Just bought my first board! - but did I get the wrong size?
Hey guys, I have been looking forward to picking up my first snowboard and have been checking out a bunch of different boards. Today I picked up the Capita - Birds of a Feather board which has been near the top of the list for the last year.
I am 5’5 (165cm) and currently 170lb (77kg) however I will likely be back to my normal weight of 150-155lb (68-70kg) by the time I get to really ride it this season. I was going to get the 150cm board, but the guys in the shop talked me into sizing down to the 148cm board.
I was super stoked on getting my first ever setup but now I am a little nervous that I should have just stuck to the bigger 150 board.
Do you think this will be alright? I am beginner/intermediate and will be riding all mountain, but I am really hoping to get into park. Riding Australia/NZ - so harder/slushy snow is more common and man-made snow. However I will be travelling to Whistler + Colorado in early 2019, guessing that I might need to hire a more powder specific board if I manage to get some powder days on my trip as I don’t think this is the board for it regardless of the size.
Hey @Elise,
You should be OK in Australia. You could have gone bigger but I think you can make the 148 work. It really depends on your riding style and how aggressively you ride. Personally, I’m a fan of stepping up on size, so I would have encouraged a bigger size, but at the same time I can’t say the 148 is “too small” for Australia. You’ll probably have a lot of fun on it. The key is to use the shortness to your advantage. Play to the board’s strengths and you’ll enjoy it regardless.
You’ll probably want a second board if you’re spending a lot of time in Whistler/Colorado. I generally upsize by 2-4cm when I’m riding in Whistler. Not just the snow, but the terrain calls for more stability.
Hit me up if you have any questions. 
Thanks for your advice!
I guess the question is - is the 148 going to be too small enough to go and try and see if the guys will swap it for the 150, or do I just try and make the 148 work for me.
I guess given that my favourite board while I was learning the basics was a 147 with a similar profile but probably a little softer - I feel like I should be able to at least make it work for Aus and NZ.
I might struggle in Whistler, however I don’t think I would be wanting to go a 152-154 for my first board just for this. I guess I try and see if I can have some fun on this board.
What I am hoping is that it wont hold me back from learning and progressing, as I managed to progress quite quickly - I only spent 8 days on the board last year and went from a skier, to being able to comfortably turn down all but the steepest of blue runs, learning switch, butters and spins on snow and 50-50 on small boxes.
I am likely going to get 5 weeks on this board over the next year both in Aus, NZ, Canada and the US.
It doesn’t hurt to ask the store (if you want to swap sizes). I can’t imagine it would be a problem. I know we would do it for you no problem if you purchased from BW. Maybe ask them?
You can make it work. It will be a playful size for sure. But you lose stability and float. Work on what it does well: jibbing, presses, butters, spins etc, and you’ll have a fun time.
As it’s your first board 2cm difference size isn’t going to make a massive difference. If you are a beginner, this board would be fine for Canada. I don’t want to be presumptuous but you shouldn’t need a powder board overseas unless you are planning on doing some backcountry trips. In my experience Most North American resorts are pretty mellow outside of the BC interior and Jackson Wyoming.
As it’s your first board 2cm difference size isn’t going to make a massive difference. If you are a beginner, this board would be fine for Canada. I don’t want to be presumptuous but you shouldn’t need a powder board overseas unless you are planning on doing some backcountry trips. In my experience Most North American resorts are pretty mellow outside of the BC interior and Jackson Wyoming.