The all too familiar gear selection help post :)
Hey Guys
Looking at some suggestions on boards and bindings and boots from you guys.
First some background…im 37(late bloomer), 172cm and 85kg(looking at 75-80 by next ski season)
Learnt to ride this year did 5 days in NZ learning mostly in crap icy conditions, linking turns by day 1 but was still doing green runs by the end of it due to the massive bruising on my ass(dont make me link the photo 
and the fear of taking a big hit and ruining the rest of my trip..even little falls were just killing me by the end (guess im not made of rubber anymore)
Anways ive bought a season pass for perisher next year and plan on hitting the slopes every weekend through the season with probaby a week or two in the middle if conditions are good…or to come to the boardworld shred. Then 2 or 3 weeks in Canada or Japan at the end of next year…so roughly 50 days on snow.
So now im looking at gear…at this stage mostly all mountain free riding and as i get better then maybe some park.
So far every shop i goto gives me different suggestions between full rocker boards like the skate banana or hybrid board such as the nitro gullwing.
help 
Dan
Hi Dan
Trust me I can sympathise with the bruised bum issue. I had a big stack early in this season and I still can’t sit properly many months later (unlike you I was silly enough to post a pic of the damage on here)
So are you after a full setup or just a board?
Presuming you have absolutely no gear, boots should be your first purchase. Go into a store ignore the brands/prices and just try as many boots on as possible. Hopefully by the end of this process you will have a comfortable well fitting pair of boots.
Get yourself some decent outerwear (I recommend non-insulated shells) as well as some high quality base layers (I recommend merino wool)
Get some merino socks (sounds silly but good quality socks make a world of difference for you and your room mates)
You will need a pair of bindings, Once we have narrowed down the board options this selection will be easier.
As for the board you are looking at “all mountain” I would definitely recommend a hybrid profile for a beginner (as you progress you will develop a better idea of your riding style and hense what profiles/board specs are important to you) There are so many boards to choose from so it’s a bit hard to just throw out a name but if you can get your hands on a Yes The Greats board they seem to have some great reviews and are very much a one board quiver which you won’t outgrow any time in the future. It has a hybrid profile, sintered base, mid flex, fancy edges all of which are great features to have.
However this is just one of many boards on the market so once you have more details of choices you have narrowed it down to I’m sure some boardworld members will be able to give you some advice.
Hey Dan,
I think versatility is the key here. You’re only buying one board, and you’re using it for both Australia and overseas.
If you haven’t already, please have a read of this thread and let us know which camber profiles appeal to you: https://www.boardworld.com.au/forums/viewthread/4119/
I would suggest a board with some degree of rocker, just because of the overseas factor. Rocker does allow the board to float better in pow. In your situation of mostly freeriding, that’s about the only benefit you’ll get from rocker in the profile (however it will also make it harder to catch an edge while you progress). Considering this, I definitely wouldn’t get a full rockered board. If you weren’t taking it overseas, I might even suggest full camber. But considering everything, I think a hybrid is the way to go.
So there are two main types of hybrids. Camber under the feet / rocker between the feet, i.e. Burton Flying V, Nitro Gullwing, Lib Tech C2 etc. The other type being camber between the feet / rocker in the nose and tail, i.e. YES CamRock. Personally I find the latter (CamRock) type to feel/perform more like a cambered board (while still giving you the benefit of rocker in the tip and tail), compared to the Flying V type of hybrid which feels more like a rockered board.
My suggestion would be a hybrid camber like the YES CamRock. If feel you need to have camber between your feet as you will mainly be freeriding, but the rockered tips will still provide float in pow, and forgiveness (catch-free) as you progress your skills. I think this would be the most suitable and versatile board for your needs.
Please feel free to ask any questions.
Get some merino socks (sounds silly but good quality socks make a world of difference for you and your room mates)
Dan, if you are interested in quality snowboard socks, we do sell premium merino wool blend snowboard socks. These socks are manufactured by 3CS Outerwear. They are top quality. $35 with free shipping and stickers. Details here.
I agree with Jeremy, I suggest YES Basic or Greats or Lib Tech TRS or Attack Banana. If you can demo the 2 rocker profile see which one you like the best. I personally like both profile. Lib Tech C2, is very mellow when you lay the board flat the ends are touching the table/ground, but if you weight your back/front foot more, the other end rises up, which makes it good for powder.
I also find Camrock profile more predictable while flatbasing and 1 foot gliding.
Hey Reaver
Just a few quick tips from me.
The best place to start is always the boot. Get your boots, then bindings, then board.
The reason for this is making sure all the gear works together well. If you buy the board first you may end up finding your boots over hang too far (or not enough).
Buy the boots, then you can find bindings that fit the boots really well. Then you can strap your boots into the bindings and hold it up to the boards you like and see if the board is a good width (The boardstore salesperson will help you with this, but they will just be guessing if you haven’t bought the boots & bindings first.
As far as board profiles go, I recommend a pure rocker for you. You can learn to ride on any type of board. Hell, you can do anything on any board.
But I recommend a full rocker because it’s the most catch free type of board. So catching less edges while you go from novice to intermediate will make you love snowboarding a lot more and have more time up there shredding confidently, and less time resting your bruised knees and tail bone. In my opinion from watching my students, a full rocker will allow for the fastest progression for this reason.
Also while you are looking at gear, look at getting some impact shorts! In fact armor up as much as you like! Anything that makes you more confident will increase the speed that you improve. There’s nothing weird about it. I wear a Helmet, impact shorts, soft knee pads (under the pants) and wrist guards when I’m riding park. And most of the great riders I know wear the same or more. Armor Up!
Thanks for the info, I think the board I learnt on was an Arbor Formula 155 (2010 model) which is continuous rocker.
I’m wondering if researching snowboard gear on the internet is just going to send my crazy Every time I think I’ve found a board I like I read something new about another board and change my mind
So what’s the go with demoing boards, is that something that happens at the mountain or do local shops offer demo boards to try out. ? And am I really going to notice the difference being a beginner.
And Rider26 I am not adverse to buying a few boards for different purposes as things change with my skill level (benefit to not being young and broke) and yes love the socks will buy a pair or 2 when I get back from my diving holiday in December (no need for merino wool in 30 degree water)
I’ve been looking at a couple of boards but have no idea what ill actually buy
Flow Era
Yes The Greats
GNU Billy Goat
Bataleon Whatever
Libtech Banana Magic
Not sure how suitable they would be for a beginner.
Also what’s peoples thoughts on Flow bindings ? I’ve got an unnatural urge to get a pair of the Flow NX2-SE (nasty) bindings.
You can cross out the Billy Goat and the Banana Magic from your list. The GNU billy goat is Temple Cummin’s board, it’s stiff and aggressive made for riding fast, deep pow, backcountry, etc. The Banana Magic from what I know is also pretty aggressive because it’s medium stiff and has a really aggressive magnetraction (which is the serrated edge). The Greats should be fine but maybe the Basic will be a better choice for you. The Batalaeon whatever is also suitable for you but personally I’m not really into TBT. No idea about Flow era.
As for the bindings I’d stick with regular 2 strap bindings. I tried my friend’s flows and didn’t like it, but maybe you will. Sometimes shops will offer demo but you have to pay but at certain dates usually companies will have demo tents set up at the top of the mountain and you can demo boards and bindings from them for free.
DC Ply or mega, Gnu Carbon Credit or Skate Banana. Yes Basic or greats as mentioned above will probably be fun as well. I learnt on a Camber and then went to a skate banana, wow is all I can say about that transition. After a year or two on that I got the T Rice and although I have way to many already I think a DC Ply or perhaps Mega is on the cards next year!
Another fan of The Greats CamRock here, along with DC’s profile as well!!!!!
As for the FLOW binders, I’m with skip on this!!!!! Go traditional 2 strap from either Burton, Rome or FLUX!!!!!
Hey guys I have revived this post with another question to take all your minds off the forum changes
So I have made my board decision….almost
Board is just going to be all mtn / freestyle as I think that’s the direction I want to head. When I head to japan or Canada next winter then I will buy another board for riding the pow.
Anyways I’ve got my heart set on a 2014 Never Summer Proto HD but not really sure what size I should get.
As before 172 cm’s and about 85kg hoping to be 75 by the end of the season(but assume 85kg) Size 9.5 US boot.
Size options are 154 and 157….people on the interweb seem to say 154 because the proto’s have a blunted tip and tail so it has a longer effective edge than normal. So they ride like a bigger board.
Guy in shop seems to think the 157 based on my weight.
Help
Board stats if it helps
Size Waist Edge SideCut Tip/Tail
154 25.1 122 Vario 722 29.5
157 25.3 125 Vario 735 29.9
Also any of you guys going to be instructing down at perisher this year ? Thinking of getting an hour or 2 every weekend of private lessons to maximise skill progression and try and avoid forming any bad habits.
I vote for the 157, even longer if you’re primarily just freeriding and not doing any parks
based on info - 157 all the way
157!!!!!