Heading to Japan at the end of the year, need a new board!
Wow, so sorry for the late reply guys. I tried logging in at home but it kept giving me an error, so I tried resetting my password but that wasn’t working. Luckily on this computer at work it is all good.
That wasn’t your fault, and it will be working on all your computers now. We were making website upgrades and had to switch off logins and posting during the change over. Everyone was getting the same error. All fixed now. Sorry about that. 
@MatHood: I demoed 2015 Capita BSOD. It’s not a stiff board. Mike Ravelson, their team rider even used it as a jib board. I would say it’s a firm medium flex, but it rides short. It’s similar to your Fast plant in a way. It has rocker nose, camber from in front of the front insert pack past the back insert pack then to a flat tail. Also has a 5mm taper for float.
I tried a bsod a few years ago and it wasn’t bad. I just don’t think it’s worth the higher price for the basalt and whatever other high end things they have in there
So I read all the responses here, and I checked out the Capital BSOD. It looks like a pretty good board, I read some reviews and there were some complaints about the width on it. It also appears to be a bit stiff and not a rocker board. My fastplant is a jib rocker and I would ideally like to keep that same kind of profile as I haven’t had experience with camber boards.
Someone asked earlier what my shoe size is, I am pretty sure I run Nitro Anthems in a Size 11.
I feel you’re really limiting yourself if you want the exact profile as your Fastplant. I mean, there are some good boards with this profile; the Rome Mod Rocker comes to mind. But I think you should be open to other camber profiles as well. I’m not saying to get a full cambered board, but there are so many good hybrid options and even full rocker.
I supposed I am not against trying other cambers on boards, I am just curious what kind of time will be lost in learning to ride them. I rode my friends Rome last season (not sure which exactly sorry) and I could really feel the edges catching a lot more often.
As I haven’t been to Japan to ride before, I am just trying to kind of future proof myself I guess. I have ridden Queenstown mountains and Thredbo here in Australia. Both of these have a similar kind of snow which I think is a lot different to in Japan.
Since I won’t get a chance to board test the things we are talking about, that is why I was trying to keep it as similar as possible… But I guess I should be more open to other ideas.
Side question - Would a 25k jacket be ideal for Japan winter?
I understand your concern. If you can snowboard at an intermediate level, it really shouldn’t take more than a few runs to get used to the feel of a new camber profile. You might have to makes some slight adjustment in your riding, but either way you’re going to have to get used to a new board. Also, you can’t catch your edges in powder — just saying. 
Look, I’m certainly not suggesting a board with a full camber profile. Rocker is good for powder; it provides float which is exactly what you’re after. But by not considering hybrid profiles, you’re ruling out boards such as the Rome Agent Rocker — which would be a sick board in powder, in the park and on the mountain! This particular board would give you rocker between the feet and camber in the nose and tail, and it’s a highly rated board in the powder.
If you do want to go for something with a full rocker profile (which is VERY similar to your Fastplant albeit not identical), you could look at boards like Burton’s Family Tree Trick Pony or even a Nug.
Another option with a similar profile is Lib Tech boards with the BTX profile. This one has rocker between the feet and very mild (almost flat) camber in the nose and tail. It’s not the same but would have similar ride characteristics.
If you want the exact profile as your Fastplant — flat between feet, rocker in the nose and tail — the Rome Mod Rocker would be my pick. Another board worth considering is the K2 Ultra Dream; same profile as your Fastplant and this board would be awesome in the powder (and it comes in 161). If your previous K2 has served you well, this may be the way to go.
25K will be fine in all conditions. That’s high level waterproofing. How breathable is it?
Yeah, I would consider myself intermediate. I am comfortable hitting jumps up to about 50ft, can do most boxes / rails and also enjoy the odd groomer / black run. So I agree that it would just be a matter of getting comfortable with the board.
The rome board that my friend had actually was the Rome Agent 2012 model, haha!
NUG only goes to 154. The Family Tree Trick Pony comes in a 162 and its bio online describes what I am after, however that could be a marketing ploy. The Rome Mod Rocker only goes to 159 so thats a no go. The K2 Ultra Dream looks like it could be a nice pick, I do absolutely love my K2 Fastplant if I am honest. The only bad taste in my mouth is that I snapped my K2 Auto Uprise bindings in my first season and they ignored any efforts I made to get them fixed under warranty :(
Let’s say hypothetically I went for the K2 Ultra Dream or Burton Family Tree Trick Pony, would I be looking to get some stiffer bindings. Currently I have the Flux DS30s on my Fastplant, but I feel they might be too loose for the conditions in Japan.
For my jackets, I currently have a 10/10k DC and Nike Jacket. I had my DC jacket in the back of my car and my spare oil container came loose and spilt all over it. I haven’t checked, but I would say that ones written off. I am not sure of the exact Nike Model, but it has a bade on the sleeve that says Oregon from memory.
I have actually had trouble finding 25k jackets, I would ideally like to take a 25k and a 10k over so I can mix it up depending on how I feel
Yeah, you will be fine adjusting to a new board.
The Rome Agent you’re talking about is full camber, which is why it would have felt a lot catchier. The Agent Rocker however has rocker between the feet.
You are meant to downsize on a Nug. They ride shorter than regular boards, but I agree there are better options out there.
I think the Burton FTTP or K2 Ultra Dream is exactly what you’re looking for. Would stiffer bindings be nice? Yeah, probably. I always prefer stiffer bindings, especially for freeriding and powder. You get more response under your feet for quicker and tighter turns (think tree runs). That’s up to you to decide based on what you’re feeling with your current bindings. If they are feeling sloppy on turns, then probably time for an upgrade.
I read some reviews of the boards on Angry Snowboarder, how much credit would you give to his idea that the Ultra Dream would be okay on powder covered kickers / runs, but it wouldn’t ride as good in not as powdery conditions. From how he talks, he makes out that this is an all mountain powder board, not a powder + all mountain board. What is your opinion on a Turbo Dream for example? Would this be more suited for my style of riding? If I am going on kickers with the Ultra Dream and attempt spins I don’t want the extended Nose/Tail surface area to cause issues!
Any recommendations for bindings? My mind instantly jumps to Flux Titans but I am open for anything.
K2 has the Ultra Dream listed in their “powder” category while the Turbo Dream is not.
http://k2snowboarding.com/snowboards?riding_style=Powder
To me it looks like the “BC Shaping” on the Ultra Dream is specifically for benefits in powder. It looks like it would be awesome in the powder to be honest. I wouldn’t take what the Angry Snowboarder says too seriously. And that’s my opinion.
That said, the Turbo Dream was the other board I was thinking about, but I thought the Ultra Dream would be more suited to powder. I haven’t ridden either so I’m basing it purely on the specs, shape, and what K2 is telling me.
I have recently become a huge fan of Now bindings, to the point that I’ve converted over from my beloved Burton bindings. I wrote a review here: https://www.boardworld.com.au/snowboarding/now-ipo-bindings-review (I’m not sure why the images aren’t currently working, but you can read what I wrote). I would suggest the Drive model if you want something stiffer and really responsive. https://www.boardworld.com.au/now