What are your thoughts on height?

[Phil]

I was just on another forum where it was declared in a sticky by a mod:

When replying to posters asking for board advice You do not Ask for height, as it´s meaningless

I replied that I did not think that height was totally out of the equation.

I used the example that a person who is 5'6" and a person who are 6'6" may be the same weight, but that their inseams could dictate such radically different stances that the same board may not suit.

The "guy who was in the know" on that forum mocked me and reaffirmed the (forum's) view that height is in no way a determiner of board size. And used the example of a tall guy who rides a 152 because he is light.

Before there could be any discussion, the mods deleted my posts - that is how serious they are about height not being a factor at all (and there was absolutely nothing offensive or even negative on my posts).

He made a reference to the idea of height being a determining factor as an antiquated idea. For this reason, I think that they are reacting to the fact that shops used to say things like - the board has to come up to your chin, or between your chin and your eyes. Of course, I am suggesting no such thing.

I understand that the idea of choosing a board by your height is not the way to go, but to say that it has no bearing on board selection seems to ignore some important considerations.

Am I out of my mind?

Please discuss.

[7stg]

I support your stance. Height will affect the length chosen for the board.

[Sinecure]

You should only go off of post count. And maybe member size. :rolleyes:

[BlueB]

Those guys are some clowns...

Height is crucial for board length:

Stance width (this is a no-brainer)

Forward-Aft stability (tall person has higher centre of gravity, thus easier to get trown out of balance, thus needing bigger sweet spot, i.e. longer board)

Weight is cruicial for board stifness.

Now, as longer boards are often stiffer, length gets confused for stifness. We are lucky with our custom makers and can get what's ideal...

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

What Forum?

Ride what works for you.

90% of the snowboard world figures a 150cm does everything for everyone . Go figure.

10% of the snowboard world understands that some other than a 150cm is what they like.

1/10th of 1% understands that a Tanker 200cm RULE THE WORLD!!

Disclaimer: The foremention percentages are approx. except for the Tanker

figure, I along with a crack team of actuarialists have spent thousands of hours confirming that precise number.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

You should only go off of post count. And maybe member size. :rolleyes:

Bingo!!

Or even more important, do the graphics match your outfit?

Is it the most expensive board your folks will spring for?

[Jrobb]

Agree 100% Phil. In fact I think I used your same argument (same height example too) last season to make the same point. A few on the forum were enlightened if not a tad skeptical. I think some people are so adamant about the over Hyping of Height that the forget to "not look at the tree" and run into the same tree time after time.

J

[twelsch42]

Height is a big factor. I'm really tall and skinny. 6'2" and 160lbs. I can get my mass further away from my edge (my head and shoulders, and arms are further away from my boots). This means I can apply more force to my edges. Our boots act as a fulcrum and we are the lever, with force being applied as gravitational forces, and equaled out transfering through our edges.

Imagine someone 6'6" driving their upper body towards the snow in a nice carve. The forces acting on them (mainly gravitational) are amplified because of how much further away their head and shoulders are from their boots (the fulcrum).

Someone who's 5'5" just can't apply as much force to their edges. But they can transfer that energy more quickly, and have an easier time balancing.

Keep in mind this is applying some physics from college I took more than 10 years ago. I'm up to read other opinions.

twelsch

[Jack M]

you are right.

Not only is it "not out of the question", it is a key factor in the equation.

It's all about leverage.

[pebu]

I'd imagine they're arguement is against someone going to the store and grabbing a board off the shelf and checking it against their chin and buying the first one that meets the chin-criteria. If they think that height doesn't matter at all... Well, then they obviously need to go back to school. At least that or they're so close-minded and set in their ways that it's no use trying to convince them otherwise. Which is kinda sounding like a possibility considering they deleted the thread of somebody who merely disagreed with them.

I also might venture to guess that the mod who stickied such a post may have a problem with his or her own height...

[Steve Prokopiw]

DEFINITEYLY SOUNDS LIKE A CASE OF SMALL MAN'S COMPLEX.Height,like all have said here is just one of many possible factors in choosing the right ride.I would not be surprised if the mod rides a bike that is way too big...

[Guest]

I agree with you Phil, but let's take a look at it from their perspective.

The boarding masses equate stiffness with length. The longer it is, the stiffer it has to be (duh). So I can kind of see why your post was ridiculed by them in their ignorance. Also, I'm guessing that the majority of the imbeciles there don't ride anything longer than a 162, and with most basic freestyle boards out there, the weight rule sort of still works.

Not that it excuses their idiocy. In fact, I would direct them to this exact thread. Maybe they'll learn a thing or two.

[queequeg]

... in just about any activity involving the human body.

Take a 10 lb weight and put it on the end of a 5'5" pole and swing it around.

Now take the same 10 lb weight on the end of a 6'6" pole and swing it around. You'll feel the difference ..

They're nuts! Of course it is important! It may not be the single most important thing out there, but it's definitely a not-insignificant factor. Zealots.

[bobdea]

I think a big part of the issue is that some people only consider height and nothing else and they are trying to beat people out of that habit on that site

for most* people it does have next to nothing to do with the equation because the average board is built around the average weight to height ratio or at least close to it.

You have a point but one that is only applicable if you're on the outside of what's considered average.

generally, people who are taller weigh more too :rolleyes:

with the above said it sounds like the forum you post on is modded by dickheads

what forum is it?

[k2slopesurfer]

snowboard.com i think huh?

[carvedog]

Crazy for talking so trruuuuuueeeee. ( Sorry Patsy)

Of course you are out of your mind. To bring such things as physics and biomechanical leverage into a discussion when all you are going to do is buy a concave (or is that vex?) based, no edges 150 twin tip noodle. What were you thinking?

I was just on another forum where it was declared in a sticky by a mod:

I understand that the idea of choosing a board by your height is not the way to go, but to say that it has no bearing on board selection seems to ignore some important considerations.

Am I out of my mind?

Please discuss.

[Neil Gendzwill]

snowboard.com i think huh?

Looked there, and yup there was the "height has nothing to do with it" guideline in the sticky.

[kjl]

snowboard.com i think huh?

Heh, that place has the lowest signal:noise ratio of any site I've ever been on, I think. 99% of the people on there don't even snowboard. It's like myspace, except the "snowboarding" part skews the demographic even younger and even dumber.

[carvedog]

Heh, that place has the lowest signal:noise ratio of any site I've ever been on, I think. 99% of the people on there don't even snowboard. It's like myspace, except the "snowboarding" part skews the demographic even younger and even dumber.

I looked at it and they sure seemed like a bunch of dumb a$$es to me. Phil I would put no stock in what any of the posers have to say.

You are right. They suck and should be sent to ..........well they are already in hell if they have to moderate that forum.

[Phil]

Thanks for all of the responses.

I VAGUELY remember talking to and reading conversations with WC racers and coaches in the past that talked about height not being as determining a factor as once thought(NOT that it wasn't a factor at all). They talked about things such as leg length, weight distribution, etc. being more important. Because of these conversations, I thought that there may be more to what the people on "the other" forum were talking about. I am reassured that from the response here, as well as the AASI forum where I also posted this, theories on height and weight vs. board selection are still as valid as ever.

After reading "the other" forum a little more, I also realize that these guys are seriously overestimating their expertise when giving advice. For instance, they will truly tell a short, heavy person to ride a long board and a tall lighter person to ride a short board. They will also specifically say in these cases that height has nothing to do with it.

Whatever. I was truly hoping that there was another good snowboarding forum that I could take part in - the offerings are just not very good.

It is a shame, though, when people are looking for advice from a forum, the "experts" give advice that makes no sense.

These kinds of things make me really appreciate Bomber!

[Phil]

Kudos to the other mods on snowboard.com

They reworded their stance on height to the following.

"Height can play a role in stance width and other factors...but remember you DO NOT choose a board length based on the chin to nose factor."

I would say that this is acceptable. It is still oversimplifying, but I would not say that they are doing a disservice to their readers.

[Guest]

Yeah, I tried posting on snowboard.com for a little bit, but found that most of the people over there, mods included, didn't care to hear from someone other than softboot park-riders, even in the instructors thread.

[pebu]

That sounds acceptable to me. Not that what I say holds any merrit.

It seems bomberonline has a little influence on the mass snowboarding crowd... Good feeling, huh?

[RJ-PS]

Bomberforums have little influence.....that is about par for the course. The fortunate thing is that most of us are aware and it does not change our behaviour. Most of us are also 2-3 times older than the average age of the forum members on those sites.

Height is definitely a factor in board size decision making. I constantly get asked about this from bigger (taller and or heavier) guys that are getting mixed information from shops. Because they have had to live with being bigger their whole lives, it just doesn't seem right what the "prevailing wisdom" is no matter who is dispensing it.

Perhaps the mods aren't really snowboarders as much as they are responsible for handling the forums. In that case they may just be redispensing info from someone they believe is correct. It even happens here on Bomber.

<insert shameless plug for longboards here>

Size matters, Go Big, Ride a Tanker!

[tex1230]

dude, I'm 6'5" 350lbs and I totally rip the park on my 145!