Im a die hard santa cruz boards, bikes and whatever else we make.

I ride a santa cruz fusion TT 154 camber

And a 2012 santa cruz nomad custom kashima build.

Both of them know kirkwood very well!

 

Snowboard, Snowboards, Burton Snowboards, Burton Bindings, Burton Boots, and snowboard reviews - Free Shipping - US Orders Over $50 and The House have good deals on equipment.

As far as recommending equipment, what type of riding are you looking to do? Freeride, park, big mountain, all around? All of these can play a factor. I have a Ride, Santa Cruz and a Never Summer board. The Never Summer board blows them all away. Great board and great company. Personally I'll be looking to get a set of Union Bindings on my next upgrade.

Can't go wrong with Salomon or 32 boots. I had a pair of Salomon's that lasted many days and still felt comfortable. I've heard good things about 32's. What size feet do you have? That can limit the boots you find and can limit the size of board.

Speaking of which, being 6'2 and 200, you'll probably want something in the low 160 range. 161-163 should be good. Anything bigger would be great for powder riding or gaining more speed. But a good 163 should be able to support you well. Depending on the size of your feet, you may need a wide board. I'd say anything over a size 12 and you'd push it on a narrower board.

 

what's your guys opinion for this. Im 6'1 180lbs, and usually when i rent they give me a 160. I want a smaller board near 156 just because it's smaller and easier to maneuver. I only do mountain, and my foot size is a 10.5. Do some of you bigger guys like smaller boards just because it's easier to maneuver?

 

Im 5'10 and 240 so my board is average for my height. My true size is a 156 but i can turn better with a 154.
My buddy is 6'2 and a rail about 140 and he rides a 142. Hes all park and what not tho but its easier to manuver.

Just make sure ur toe doesnt stick too far out but with a proper board for your actual size but tailored to be shorter is key. Dont want to accidentally buy a youth board!
Im a 12 in vans boots and have no problem with my toes catching edges.

 

156 seems a tad small go 158 and you'll be happy IMHO. I'm 6 foot and weight about 170 and I use a 156 but that's because I like boards that turn in easy and are able to manueaver through the terrain park.

Also when you go to rent ask if they have any demo packages so you can see what size you like with a performance board.

 

/\ This. 157-158 would/should be fine. You don't necessaryily have to go to a smaller size either. Look to demo reverse camber boards or even ones that have the rocker/camber tech. Those will give you that easy turning ability without sacraficing the speed/float element.

I'm 6'3-6'4 and when I was 200 road a 163 wide. Stepped up to a 166 and now I ride a 168. I also now weigh 240-250 so it's comparable. I can turn my 168 just fine except in tight trees it becomes harder to rotate it and at slower speeds. It also has a lot of dampening so it rides like a cadillac. No jarring nut shots up the legs from crappy terrain.

 

basically freeriding, just getting a feel for the whole thing so nothing too intense. im an 11/11.5 depending on brand, so i dont think a wide board would be necessary. so im guessing anything around a 160 is alright then. time to start looking hardcore. the hypebeast in me wants to get some nike boots. overkill though

how old is too old? finding a few Burton Customs out there, but some are either stated as older, or dont say anything about the age, but the price makes it seem like old equipment. im probably getting too into it with the whole age thing

 

alright thanks for the advice.

 

Generally the graphic will dictate the age. I found this site just real quick, 2007 Burton Custom You can browse the year, choose Custom and then match the graphic of the board you see.

Word of caution when buying a used board, look at the base and the edges/rails. Look for gouges or long black streaks (could be from p-tex base repair). Check the edges/rails to see if they look intact and not damaged. I bought a used board on ebay, but it was barely used and the pictures proved it. For a beginner/intro/learning board, spending less is sometimes good on the board since most likely you would outgrow the board within a couple years and then you can spend the money on a better board with more tech. But I wouldn't skimp on boots. Go to a store (Any Mountain or REI), try on various ones, if you already have socks you would wear with them bring them, try them on and see which feel the best to you.

 

Heyyyyy that was my old Burton Custom year. Only downside to that year is that it is heavy and stiff IMHO an all mountain Burton Custom is a good all mountain board that is great for beginners and advanced but right now the best bindings IMHO would be RIDE. When trying on boots dont skimp out and get something comfortable that you will use for a while! Use your snowboard/ski socks while trying on too.. I normally use smartwool which is one of the best brands for socks since it is padded and actually keeps your feet super warm.. I have had a few of those days where my feet were freezing because I fell in a punch of powder when I was a kid.. you dont want to be in that situation.

These are the boots I have which are now 2 seasons old but this seems like a decent price.

Salomon Snowboards Dialogue Snowboard Boots - Men's - 2011/2012 - Free Shipping - christysports.com

 

i just use burton socks. Only thing i hate is that my feet get really sweaty, but i doubt there's anything i can do about it.

 

Me and a couple i-clubbers (subi4justin, gnmtl) tripped it up to the PNW the last week figure I'd post some stoke and trip report if your thinking about pulling the trigger and heading to some snow. We hit Bachelor, hood meadows, timberline, and Mt Baker.

Bachelor was allot of fun on the groomers, and they had allot of lifts and trails open. They had been hit with a very bad ice storm recently and it showed on ANYTHING off piste, it was a sheet of ice. The good news was, the groomers did a helluva job on soo many runs and by the end of the day it was just nice soft powdery bumps on the groom instead of ice (except for a few high traffic area). The outback chair was ungroomed but with blown snow and was fun, but lots of rocks surprises.
Top of Pine Marten lift

Mt hood meadows was allot of fun, allot of terrain open for the conditions but just like bachelor (in need of new snow). It was a bit more icy due to wind at the top, but after you made it down 500 vertical the snow loosened up and was very fast and hella fun. The parks at Hood Meadows were fun for us noobie park skiers/riders
Gunmtl (Gabe) trying out ONE ski!


After two days at hood, we dropped off Gabe at PDX and me and Subi4Justin had to decide where to go and Baker seemed to be hit the hardest so we headed there. First day we arrive with high hopes with lots of precipitation in the forecast in town it was a no brainer it would snow up high. We arrive to the base parking lot to RAIN, yes the "R" word. Im cussing saying we were cursed, and we should head home now. We talk to the employees and they say its snowing up top and its only supposed to get colder. Im glad we decided to stay because it was the best day I've had this season. Lots of freshies with literally no one around. Talked to a local at the bar and he recommended taking a short hike from chair 6 to blueberry cat track that had terrain that was "open" but not lift accessible. Literally some of the best turns of my short ski life. The next day was more of the same but with MUCH more snow, I'd easily say 1.5-2' off blueberry. I fell more than once and had to dig to my skis to get out it was very humbling. Once again not a soul in sight (which was kinda scary actually) if you lost your partner it could be bad. Mt Baker is a pure no frills mountain, very little blue terrain and anything above that is not groomed so these storms just pile snow which is awesome....just a few beer taps and a grill for burgers. Its a very big snowboarder mountain as well and the locals are hardcore. Had a blast and can't wait to go back again.





Subi4justin boostin BIG AIR BRO on day two.

Here is a vid that Gabe shot of Hood:

 

Man jealous I couldn't make the trip. Next year, Whistler and Baker for sure
"BLUE SQUARE RIDAZ"

 

Weather like that scares me! No vis. Esp when u gotta drive out of it.

I had the scariest snow season last year thinking $800 all seasons would be sufficient for whited out roads. Man was i wrong.

PDX is my hometown!

 

I'm so jealous