Time for some new kit
Hi all, I’ve been viewing this forum for a while but haven’t posted much.
My snowboarding kit is getting on a bit and I’m looking to buy new boots/bindings/board as well as jacket/pants, and would appreciate some feedback. I’ve numbered my questions below to make it easier to answer specific issues 
Where I’m at:
I’m 185cm and 90kg, been riding for 12 years, I’m a somewhat advanced rider for general freeriding, a beginner with freestyler/switch, and though I love carving and can do it great on greens I struggle with speed control and getting my turn radius tight enough on blues.
2004 Neversummer Premier 163 (full camber of course)
2004 Drake Matrix Bindings (usually in 15/-15 duck but sometimes ridden narrow and very forwards)
2004 Nitro Team Boots size US11 (slightly too large, my next pair will probably be 10s)
Where I want to be:
- I’m spending more time riding switch (I never used to do it much at all) and would like to be properly good at it.
- I want to progress with the freestyle side of things with butters and stuff and 180s/360s would be good.
- I want to be carving blues like Towers. I can currently carve up the top (in good conditions) and the bottom but not the longer steeper face from halfway down. And I want to do this in duck stance.
Basically I’d like to be a stylish rider who can cruise around on their edges most of the time while throwing in tricks here and there.
Board:
I’m looking for a freestyle true-twin that’s playful for mucking around on, but can also take on tighter radius carves. My Premier’s still going strong so I’ll be keeping that for freeride cruising and powder days. My usual accomm at the snow allows me to swap gear quickly, so my new board doesn’t need to be a 1 quiver sort.
I’m very interested in either the Neversummer Revolver or the Proto CTX probably in 160 length. I’ve demoed a Revolver and though I thought it was a little skittish early on I enjoyed carving on it and mucking around on it for the rest of the day. The only Proto that Cherri Pow have on demo is a CT 157 so I figure that’s probably too short and narrow to be spending money on demoing. But that makes the choice between them harder to make. It also didn’t help that the NS SL (apparently same flex as a Proto) that I demoed was noodled as soft as an Evo.
Q1 - These are both wide boards. When carving I go over so far on my Premier that my toes sometimes touch down, and though my next boots will be shorter, I figure that if I’m getting my board over on such an angle that I want to be keeping toe/heel overhang to an absolute minimum, and that that rates higher than the usual shop assistant’s suggestion of “go for a standard width board if you can ‘cos it’ll be quicker edge to egde”. I figure that edge to edge quickness is overrated, would anyone agree/disagree? Would a wide board be a smart choice for me vs a NS Evo or Proto CT?
Q2 - This is the big question for me at the moment. Revolver vs Proto CTX comes down to flex. As a beginner freestyler, should I go for the softer Revolver for mucking around on, or the mid-stiffness of the Proto for better carving and just have to learn to flex it harder for freestyle tricks?
Q3 - Are there other board models that I should be looking at? I understand the LibTech TRS would suit, and that the magnetraction would help improve your edge hold as well as to slow your carving down slightly, but I’m worried that the wavy edge would be harder to DIY sharpen and maintain?
Q4 - I also don’t know of anything of the opposite hybrid camber combo that would suit (rocker-camber-rocker)?
Bindings:
I’m interested in the K2 Cinch style bindings but haven’t played with a pair yet. I’m also getting into kiteboarding so having a quick system like this would be good.
Q5 - Are these K2 types any good?
Boots:
I know boots come first but I haven’t found anything I like yet. Having an especially good fitter in one shop say he was out of my size of Nitro Teams didn’t help. I like stiffer boots, and a ropes and cleats lacing system (ie not laces) would be good.
Outerwear:
I’m looking for a strict hard shell for jacket and pants, but this seems hard to find as every bloody thing out there in ski/board stores seems to be insulated. I’m looking for goretex or similar for keeping the weather out, and something tougher and with more useful snow features (like powder skirt, pockets inside and out) than you’d usually get with bushwalking or mountaineering jackets. And plain colours or simple simple prints, I don’t want anything that’ll look naff in 2 seasons time.
Q6 - Any recommendations for brands or models that would suit?
Thanks! Sorry about all the text, hopefully it’s set out well enough.
Hey Dropbear, welcome to Boardworld.
Q1. You mentioned that you often ride with a narrow and forward stance. What is your stance exactly when you’re experiencing heel/toe drag? With size 10/11 boots, you shouldn’t need to go to a wide board as such. Rather look at the waist widths of each board and look for something around the 255 mark. Sometimes they will be classified as mid-wide. Worth mentioning, for freestyle you’re going to want to increase your stance width a bit and duck your binding angles; both those changes are going to give you more heel/toe clearance.
Q2. It sounds like you’re after something different to your old board. You’re getting it specifically for learning freestyle skills (buttering, switch etc.). Your progression will be smoother and more fun on the softer board. Beyond that, I can’t comment on those particular boards as I’ve never tested them.
Q3. Definitely look at other boards. There’s so many different brands and models to choose from, so why not? I’m not trying to steer you away from Never Summer but certainly keep your options open. Going on what you’ve described, you should look for a true twin snowboard, with flex on the softer side of the scale. For the sake of getting something different to your other board, it would be nice to get a board with some degree of rocker in the profile.
Q4. There’s been some interesting discussion on this lately. Check this thread for a bit more info and let me know if you have further questions: https://www.boardworld.com.au/forums/viewthread/2757/ (follow the links to my Signal Omni review and finney’s YES Typo review).
Q5. Haven’t tried them myself but they seem to have the best reputation out of all the rear entry bindings. Your other options being Flow, GNU, and SP. Personally I would always suggest going for regular bindings, but that’s your call.
Q6. It’s good to hear you want a Goretex shell. Burton AK has always been a favourite of mine. They have a large range of options to suit your needs and particular style. 3CS also makes some really nice shells with 20,000 waterproofing.
OK, hopefully that’s a good start. Let me know if you have any questions.
Hey thanks for the feedback Jeremy
Q1 - My Premier’s waist is 25.8cm, and I’ve got my boots centred on the board. I’ve had crashes when my toes have touched down riding something like 18/-6, and have touched my toes down without falling when riding a full 15/-15 duck. Both these stances have been centred on the middle 4 of the 8 inserts for each foot. I don’t usually ride in a narrow forwards stance, that was more of a weired and fun carving experiement, though I will ride that stance again from time to time on the Prem. I haven’t had overhang issues with that.
With a new twin I’d like to do everything in a full duck.
Q2 - Yep, different to my old board is exactly what I’m after.
Your progression will be smoother and more fun on the softer board.
That’s excellent thanks. I’m leaning towards the Revolver/Evo board but in all honesty am still tempted by the awesome looking Proto.
Q3/4 - I’m tempted by the Neversummers ‘cos I know they’re bombproof and the way they’ve matched the sidecut radius to the hybrid camber makes perfect sense. But I’ll have a look at Signal and YES. I don’t mind getting something at the top end of the quality scale ‘cos I know I’ll take good care of it and have it last for ages. Do these brands you’ve mentioned fit that?
Q5 - Ok thanks for your thoughts. Again I was thinking something different to my current bindings, but I’m not sure if the technology is worth it. More reading up to do…
Q6 - Yeah I have a goretex now and it’s brilliant but it’s getting tired.
No worries at all.
Q1 - My Premier’s waist is 25.8cm, and I’ve got my boots centred on the board. I’ve had crashes when my toes have touched down riding something like 18/-6, and have touched my toes down without falling when riding a full 15/-15 duck. Both these stances have been centred on the middle 4 of the 8 inserts for each foot. I don’t usually ride in a narrow forwards stance, that was more of a weired and fun carving experiement, though I will ride that stance again from time to time on the Prem. I haven’t had overhang issues with that.
With a new twin I’d like to do everything in a full duck.
Hmm, that’s a bit odd. It could be that your boots are very bulky. Being ‘04 models, that wouldn’t surprise me. I suspect you would drop your boot print down considerably if you looked at the new boots on the market.
Have you looked to make sure your boots are centred on the board in regards to the heel and toe edge? It’s possible you have more toe overhang than heel overhang.
The only other thing I can think of is your stance width. It doesn’t sound like you’re rocking anything too narrow, but I’d still be curious if you want to measure your stance width (measure from centre of baseplate to centre of baseplate).
Q3/4 - I’m tempted by the Neversummers ‘cos I know they’re bombproof and the way they’ve matched the sidecut radius to the hybrid camber makes perfect sense. But I’ll have a look at Signal and YES. I don’t mind getting something at the top end of the quality scale ‘cos I know I’ll take good care of it and have it last for ages. Do these brands you’ve mentioned fit that?
Sounds good to me. I’m not too familiar with Never Summer but it looks like you’ve done your research. YES and Signal both make top quality boards. YES are made in the Nidecker factory and Signal are handmade in their own factory in the USA. Honestly, I’ve never heard any negative feedback about either. I dropped those links so you can get an idea of how the rocker-camber-rocker profile rides.
Q5 - Ok thanks for your thoughts. Again I was thinking something different to my current bindings, but I’m not sure if the technology is worth it. More reading up to do…
Do your research but I think you’ll find you get better performance from regular straps. There’s some really nice bindings on the market!
Q6 - Yeah I have a goretex now and it’s brilliant but it’s getting tired.
I live in Burton AK gear when I’m overseas. Purpose-built snowboarding Gore-tex outerwear. Awesome stuff!
YES are made in the Nidecker factory and Signal are handmade in their own factory in the USA. Honestly, I’ve never heard any negative feedback about either. I dropped those links so you can get an idea of how the rocker-camber-rocker profile rides.
Some negative user comments about Signal here. I was pretty keen on the Signal Omni myself but a bit cautious after comments like those: http://www.snowboard-review.com/snowboard_reviews/review/omni_series1/
Interesting. I’m guessing they have already addressed the issue. I have that exact board and I haven’t yet noticed any laminate problems.
My boots are centred on the board. There’s 52cm of stance width between the middle 4 inserts under each foot that I usually use (bindings aren’t on the board at the moment), but I haven’t paid much attention to stance widths so I don’t know how that compares to everything else… But to centre my heels and toes I need to have the bindings set as close to the heelside as I can get, so with the slots in the binding plates oriented sideways across the board I don’t have any ability to micro-manage my stance width.
Yes my boots are pretty bulky and they’re getting old too so I’m looking forward to getting some new ones, I just haven’t found anything that really suits yet.
As for camber profiles I’ve demoed a rocker-cam-rock Salomon Grip (and other full rocker Salomons) at the demo day 2 weeks ago at Perisher. The camber profile didn’t feel very different to the opposite profiles that Neversummer are using, but demoing the NS boards (SL and Revolver) on different days made making direct comparisons harder. But anyway the Grip was great for carving but maybe not as playful as the NS boards. But maybe that’s what I want…
What other board models are out there that are true twins with camrock profiles?
Thanks for everyone’s thoughts on the matter
I have 10.5 and 10 boots and can go down to a 250 waist. I think I’ve gone down to a 249 waist before. My toes are not hanging off the edge whatsoever. stance is 18/-3
The following YES boards are all true twins with Camrock (r/c/r):
The Basic, The Great Beauties, The Tasman(iac).
I think new boots would solve all your toe drag issues. Bootprints have come down in size a lot.
I think new boots would solve all your toe drag issues. Bootprints have come down in size a lot.
Yeah I can’t wait. As soon as I find the right pair… BAM! Sold.
So far with Ride boots the comfier models were all too soft, and Salomons have been comfy but press too hard on the top of my foot when I bend at the ankles. But those 2 brands have been the best so far. And I haven’t tried Nitro or Burton recently so that’s a pretty big omission…
I’m told that the stores in the city all charge $50 for fitting, which sux ‘cos how do you know if your best boot is even in their product range? All I know is that I’m gonna buy boots from which ever store has the best pair for me, and policies like that are only gonna encourage me to go elsewhere.
You should also look at ThirtyTwo. Lightweight and heat moldable. They have a good range of boots.
Which city are you in? The boot fitting fee is only there as a deterrent for people coming in who have no intention of buying boots (so they know exactly what to purchase from eBay etc). I have boot fitted hundreds of people and never once charged the fee, regardless of whether they purchased boots or not. In fact, I don’t think I’ve even ever mentioned it. Just be honest with the staff member; tell them you are genuinely looking to buy boots and you want to try on their range of boots. Make sure you tell them you’re not going to buy the boots if they aren’t right and you’re not going to pay a boot fitting fee.
If you live in Sydney, I can definitely arrange a boot fitting session with no fee or obligation to buy. I think it’s important that people genuinely looking to buy boots have the option to try on boots without being charged.
true story…apparently the story is they will refund/deduct your 50 bucks if you buy from the store
my mates got told that at ALPSPORT once. needless to say they didnt try anything on that day
went to ESS Paramatta the other week
over heard the lady say to this asian couple
if you aint serious about buying dont bother trying anything on
put me off trying/buying anything from that store that day.
what kind of attitude is that! anyway i just walked out of there and went to Alpsport instead.
not trying to bag out either store or anything
I got my custom footbeds at ESS parra and Mints (for the girl) from Alps recently
both times served by good guys
just saying it happens
/rant
Yeah, part of the policy is you won’t get charged if you buy boots. There was a massive discussion on the boot fitting fee in this thread: https://www.boardworld.com.au/forums/viewthread/2329/
It’s a tough one…
epic thread….the title looked so innocent and totally misleading
all i was doing was nodding my head to mizus comments most of that thread lol
issue discussed in detail in many places all over the web
aside from the main arguments….my 2c
(imo) putting brand restrictions does very little to stem the tide of online shopping
its just lining the pockets of freight forwarders/purchasing services/couriers…..basically people who are not in the industry itself
ban freight forwarding address? great…lets introduce purchasing services
ban purchasing services….err dont know how they will ban this. its going to be complicated thats for sure.
ban online ordering altogether? great ...everything moves onto ebay instead
ban…err ebay ...like hell thats going to happen
Northwave make sick boots if you can find somewhere that stocks them…
Thanks for all the ideas. I presumed that when it came to boots that people’s advice would be “try them and get the best one”, but from reading up on all sorts of BW threads there is perhaps more expertise on here than I imagined…
I’m in Sydney by the way, Northern Beaches more specifically, so I intend to do my shopping on the northside and in Jindy (unless there’s a particularly good prospect further afield down south or out west that I’m neglecting?).
I dropped into Alpsport in Ryde today and received some great service. The bloke suggested since my foot’s on the wider side that that may bump me up a size. 10.5 is probably perfect for me it seems, depending on the model. Problem there is finding a store that hasn’t sold out of these sizes, there were some gaps in their range which made it harder, though they said they were ordering more.
Anyway Alpsport’s best prospects all still had some flaws. Here’s a rank:
1 - Burton Awol US10.5 - Great fit all round my foot, on the soft side but maybe stiff enough when done up tight (I like ‘em fairly stiff), but the concern was a numbing pressure on the top of my foot when squatting. I don’t know if much can be done after purchase to relieve that. And it was worse when I strapped into a binding and squatted. Despite the outlandish sky blue/orange colour scheme of them they’re the best I’ve worn so far. Pity about the laces, I’d like a quick lacing system if possible.
2 - Nitro Team US10 - Again great fit though 10.5 may have been better but they didn’t have it. But when I squatted they’d deliver a sharp and painful pressure at the bottom of my shin. Bizarre.
3 - DC Ceptor (bugger - forgotten the size) - Super comfy and way too super soft.
It’s frustrating to not have found something perfect out of all the boots out there… But does that give anyone any suggestions on where else to look or what else to try?
I still need to visit Balmoral Boards, First Tracks, and Cherri Pow (again). And is random store by itself at the back of the old town centre in Jindy worth a look?