Need help/advice for a new board
Howdy All!
Looking to get a new board for this upcoming season.
I want a playful board just to muck around with butters and having fun on the hill, throw in some presses and jibs for basic features in the park (Boxes, small kickers etc as I am an intermediate ride and beginner in park);
I’m about 6ft and 106kg but I want something a little smaller than my current 161 to throw around (in OZ snow)
Was thinking something like this?
Size: 157w - 159w (Size 12 boot so will need to be wide)
Flex: Pretty soft (2-4)? Maybe higher due to my weight
Full Rocker or rocker/camber hybrid
Twin tip & Centre stance (I ride pretty much duck feet and want to improve my switch game too)
I can’t really find anything in the above and not sure if I’m looking for the right things and in the right places.
Any advice?
Jimmy
I’m not the best on board specs.. But I can give you a few names to look up and consider..
DC Focus
DC Ply
Lib Tech Burtner box scratcher (my bf has this and just pre ordered the new model
because he loves it so much for park riding)
Lib Tech Skate Banana
GNU Street series
GNU Space Case
Burton Nug (this is a much shorter board (my mate has it and its 10cms shorter than his
other boards))
hopefully that list helps you out a bit..
a few of the guys on here will know other boards to suggest, 
.
thanks for that - ill check those out
I rode my mates Skate banana last season and loved it - that is probably what prompted me to get a second board.
May I also ask where he pre ordered the Lib tech from?
Easy. Burton Custom Flying V or just the rocker bend. Should be able to find one for $400 ish online. They haven’t changed in the last few years so if you don’t need the latest graphic you can save a few $$.
It’s cool you’re getting into park, but don’t be too concerned about getting just the right ‘park’ board. The biggest determining factor for improvement is YOU and manning up and trying stuff.
He pre ordered from balmoral boards.. (we saw a leaked catalogue online..). And in winter we live in their shop (at least visit every 2-3 weeks) and ride with the staff when they are at the snow the same time with us.. So he asked them if they were getting any in.. And they had luckily ordered one in, in his size so he put some money down on it..
and what AJ just said.. Half of it is having the balls to try something.. Just start small and work your way up..
I started park last year.. (year before by the end I could carve (well more like skidded turns) down blue runs at a steady pace)
a few weeks into last season I followed the guys through the park, now I’m out doing a few of them.. (I can tail press boxes, board slide boxes, hit small to medium kickers (10-20ft) I’m yet to hit a rail… But I can now butter and tailpress for a decent distance, and I’m almost at the same level riding down the blue runs the year before, while riding switch) its so much fun an opens up alot more retain.. And even when not in the park, you find yourself looking for natural features to jump off or over..
I ride the gnu b street, which I’m assuming is the womens version of the gnu street series boards.. Its super flexy.. Twin tip and a hybrid cam. but I’m loving it!
Look into the Arbor Draft and see if they make a wide enough version for you. I love mine. Funnest muck around board ever!
Welcome to Boardworld, Jimmy! 
I definitely have a few boards in mind for you but first I need to know a couple of things, mainly so we can get you on a board with the right waist width.
Which boots are you currently using? Brand and model, please. This is because some have a smaller/larger “footprint” than others.
How wide is your stance? With a park board, generally you would ride at least a “wide-ish” stance, but I want to hear this straight from you. I would recommend you experiment with your stance width anyway; a wider stance helps with pressing, buttering, stability on rails etc.
How tall are you? Not super important but it will help me gauge where your stance width should be.
What board are you currently riding? Will you be using this board out of the park? Or will this new board pretty much be your go-to for everything?
Hit me back with the info and we can discuss your options.
Welcome to Boardworld, Jimmy!
I definitely have a few boards in mind for you but first I need to know a couple of things, mainly so we can get you on a board with the right waist width.
Which boots are you currently using? Brand and model, please. This is because some have a smaller/larger “footprint” than others.
How wide is your stance? With a park board, generally you would ride at least a “wide-ish” stance, but I want to hear this straight from you. I would recommend you experiment with your stance width anyway; a wider stance helps with pressing, buttering, stability on rails etc.
How tall are you? Not super important but it will help me gauge where your stance width should be.
What board are you currently riding? Will you be using this board out of the park? Or will this new board pretty much be your go-to for everything?
Hit me back with the info and we can discuss your options.
Boots are Burton Rampant size 12
Stance is standard but willing to go wider - I haven’t played around with stance to be honest and not sure of the actual distance. But I set my bindings at +15 -10
Height is 6ft
Current board is a 161 Nitro - no idea what model - a mate gave it to me
Yes I will be using the board out of the park for sure - I shouldn’t have emphasised park as much - it will be getting plenty of runs on groomers too - I will still use my other board but want a back up just for days when I want to muck around with butters and flat land tricks and maybe head into the park for a few laps.
Hope that helps…
What I’ve been checking out so far is Lib Tech skate banana & box scratcher and K2 Parkstar..
Flying V if you want a all round board.
my other half rides his box scratcher every where.. and its his most ridden board by far..
we do park runs, just cruise down groomers, head off through the trees.. his even ridden it on some of the few aussie “powder ” days (40cms in a night kinda thing) - we were lucky enough to get 2 of these last season..
he is only tiny, ( his about 6ft, but his only about 60kgs,) and he has the 147 (its also his smallest board.. he got that size after playing on my roxy olliepop for a few runs (which is a 145)
if your in nsw, and going to perisher or Thredbo.. you can always go to rhythm in cooma, and rent this/or last, seasons boards.. and they generally have a pretty big selection.. and try a few out before you decide on one to buy..
also see what rider suggests.. his good with this stuff! 
Thanks for the info, Jimmy.
Firstly, you’re in luck. The Burton Rampant boots have Burton’s “shrinkage footprint reduction technology” - meaning your size 12 boots have an outsole footprint of a size 11 boot. You definitely don’t need to be on a wide board. Also, at 6-feet tall, a ducked stance (which you’re rocking), and even a somewhat wide-ish stance (which I would recommend anyway for your height and purpose), I would suggest aiming for a waist width of around 250mm to 255mm. I honestly wouldn’t put you on anything wider; it’s just unnecessary.
I’m not sure if you’ve read my guide on camber profiles, but it’s worth a read if you haven’t: https://www.boardworld.com.au/forums/viewthread/4119/
I am going to suggest one of two boards for you. Given your needs and what you want to get our of this board, I would steer you towards either the YES Basic or the YES Greats. Having tested practically every camber profile on the market, I can tell you that I’m a HUGE fan of the CamRock camber profile, and I think either of these boards would suit you perfectly, but I will go into more detail.
The camber profile we’re looking at here has camber between your feet and rocker at nose and tail. The diagram below is the exact camber profile for both of these boards.
This camber profile honestly does give you the best of both worlds; you get pop, stability, and carving performance, while still having a playful feel for presses, buttering, learning new tricks, and float in powder. I think you will probably find a full rocker or even Burton’s Flying V profile, to be more loose and unstable than you want, for your purposes.
Both these boards are true twins. The YES Basic is the mellower board of the two. It has a softer core. It’s an extremely fun board to ride. The Greats is a high performance board, with a stiffer core, asymmetrical sidecut, and a faster base. It is also more expensive. I think you’d be absolutely stoked with the YES Basic. It does everything you want, it’s super fun to ride, and great value for money (full retail price is $599). I can also tell you these boards have been extremely popular amongst our members and the feedback has always been very positive.
The size I would look at is the 158 (both models) and the waist width is a perfect 253mm (both models).
The images below are for the 2015 models, which will be hitting the shelves very soon. I can definitely get you a special Boardworld Member price if you decide to purchase. I’ve crapped on for long enough haha. Let me know if you’re interested and we can discuss further. Also, please feel free to contact me directly: jeremy(at)boardworld.com.au
great info Rider.
Ive spent the morning sussing out the Basic and reading reviews and getting across the CamRock profile - looks good.
I presume the new models are arriving before our winter?
Let me know how you want me to go about purchasing one!
Hey mate,
That’s correct. These will be available before our winter.
YES will be one of a number of snowboard brands Boardworld will be stocking this year. I can get you whatever you need and I will definitely give you a special member’s price and free shipping to anywhere in Australia.
Just hit me up on email if you would like to order anything.
Just to clarify, I don’t try to sell a particular brand just because we stock the brand. It’s the exact opposite. We are only stocking brands that we genuinely believe in and know they make a great product. I have been a huge advocate of YES snowboards for a long time now, and this is the first year we are actually selling snowboards. Anyone on here knows I always give honest advice. Just so you know. 
Arbor Westmark 159 Mid-Wide.
I loved this board. And I have size 13 boots so pretty similar. The cool thing is you can ride this board a little narrower in the waist because it has grip tech edges, so the board actually widens out under your feet for extra grip (cause it’s a full rocker).
If it’s suits you weight wise, this is a nice one for you.
looks decent too Andy - also Cords mentioned his Arbor Draft which could be a front runner also - I don’t want graphics to play into it to much- but the Draft looks sick!
Rider26, Would love you thoughts on the Arbor Draft and Westmark..
I like the idea of the Draft as I still have my current board to rip around all mountain and can shake things up with the Draft for some fun with a full rocker and more flex as it would give it a more surfy feel for just cruising around and hitting the park. Or is it smarter just to get an all mountain board like the Yes and have it as my go to board??
As for rockered boards go I’ve only ridden a Skate Banana for a few hours (which I think is a full rocker) and loved the feeling of it and didn’t notice too much drop in speed (and this was a Icy morning in perisher). Just felt really fun and playful.
Arbor make great boards, but my pick would be the YES. I’m just a huge fan of their CamRock profile and I think it would suit your needs perfectly. It’s the most versatile profile on the market, in my opinion.
Yes, full rocker is fun, and it can certainly be fast. What it lacks is stability, both in the park and on the mountain.