands to choose from as well. Burton being a popular one, but I find them very expensive. Although you can find some nice used ones online. I currently have a Salomon Ace Magnum 162 bought new and I have had no complaints about it. It's a great board for just cruising down the mountain. Not very good for the back trails or half pipes though because it's a bit heavier than other boards.

I think the Arbor board you mentioned is the better choice of the two.

http://www.the-house.com/ has a good used board section if you feel like browsing.

 

[BelgianROFLs]

I'll second support for the-house.com. Arbors are pretty sweet rides, not familiar with the Roman Artifact. I'm not a fan of Salomon as they tend to be too stiff for me. Rossignol is one of the few ski brands that made the switch to snowboards effectively. I really like their stuff. I used to have Avalance boards, and I loved how flexy they were. Not even sure if they are still around. My current one is a Unity, which was a small shop/factory I found in Colorado when I busted my last board in the backcountry. Been rocksolid for 6+ years.

155 is a pretty good length for starting out for your weight. IMO if you stick with it, and get better, you will want a longer board later. It also depends on what you are interested in doing. Cruising and carving requires more edge to get a satisfying cut and flex, but the short board will be more fun in the park. If you plan on doing park stuff, I'd pick up a super cheap short board just for that because it's an easy way to mess your board up.

edit: Also, with size 11 boots, you will need to either think about having considerable angle to your bindings, or get a wider board to minimize toe and heel drag (I wear 11.5)

 

[keepithowitis]

Arbors are sweet boards. A lot of my friends could give you some testimonials about their gear, I've got four or five friends who all ride different Arbors. I don't snowboard myself, but my dad owns a ski website so I get a lot of experience testing and recommending gear, including new boards that people will be talking about on the site. I ski Rossignols, and they are incredible skis, every pair I've owned. I'd guess they make quality snowboards as well. One board I heard is really nice is the K2 Darkstar. I don't know much about the brand, but I tried some K2 Apaches last year for a couple weeks at Crystal Mountain near Seattle; one week skidding all over the place on ice, the next week plowing through two feet of fresh powder. They were really awesome in both conditions, and I've got em in the garage now waiting for the snow to fall this year.

 

[piracer]

i would say im a beginner i guess. its really difficult to find snowboards since everyone seems to have fancy sounding different features it makes it hard to shop around for one.

 

[piracer]

oh im gonna be going to Seattle from the 19th to the 21st, is there going to be any sorta sale going on that you might know off? Do you know what the prices are liked compared to Vancouver, BC?

 

[keepithowitis]

Yeah, Sturtevant's in Bellevue should be able to hook you up. I can go see if they have a specific board in stock after school today, I'm gonna be driving over to bellevue to get black ops so it's on the way.

 

[EvilCorn]

I read the first couple posts then lost interest in reading the rest, but I thought this might be helpful..

Backcountry.com
same company as dogfunk.com

sites are similar but dogfunk might have more snowboarding stuff... They allow you to return any product for the rest of your life regardless of what has been done to it no questions asked.

I'm 5'10 160ish pounds and I ride an Arbor Coda. I've been very happy with my board.

 

[Bretimus_v2]

Dude, Piracer and I are like exactly the same size. What's your arm span?

 

[piracer]

erm i was told its the same as my height, so 5' 8 or so i guess