First board!
I am looking for my first board and like many getting confused.
I have rented a few boards before which have been well below average after riding a mates board and getting myself some boots the difference was huge! Being able to actually hit a small jump and land was great.
I am 178cm tall 80kg and I can’t exactly remember my boot size but I wear a 11.5 usually.
Currently I’ve been looking at a couple yes boards and arbor but leaning more towards yes.
I want a all round board where I can practice butter, hit some jumps, gromers and pow. I’ve been told any all mountain board will be fine but with so many options it’s hard to pick which one. I do however think I do want a bit of stiffness in the board and something that goes over the bumps alright.
Any help would be amazing.
I will confirm about exact boot size as well.
Welcome to BW, @Ashley248!
My first suggestion is the YES Typo 156W. It’s super versatile and great value for money. The Typo will rip groomers, park, pow… whatever you throw at it. Nice mid-range flex, sintered spec base, UnderBite edges. This would be at the top of my list for you and an excellent first board purchase. The 156W size is a versatile and appropriate size for your weight and boot size.
https://www.boardworld.com.au/products/yes-typo-156-wide-snowboard-2018
If you want to spend a bit less, you can’t go wrong with the Basic. Comparable with the Typo, however, the Typo has an upgraded base which I feel more than justifies the price difference. Still, the Basic is a great board and one of the best sellers in the line. All YES boards come with a lifetime warranty.
https://www.boardworld.com.au/products/yes-basic-156-wide-snowboard-2018
My final suggestion would be the Jackpot. Still versatile due to its CamRock profiling, but more park oriented than the Typo. True twin shape, this is a park/freestyle machine, but versatile enough to ride anywhere.
https://www.boardworld.com.au/products/yes-jackpot-156-wide-snowboard-2018
Nothing we currently have in stock in the Arbor range would be suitable for your specifications.
I hope that helps narrow it down for you. Please let me know if you have any questions.
That’s great thank you.
I actually like how great this forum has been, I’ve been looking at a couple posts but everyone has slightly different wants and needs to what I have.
I was actually looking at the typo and standard, think i am pretty set on the typo. will the 156 be big enough? the few boards I have ridden were 158-160.
If you do recommend another brand more than happy to have a look just heard so many good things about yes.
I need some suggestions for bindings as well to suit?
My partner is also looking for a board who has not done any snowboarding before. She 166cm and 60kg wears size 8-8.5 boot. being looking same brands Yes or arbor but open to suggestions. she too will need bindings.
Once again cheers for the advice.
No worries at all, @Ashley248!
In regards to sizing, it really depends on where you’re riding (and the conditions) and your riding style (and intended use). Overall, the 156W is a versatile size for you; not too big, not too small. You can definitely make it work in most conditions. It’s a wide, so the added surface area will provide increased stability and float in powder.
Where will you be riding? What is your riding style? What is the intended use of the board? Let me know and I’ll be able to answer more accurately.
What boards have you ridden (and size)? What did you think of them? This will also give an indication.
I will always recommend Now Bindings above all else, as I’m a huge fan of Skate-Tech. Best bindings on the market, in my honest opinion.
https://www.boardworld.com.au/brands/now-bindings (the 2018 models will be on the site in the next couple of days, but they are available if you contact us). The IPO is the “base model” but offers a lot of performance for the price. You can always step up to a model like the Select or Pilot or even the Drive. Again, this depends on how you answer the questions above, and also your budget. If you’re curoius as to how Skate-Tech works, I wrote this review quite a while ago but it explain how the technology works: https://www.boardworld.com.au/articles/now-ipo-bindings-review
For your partner, the two women’s YES models to look at would be the Emoticon and Hel. The Emoticon offers great value for money, it’s super fun and easy to ride, and as with all YES boards it comes with a lifetime warranty. Hard to beat at this price point. The Hel is an amazing board, one of the best women’s boards on the market. It offers a signifant step up in performance but it’s also pricier. I’d want to know where you guys will be riding before recommending one way or the other. Also, are you working with a specific budget?
Sticking with the Now range of bindings for her, I would look at the Vetta (women’s specific) or even the IPO.
Please hit me back with more info and we can go from there. 
We are looking to head to japan in mid feb and hopefully canada next season. There won’t be too much in aus or maybe in Newzealand.(if there was it would only be a couple days)
I haven’t found a particular style to be honest. I tried tree runs but really struggled in the powder which i think was definitely due to the board. I wouldn’t mind getting into that again, bit of buttering and some jumps on cat tracks or if i did hit the park it wouldn’t be anything too serious, love ripping down groomers as well. really just a mixture of everything which I’ve heard so many good things about the typo especially on this forum.
I really can’t remember the boards I’ve ridden sorry, being new to it all i didn’t pay much attention. I think the rental board I had in Japan last season was a head possibly.. I sent a bit looking online and the graphics match the 2015 pilot on the base of the board to the one i had there but where you stand had different graphics best i could do sorry. i think it had a bit of flex but was horrible on the bumps, couldn’t land any jump and powder was horrible as i said before. it may have been 155.
I rode a friends board which was a 156 in australia for a couple days, I believe it may have been a technine(he is on a cruise at the moment and no reception so haven’t been able to ask) which handled the bumps a million times better i could hit jump and actually get a bit of air as well(nothing crazy like some on here haha) but able to land them all.
The other boards I really don’t remember sorry, why its made it hard for me too I guess figuring out what i need.
Thank you for the info for binding, actually made me understand a lot more into them reading and watching the vid. Budget wise I don’t want to spend a huge amount but I won’t good gear that ill be happy with and the poor man always pays twice.
Seriously appreciate your input and help with this.
Hey @Ashley248,
Given your answers and budget, this is what I would suggest…
Step up to the Typo 159W. If you said you were mainly riding Australia and you spend most of your time in the park etc., I would have kept with the 156W suggestion, but you’re going to be much better off in Japan and Canada with some added length. It’s going to float noticeably better in the pow. Also, your riding style (or the aspects of snowboarding you’re currently enjoying) warrant stepping up in size as well. A bigger board is going to be more stable at speed, it’s going to carve better, and it’s going to float better. It’s certainly not too big for you. The Typo perfectly meets your needs, it’s versatile as you explore more aspects of snowboarding, and it’s just about the most bang for your buck that you can get. I think you’ll be stoked with it. It’s still going to be fun and playful and great for learning butters etc., due to the rocker in the nose and tail. Overall, I have no hesitation in strongly recommending the Typo 159W for you.
For bindings, I would step up from the IPO to the Select. The IPO is great value for money, and you can still go that way if you want, but you’ll get more response and performance from the Selects. You can grab the 2017 model at a great price right now. https://www.boardworld.com.au/products/now-select-snowboard-bindings-2017-black (let me know if you want any of the 2018 bindings… we have them, just not on the site yet, but you can’t beat the value of the 2017 on sale). Save some money for beers over there! ?
For your partner, I’d probably avoid the Emoticon for Japan. It’s a really nice board, super fun and easy to ride, but I feel there are better options which will mean she’ll enjoy her time over there more. You don’t want her getting stuck in powder all the time etc. Ignoring price, I’d recommend the YES Hel 152. Again, she could have gone smaller in Australia, but the added length will really help her in powder, and she’ll have a better experience. https://www.boardworld.com.au/products/yes-hel-152-snowboard-2018
If you want to spend a bit less, you could go for the Arbor Swoon 151. It’s a great board, but ideally I’d want to see her with a bit of rocker in the board, especially because she’s just learning and will also be riding powder.
https://www.boardworld.com.au/products/arbor-swoon-camber-151-womens-snowboard-2017
https://www.boardworld.com.au/products/arbor-swoon-camber-151-womens-snowboard-2018
Overall, I think the YES Hel is the way to go. It’s an amazing board and will give her the best chance to fall in love with snowboarding. While it’s technically a pro level board, it’s still super fun and easy to ride and absolutely fine for someone learning to snowboard (and it will last her years as she progresses). We’ve sold a lot of these boards and every customer has been beyond stoked. This is also the board my wife purchased after demoing a host of different boards.
Bindings, value for money, I’d probably put her into the IPO size small. It’s a great deal at the sale price: https://www.boardworld.com.au/products/now-ipo-snowboard-bindings-2017-white—I consider these bindings unisex, and we typically order the size small for women. Should be perfect for her boot size. You can always opt for the Vetta, but depending on her exact boot brand/model and size, she might be either a small or medium. If you could get me more info about her boots, this would be helpful. If you’re unsure (as she hasn’t purchased them yet), I think the safer call for sure is the IPO size small (which will definitely fit).
Another binding I could recommend is the Flux GU in size small: https://www.boardworld.com.au/products/flux-gu-womens-snowboard-bindings-2017-purple—also great value for money.
I hope that helps. Please let me know if you have any questions.
For your partner, I’d probably avoid the Emoticon for Japan. It’s a really nice board, super fun and easy to ride, but I feel there are better options which will mean she’ll enjoy her time over there more. You don’t want her getting stuck in powder all the time etc. Ignoring price, I’d recommend the YES Hel 152. Again, she could have gone smaller in Australia, but the added length will really help her in powder, and she’ll have a better experience. https://www.boardworld.com.au/products/yes-hel-152-snowboard-2018
If you want to spend a bit less, you could go for the Arbor Swoon 151. It’s a great board, but ideally I’d want to see her with a bit of rocker in the board, especially because she’s just learning and will also be riding powder.
https://www.boardworld.com.au/products/arbor-swoon-camber-151-womens-snowboard-2017
https://www.boardworld.com.au/products/arbor-swoon-camber-151-womens-snowboard-2018Overall, I think the YES Hel is the way to go. It’s an amazing board and will give her the best chance to fall in love with snowboarding. While it’s technically a pro level board, it’s still super fun and easy to ride and absolutely fine for someone learning to snowboard (and it will last her years as she progresses). We’ve sold a lot of these boards and every customer has been beyond stoked. This is also the board my wife purchased after demoing a host of different boards.
Just wanted to jump in and add to Rider26’s recommendation for the Hel Yes. Jeremy helped me out with both boards I currently have and the Hel Yes is one of those. I am by no means an advanced rider but I can get around the hills pretty well now. The Hel Yes is a great board in Japan and Australia as well. It is definitely a confidence inspiring board and can do everything I want it to do - from smashing through pow, trees through to ice and spring slush. It can be a playful board when I want (although yes my Gnu Smart Pickle is even more playful) but also charge when I need it to as well. It’s a great all around board.
I’ve paired it up with a pair of Now Bindings and I couldn’t be happier. I’ll be taking this board back to Japan at the end of the month too 
Thanks so much for the input! She is pretty excited to get out there. Im jealous of her starting off with such a good board.
Have fun on your trip! What part are you heading to?
Thanks for the feedback, @geniass! ?
Thanks so much for the input! She is pretty excited to get out there. Im jealous of her starting off with such a good board.
Have fun on your trip! What part are you heading to?
She’ll love it for sure!
Did you settle on what board you’ll get for yourself?
We’re off to Niseko on one of the Mint Tours - so based in Niseko but riding a bunch of resorts in the region based on conditions.
Thanks so much for the input! She is pretty excited to get out there. Im jealous of her starting off with such a good board.
Have fun on your trip! What part are you heading to?
She’ll love it for sure!
Did you settle on what board you’ll get for yourself?
We’re off to Niseko on one of the Mint Tours - so based in Niseko but riding a bunch of resorts in the region based on conditions.
That looks so good, just checked them out online! when Meg picks it up i hope we can get into something like that.
Im going with the 159W typo, Jeremy has been great with all of his advice and knowledge. Still hope i can play around with the 159 but.