[Need help with equipment selection!]

actually after reading some of your responses I'm starting to get the picture, I may want a shorter board.

Maybe a slalom board. It sounds like a longer board is going to meant for long, drawn out, picture perfect S curve from one side of the trail to the other.

I'm not looking for that. I prefer high G, quick edge to edge transitions.

Am I getting the right idea here?

Instead of drawing an S in the slope, I want to draw a wavy line.

[Need help with equipment selection!]

Riding in ski boots is not something I would do, but when I tried it once, the three things that I hated were: they're too stiff, The cuff is nowhere near high enough, and you can't adjust and lock in the forward lean. HOWEVER the ski boots Boris mentioned have higher cuffs, flex more softly, and have adjustable forward lean.

Being how tall you are, you're bound to have pretty big feet. (like size 12?) Using a ski boot in any of the bindings BlueB mentioned may not be possible because they won't go big enough.

Going strictly on what you said about not wanting to upgrade in the future and going extremely fast on icy terrain, a board like this would probably be up your alley, it's waist width is more suited to someone with bigger feet. I wouldn't even consider buying this board because it's way too wide for me (sz 8.5 feet). I like a waist around 190mm. 235mm is pretty freakin wide though.

http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=23717

The best thing though is to get some boots (whatever they may be) and try to schmooze your way into riding / trying as many boards as you can so you can figure out what you really like. There's a couple of guys here with pretty big feet. DaveEspi and Divebomber are the only ones that come to mind now. Maybe make a thread that says something like need big footed rider advice, etc. because there are challenges you may face with equipment selection that the majority of us may not be familiar with.

later,

Dave R.

I'd love to try out some boards, unfortunatly riders are few and far between. When I see one on the slopes, they are usually passing me. It's sort of fustrating when I am going uncontrollably fast, fighting the terrain and ice, on the brink of losing control, and some guy on an alpine board blows by me appearing as casual as one would be reading a book at starbucks. Needless to say, I don't get to converse with them much, let alone try out their board.

So based on your recommendation, I should be looking at a 185-200cm board with atleast a 22cm waist? sound about right?

You can haul on any length of board. I'm 6'2 190 lbs. and selected an F2 Silberpfeil 173cm and an F2 Speedster 183cm board when I first started. The boards feel different enough. The 173 at first was easier to ride in softer snow at lower speeds with larger crowds. The 183 has to be ridden fast to turn it and feels more damp on hard snow. Knowing what I know now, I would pick a metal board. They are much easier on the legs. The difference is like riding a full suspension mountain bike or a road bike. The metal just feels soft, smooth and cuddly at speed, the non metal is more snappy or lively and will pop you between turns.

I can imagine that a metal board would easier and quicker to build confidence on, but you might not learn proper technique???.

As for the foot size, my feet are the same size and I sized down to a 28.5 cm boot. The angle I have to ride to eliminate boot out are between 65 and 70 degrees, which seem to be pretty steep. I could imagine the with ski boots the angles could be 75-80 degrees because the length of the boot sole is so much longer.

I had been riding for 24 years before getting a full blown setup. It does take a bit of adjusting. Don't give up on the first day if it does not feel right, because it will on the second day;-)

That's what I keep hearing, the longer boards are better for high speed, which as I stated earlier is my primary concern. I'd rather learn the hard way, through various FAQ's, I've picked up that the longer more advanced boards will basically force you to learn proper technique?

Oh and I won't give up, after doing a lot of reading the past few days and seeing them carve, I'm almost angry I didn't buy one 10 years ago.

The only reason to start out in ski boots is if you are also an avid skier and want to switch back and forth during the day.

Deeluxe Track 700 - stiff but not too stiff.

Bomber TD3 (will work with ski boots if you go that way)

A Coiler, Donek, or Prior metal board about 180-185 and at least 19.5cm wide.

Please note that a very fast board and an ice board are two different things. For serious ice you want something shorter with a shorter sidecut radius so that you can get turns around without building up too much speed. A fast board will be longer and have a radius north of 13m.

Eventually you'll need both, but it sounds like you'll be able to start with the fast board, *IF* you can already *CARVE* your softboot gear. Can you do the Norm? And carve the downhill edge?

If the answer to those questions are no, or "well, kinda" then you should start on something medium like a 175.

what is the Norm, and carving the downhill edge? I don't really speak the lingo. I can assume the downhill edge is basically when your riding horizontal and turn into the slope? I'm imagining basically carving a quarter pipe?

Also it's usually not serious ice, like straight ice, Its mostly just sections of ice where some the more timid riders and skiiers like to slide down the slope instead of carving it. With my setup now, if I'm carving with some decent speed, and I hit any ice that I don't see, I'll be picking the snow out of my goggles. I just want to be able to control myself if I hit an ice patch.

[Need help with equipment selection!]

thanks for the replies, actually the only reason I want to use ski boots is because I already have access to a few sets of them, so basically, it's because of money.

I got the impression that longer boards will be better for speed and holding an edge in not so perfect terrain. I've just been reading, I have no real experience.

I do have semi-large feet, about 11.5-12.

I know literally know nothing, and am looking to be steered in the right direction.

I'm 6'4, I want to go extremely fast in icey terrain. I would like to start off with equipment that an advanced alpine boarder would use, so I don't have to upgrade in the future.

I basically want someone to spell it out for me what I should be looking for.

[Need help with equipment selection!]

Hi, I'm new to the forum, my name is Bryan. I never been on an alpine board and need some advice on a purchase. I've been snowboarding for about 20 years, all this time I have only enjoyed carving and speed. I was never a fan of freestyle snowboarding, despite 20 years of using the wrong boards.

Anyway I pretty much only board on the east coast, killington and okemo are my most frequent mountains. As most of you know, ice is very apparent in that part of the country. I need a setup that will allow me to go extremely fast, and give me some confidence on the ice.

I have read all the FAQ's, so I'm not completely uninformed. I think I've narrowed it down to a long metal board with extremely stiff boots.

I realize a long board and stiff boot are difficult for beginners, but I would prefer to learn the hard way and not buy new equipment once I get the hang of it.

I have no idea how long of board to get. I am 6'4" and about 190 lbs. I'm definatly not getting any skinnier lol. My only goal really is to be able to go as fast as possible and be in control. I would assume I need atleast a 190cm?

My other question is, what type of bindings and boots to get. I would really prefer to use ski boots. I know these can be used, but what sort of bindings allow you to use these?