Another thread for powder board advice!
hey guys - I did heaps of reading around the threads but need some specific information for myself.
Doing some travels at the end of the year and included is Japan.
Never really boarded powder before and I am worried about sinking and not being able to enjoy it to the maximum!
The reason being, I am 6’2” and 115kgs, size 12 boots, so im a larger human!
I have my 161 k2 Darkstar (cambered) It’s an awesome all mountain board but worried about it hitting the pow.
I’m keen to get a dedicated powder board, maybe even a fish or something, but not really sure what size I should be looking for.
Mainly just looking to shred up pow and slide around, not concerned with super high speed or park for this board. Will probably look at a set back stance anyways to give me extra float if that’s gonna help you yeah a directional board wouldn’t bother me either.
Hey mate, I’m just new to Boardworld!
Hey mate, I have ridden a few different pow boards as I work in the snow industry and get access to demos which is handy! Burton fish is def a contender maybe 160? This years is updated a bit from the past ones and has flat under the back foot as opposed to backseat camber s-rocker from past models. Super slashy and surfy and just planes easily in the deep stuff. I have ridden the Bataleon camel toe (best board name) which I really enjoyed and is a bit cheaper (extruded base though) and was quite good on the hard pack due to the camber. It has pow tbt a big boat hull nose and was impossible to sink and rode big so I reckon a 158 would be fine for you. There are also lots of small wide pow boards on the market which are floaty and super nimble in the trees- Burton root,
Salomon derby, yes 420 ( I have just bought one not used yet) which on paper sounds epic! A lot of friends in Japan have been riding the Jones Hovercraft too which sounds great! Hope this helps!
My first thought was a YES Pick Your Line 161 Wide. You need a wide board with size 12 boots. The PYL is a top of the line powder/freeride board, but more versatile than a dedicated powder board like a Fish or YES 420. This would give you more versatility for riding the whole mountain while still having an incredible powder board with the directional CamRock profile. That way you only really need to take one board which is a huge advantage when travelling, especially to Japan with the low baggage limits.
There are other boards out these but this was the one that stood out in my mind. You need to make sure that whichever board you choose has enough waist width for you.
This is the 2015 PYL model:
If you really do want a pure powder board, definitely look at boards like the Burton Fish, FYVE Fish, YES 420 and similar boards. You do sacrifice all-mountain versatility, however. To be honest, I have a Burton Fish but I rarely pull it out because of the lack of versatility. I’d rather be on a board that rips the powder but can also handle riding the entire mountain all day long. Have a think about what you really need.
Hey mate, I’m just new to Boardworld!
Welcome to Boardworld, FS. 
Will the 161 be big enough?
I have Burton boots with the shrinkage tech, my other boards aren’t wides - would I be better off with a wide board especially for powder?
Say I wanted to look at a fish or the 420, would I still be look at around the 161 mark aswell?
Honestly I just want something that is gonna float really well and carry my weight in the pow!
Will the 161 be big enough?
I have Burton boots with the shrinkage tech, my other boards aren’t wides - would I be better off with a wide board especially for powder?
Say I wanted to look at a fish or the 420, would I still be look at around the 161 mark aswell?
Honestly I just want something that is gonna float really well and carry my weight in the pow!
420 only comes in 2 lengths 148 & 152, but i heard a rumor the 148’s werent happening, could be wrong though. The reason its meant to be pow awesome even though its short is its king size bed wide and with a 6m side cut. I have one but have yet to use it, but from what ive been told its rad to the max in pow!! Im 6 1’ and about 95kgs with an 11 boot and its meant to be fine for me.
this is what the yes rep wrote about it to me in another thread
Hey Trent - I have ridden the YES. 420, so I can give you an honest appraisal of how it rides…...but….I am the YES. rep, so hopefully I am able to remain somewhat subjective about how EPIC this board actually is.
The 420 gets most of its displacement (float in pow) from its width (a whopping 286mm underfoot), and its flat base profile (& rockered tip). And although I have not had the opportunity to ride it in powder, I have however ridden it on hard pack (at some board testing in WinterPark, Colorado). And because the 420 is almost a “twin”, it actually handles the hard pack really well. And by “almost a twin” I mean that it has only 10mm of setback, and only 10mm of taper - which compared to other pow specific boards is very minimal. It has a very deep sidecut, which makes it quite dynamic on edge, but please note, due to its waist width, it will feel very slow edge to edge at slow speeds, but once your speed is up you will be very surprised at how well it manoeuvres.
I hope this info helps.
PS - the 1314 graphic that you attached to your post is an ‘interpretation’ of Mt. Baker - done by Dustin Ortiz ( http://www.dustinortiz.com/ ). It looks amazing in real life, and is one of those graphics that is almost too good to actually ride!!
PSS - If your having trouble finding a 1314 YES. 420 (as they are pretty limited), then the 1415 board (which dustin also designed) which will be in aussie/kiwi stores next April.
thread is here
trents 420 thread
Also check out Offshore snow shapes, an aussie board company with some rad boards. The snurfer is their pow destroyer. Ive never ridden one but they look rad!!
With the directional CamRock shape and more width underfoot, I would certainly think it would provide enough float for you.
If you get a Fish or 420, you would downsize. They are designed to ride shorter. The 420 only comes in 148 and 152.
Go for the 420 if you want a pow specific wide board 28.5 waist but a 6m side cut. The fish 161 has a 26.8 waist too. Def check out the offshore shapes too as they can do custom sizes too. 
Thanks man!
I’d put through another vote for the PYL, definitely a board that will be great all rounder that will be fine in all conditions. Also with YES you’ll get the added bonus of lifetime warranty on the board which is perfect if you’re only going to be riding a couple of weeks a year.
Just FYI the PYL 161W isn’t that wide. It has a 261mm waist which would be perfect for your size 12 boots (even with Burton’s shrinkage tech, so size 11 really).
I’ll put in a vote for a large Capita Charlie Slasher https://www.capitasnowboarding.com/snowboards/charlie-slasher.
It’s a pow board (directional, setback, tapered) but also “all mountain” enough that you can have some fun on the rest of the mountain i.e the groomers on the way to the next stash of deep pow and trees. I even rode mine switch for a little while which was a bit weird feeling but definitely doable.
Here’s a review I typed up after a Japan trip with my CS 2012
https://www.boardworld.com.au/forums/viewthread/11640/#188665
and some video footage of it in action, damn I want to be back in Japow….
https://www.boardworld.com.au/forums/viewthread/12241/
For freeride/pow another vote for PYL, I had the 2013 version.
For purely pow I vote the fish. I have one, and one a 50cm day it’s just the best. I love it on the groomers too, carves awesome. Not so much for freestyle unless your name is Stephan Maurer.
I would definitely go with a Yes 420 I rode one this year in Japan and it was the best tree and powder board I have ridden, I have a Gentemsik Giant Mantaray 159 a Gemtemstick Big Fish and the 420 was the most versatile and fun board for Japan and the cheapest. I am 6’2” 103kgs and 13 boots and rode the 148 it did loose a bit of sped on super deep days but nothing like a conventional directional board, so I just bought the 420 in a 152 for next year and I sure it will overcome the sink issue on super deep. By the way steer clear of the Burton Fish is sinks to much for our weight in Japan, I had one and it was terrible and I am a massive Burton Fan and ride a Nug 150 in Australia. Check out my thread on the Yes 420 review on this site.
You’ll have to be the first person ever to claim that a burton fish sinks!
If you’re getting a 420 maybe you’d like to sell your giant mantaray?
One problem I find with short boards a la 420 in pow is, while they float great in untracked conditions, once you get on a run with a few tracks on it, the performance goes down sharply. When you go from float then cross a track the board dips but then doesn’t have enough nose clearance to re-enter the knee deep on the other side of the track. It’s basically a sharp dip & you really have to be on your toes not to sink the nose. It sucks in the afternoon when you’re tired.
If you go short, I think you need to be able to give yourself as much nose as possible