park/pow setup help
just as the title says.. would u be able to recommend a setup for me for park/pow board, boots and bindings?
im totally new to the park/pow scene.. and im just a beginner/early intermediate mountain boarder..
i will be using the board in canada at first.. then mostly in oz and nz after that..
ive been looking at the burton hero, mayhem or the operator but really have no clue what to look for.. not sure of what boots and bindings or what flex im looking for.. im lookin to keep the gear for awhile.. so the gear shud be for beginner/intermediate if possible
im around 176cm tall.. 95kg.. size 10 feet..
thanks [=
What equipment do you currently use and waht are your feeling on it, what do you like and dislike about it. What is your experience level and how often do you go snowboarding?
Truthfully any board can go in all conditions, but there are features about different boards that work better in different situations.
Give us a little more information and someone will be able to make some suggestions.
Also, where do you ride most often? how many days a year? what conditions?
Tel us more info so we can help.
Do you currently have any other equipment? What do you have?
Boards:
OK so generally a powder board and a park board are different. A powder board is typically longer, with a tapered shape, and a setback stance. A park board is typically shorter, and twin or twin-like in flex and shape. If you want a board that will be good in powder and park, you need to look for a versitile board, rather than an all-out pow or park specific board. Fortunately there are a lot of boards like this on the market (boards like the Burton Custom etc…)
My initial thoughts would lead you to a snowboard with reverse camber. Reverse camber boards are excellent for freestyle, but also excel in powder due to the shape. They float exceptionally well for a board of their size. This way you can get a freestyle/park board that you can ride comfortably in the powder. All the big brands make snowboards which fit into this category.
If you are looking at Burton, check out the Custom V Rocker and the Joystick. The Hero is an awesome freestyle board but definately on the soft side for freeriding. Other options are the Lib Tech Skate Banana, or the Travis Rice BTX. GNU have the Park Pickle. Any many more…
Please read these articles, written by George Cant of Design Cartel: Board Characteristics and Board Selection
Have a think about what you really want out of your snowboard, and it will help us narrow down your options.
Bindings:
The main thing you need to think about here is the flex. How soft or stiff do you want them? A softer binding is more forgiving and will let you “play around” more. However you need support and response for harder riding. Unless you want them specifically sorft or stiff for whatever reason, then your best option again is something versitile. Burton, Rome, Ride, Flux, Union, and more all make good bindings offering unique features. Narrow yourself to a couple of brands you would be interested in buying and I will be able to help you narrow down your options. Of course price might also need to be a consideration depending on your budget.
Boots:
Here I’m not going to suggest any specific boot. You really need to try on as many boots as possible and visit an expert bootfitter in person, so they can assess your foot shape and needs. Please read this article I wrote on boot fitting. It will help you understand what you need to thin about and how the boots should feel: Boot Fitting. Have a read though and it should give you a better idea of what you want/need. If you get back to me on approximate flex (i.e. very soft, soft, mid range, stiff, very stiff) and your budget, I can suggest a whole range of boots you should try on. However, nothing will beat visiting a good store with an experienced boot fitter.
Anyway I hope this helped you a bit. Have a think and get back to us and we can help you further. 
i currently use custom x 162 09 with the cartel est 09 and have the shaun white boots 09 size 10.5
im still a beginner / early intermediate rider
i like to get at least 10 days of boarding in each season
mostly perisher and possibly nz in upcoming seasons
i want to try and learn park in canada hence the new gear.
pricing of gear im not too fussed just as long as i get to use it from start to at least intermediate
thanks for ur info and help guys
How do you find the CustomX? Will you be taking it to Canada too? It’s great to start a quiver, so if you are going to buy a board I would suggest it be quite different to the CustomX; shorter and softer would be the way to go. Considering you want it to work well in powder, reverse camber is still a good choice.
How are the bindings? I would suggest you don’t need new ones if you like the Cartels; they are excellent bindings. If you want something stiffer you can look at the CO2s, but I wouldn’t suggest the CO2s unless you feel you need more response, and condsidering your level of riding I think that would be unlikely. Give the Cartels a good go, they will serve you well in Canada or anywhere else.
Are you having problems with your boots?
yeah its quite stiff.. harder to learn on coz its so fast.. but i manage to learn the basics on it [=
and yes ill be taking it to canada also..
is the burton hero any good? or is that too soft? i was lookin at the burton mayhem and operator? thoughts?
bindings are great.. i like them..
boots are okay, i got a 10.5 which is my mistake i shudve gotten a 10 coz the 10.5 is a bit loose i think.. ill prolly buy new boots..
Jeremy, I always like reading your comments about gear/riding. It’s always super informative and easy to understand. Cheers
The Hero is an awesome freestyle board. Yes it is soft - I tested it last season and it was very soft but I was still riding it quite hard everywhere. It took some getting used to for freeriding, and granted I was only riding at Falls Creek. I’m not sure how well it would hold up in deep powder, but you have your CustomX for deep pow days. Just switch the bindings over to the CX and set back your stance a couple of inches. Another board to look at in the Burton range is the Joystick. Probably my favourite board I tested in the 2010 Burton range. A freestyle board with rocker, but slghtly directional and stiffer than the hero. A true freestyle board but more versitile than the Hero. The Operator is a nice board, but I don’t think it’s ideally what you are looking for. Check out the Joystick and let me know what you think, or if you have any questions.
Keep the bindings. The Cartels are an excellent all round choice. It will work well in the park or for freeriding. As your riding progresses you may want to consider something with more response. This comes down to riding style and personal choice though. Personally I love the CO2s - best all round binding in my opinion.
With the boots you need to keep an open mind. Read the link to the boot fitting article in my earlier post. You need to make sure they fit correctly in the store, but any good boot fitter should explain that to you also. All boots pack out and you need to allow for that. Let the boot fitter assess your foot and then try on as many boots as you can.
Thanks Dan.
sweet thanks for ur help guys [=
if i wasnt to get a burton board.. i was looking at getting the travis rice c2 power banana or the skate banana?
which one would the better option? and which bindings would go well for it?
thanks
The Travis Rice now only comes in the C2 power banana - which is banana in the middle (between the feet) and camber in the tip and tail. He isn’t doing the BTX anymore.
Both boards are twin, but the my suggestion would definately be the Skate Banana. From what you have told us and given you have a CustomX already, the Skate Banana would be what you are looking for.
You will need new bindings though, the ESTs only work on the channel. Many companies make really good bindings. You need to have a think about what flex/response you want, then weigh up the features. Burton, Union, Ride, Rome, Flux, Flow etc… all make great binding with different features. Personally I really like the Burton CO2s but probably stiffer than you want on the Banana. Check out the Rome 390s… really nice under $400.
I had a good look at next years Flow bindings a few weeks back, I was very impressed with what they have on offer these days.
Certainly a lot of R & D gone into their product.
I was also very interested in the boards they are producing now too. Can’t wait to test some of the gear.
where could i get some rome 390’s?
and wat size skate banana should i get?
thanks for all ur help guys
I had a good look at next years Flow bindings a few weeks back, I was very impressed with what they have on offer these days.
Certainly a lot of R & D gone into their product.I was also very interested in the boards they are producing now too. Can’t wait to test some of the gear.
Yeah I tested all the 2010 Flow gear earlier this year. I was also very impressed, the bindings have improved a lot since the last time I tested them and the boards rode great.
where could i get some rome 390’s?
and wat size skate banana should i get?thanks for all ur help guys
Most stores should be getting 2010 Rome gear soon, if not already in store. I know STM have the 390s in store already and they do free shipping.
Since you want this board more for freestyle/park and you already have a 162, I would be going for the 156. It will ride completely differently to your CustomX 162, and that’s what you want. It will turn quicker, flex easier, spin faster etc… If you don’t go for the 156, the 159 would be your only other option.
ohh sweet thanks [=
is there a 2010 skate banana?