new board recommendations
Sup fellas! Just after some new board recommendations. I’d say I’m an intermediate rider trying to progress. I like cruising around groomers at moderate to reasonably fast speeds and am learning to get some air on small to medium sized kickers, like to jump off any small natural features I can find, like the rollercoaster runs. My 2 main areas I want to improve on are jumps, small drops and riding switch. I’m not really interested in rails. I’m around 73kg with a size 9.5 boot.
Hey Wilso,
Do you already have bindings to use on this new board? If so, what are they? If not, I assume you are looking to purchase board and bindings together?
Please have a read through this thread on camber profiles: https://www.boardworld.com.au/forums/viewthread/4119/
Let us know which camber profile(s) sound most appealing to your needs. From there we will be able to narrow down your search.
I have a set of Missions 2011 I think on my Taipan at the moment that I can use. But im open to suggestions.
I want a true twin shape board. I think I would like something with a bit of rocker in the middle. So either full rocker or a hybrid with rocker in between the bindings. Loosen things up a bit.
Mainly riding in Australia at Perisher and Thredbo. Going to Japan next year. Probably will keep the Taipan meant to be good in powder with its decent set back stance. (Don’t really get to test that out much in Aus.)
Never ridden magnetraction before so don’t know if I will like it (is it too grippy?).
Don’t mind the sound of a Westmark not sure if flex maybe too soft. Same with NS Evo.
Then there is proto, riders choice, TRS and a heap others but again don’t know what’ will suit my needs best.
Open to suggestions!
Magnetraction (or griptech on arbor boards) is not too grippy…its sick!
I was a skeptic who thought it might be a gimmick but I absolutely love it.
Arbor Westmark is a sick board. I have a Draft and have found its carving performance to be well above expectations….the westmark is stiffer than the draft so I can’t imagine it would be a terrible carving board.
How does the edge hold on the westmark with the grip tech compare to a hybrid rocker board? If I went with the westmark what size to go with? 153cm or 156cm. It has got blunted tips right? so maybe the 153cm would be enough.
The Westmark is a really nice board. The Grip-Tech will give you some additional edge hold. Worth mentioning, the Westmark does have an extruded base. You may decide that’s fine, but it won’t be as fast as a sintered base, so keep that in mind.
It’s hard to compare full rocker Grip-Tech to a hybrid (rocker between the feet), as the camber profiles ride differently. Honestly, it’s all about getting used to what’s under your feet and learning how to get the most our of each profile. They all have advantages and disadvantages, so when you feel how they perform, you change your technique a bit to leverage what they do well. Overall though, I think they would be very comparable; they aren’t too different actually.
What size is your Taipan? I assume you’re talking about the Rossignol Taipan? I’m also wondering why you feel you want a different board? I only ask as it will help me understand what kind of changes you’re looking for in regards to how it rides.
You also mention you don’t want it to be too soft. Are you looking for a more playful ride that’s easier to butter and learn new skills in the park, or are you looking for a versatile board to handle all conditions; park, all-mountain, carving, bombing runs etc.?
We’ll talk about size options when we know which board we’ve narrowed it down to.
I know I’m asking a lot of questions, but the more we know, the better we will be able to help you. 
Hey Wilso
Personally when it comes to camber profiles I like either full camber or full rocker. The only hybrid I like is CamRocker (Camber with rocker tips).
I feel like too many bends in a board just makes them too unpredictable. But I also like rails and u say u have no interest in them. So that comes down to your personal choice.
If you are looking at Arbors I can tell u I have had 3 and will buy another one in the future for sure. I’m not saying I will never ride anything else. I have to ride what ever is best for me at the time, but it’s funny that that keeps ending up being an Arbor. Every second board I’ve had is an arbor lol.
And I have had the Westmark and it’s easily the best rocker I have ever ridden.
It out carves any hybrid except CamRockers.
I’m 6"4 and weigh between 80-85kg in a season and I have size 13 boots. I was on the 159 Westmark so I’m guessing you could go one or two sizes smaller (not sure how tall you are).
Happy shopping dude 
The TRS is a board that I hear nothing but good things about, I’ve got a T Rice and a skate banana and like both of them a lot.
Thanks for the replies guys!
Yes it’s the Rossi Taipan. Its a 156cm. I do like the board. Its great for just cruising around all over the hill. The taipan is Directional with a decent set back and a very soft nose compared to the tail and as I said I want to progress with my switch riding, which at the moment is pretty average. I’m not saying it’s the boards fault I don’t ride switch well, I know it just takes time and practice but I feel a true twin shaped deck would make thinks a little more comfortable.
So the areas I want to progress on are switch riding, Jumps, spins off kickers and on ground. To a lesser extent buttering.
I feel I need something fairly versatile, True twin, forgiving enough for me to try new things, stable off small to medium sized kickers and butterable. But I definitely do need something that can still bomb runs and handle some speed so I can keep up with my mates who ride that way.
Not asking for too much am I? Haha.
That’s great, man. Thanks for giving us all the details. That’s exactly what we need. 
Andy made some good points. In regards to the hybrid type you’re considering (rocker between the feet, camber under the feet), what he said about it being a bit unpredictable is true, but it’s mainly true on rails, which you said you won’t be doing too much of. I actually think this camber profile is what you’re looking for.
You could go for a full rocker, however you will get a bit more stability, pop, and carving performance from the hybrid - so in a way it’s the best of both worlds. I find this hybrid type feels more like a full rocker, with some of the benefits of camber.
It also sounds like you need something around mid-flex (maybe 4 to 6 on most flex scales). You want to butter, learn switch, etc., but you also want stability and all-mountain performance. Just like above, I think you should go for the versatile option.
Here are some boards worth looking at:
Lib Tech TRS
Lib Tech Banana Magic
Lib Tech Skate Banana
Burton Easy Livin
GNU Riders Choice
GNU Pickle
In regards to size, I think ideally you should be looking around the 152 mark, give or take a cm or two. You have your other board for pow, so no need to get bigger than you need in Australia. Something around 152 will be fun and playful, yet versatile for riding the mountain.
Pretty sure that the TRS and Riders Choice are Extruded Bases, yeah?????
Pretty sure that the TRS and Riders Choice are Extruded Bases, yeah?????
The 13 riders choice was definitely a high end 9000ish sintered base.
The Riders Choice is sintered. The TRS has Lib Tech’s TNT base, which I believe is a high-end extruded base. Lib Tech seem to have that base on a lot of their boards actually.
Extruded bases can be OK if you’re not looking for the fastest board on the market. They are also fairly low maintenance which appeals to some people. Personally, I would only buy a sintered base, but that’s just me.
Just that he wants to be able to keep up with his mates when they start bombin hills!!!!!
Pretty sure that the TRS and Riders Choice are Extruded Bases, yeah?????
The 13 riders choice was definitely a high end 9000ish sintered base.
Ooops, meant the Banana’s!!!!! 
Yep, the Lib Tech Skate Banana also has the TNT base.
As I always say, my strong recommendation would be a sintered base.
I’m actually really liking the idea of one of those GNU boards for Wilso.
The Riders Choice 151.5 could be ideal if his 9.5 boots fit OK the 245mm waist. It depends on the actual boots and his stance (you would need to check this in-store).
Otherwise, the GNU Pickle 153 is looking really good. High performance, sintered base, versatile, Magne-Traction, true twin shape, asymmetrical sidecut. Could be a great call actually.