Guest Gabe Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 I have been to the welcome center. Wow.. great info. I'm a new carver. I'm six'two and 218 pounds, with 11 to 11.5 inch feet. I want to fly. I want speed. I'm buying my first equipment. The selection is overwhelming. I would like to buy a race or all mountain board, bindings, and hard boots. I'm looking for recommendations on an affordable all mountain board/ hard boots, and strong bindings. I'm rough on bindings. Am I dreaming to get that gear for $500? If so, please point me at a realistic set up for a beginner.. less than a grand if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fin Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 Hello Gabe, First, welcome to the forum! Sounds like you have already made the rounds with the Tech Articles and hit the Welcome Center. When we chat with first-timers on the phone the first thing I like to ask is "what do you plan to do on this gear?" To me, it comes down to two direction: 1) a set-up made just for the groomies, what I call "carve only". Strictly carving and little to no "off trail" riding. 2) an "all mountain" set-up. Will work in the bumps, powder, and anything off trail. BUT will still lay down a good carve on the hardpack. There are, of course, HUGE gray areas where these two options overlap, but it is a great way to think about it for the person looking to buy gear for the first time. Once you make decide which direction you are heading towards, equipment selection gets much easier. Give us a write back and let us know what your plan is for this gear and we'll go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest boogieman Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 for 500 buks you will only find secend hand equipment so check ebay id say but i personally would never buy secend hand equip from someone i dont know since you could end up with a board that is way to soft for you becouse its used up i have a fuw used boards but i will never sell them becouse i would have the feeling id be ripping of that person (unless its a total nuwbe and even then) even if the base is still perfect as the edges and it looks fine to but theres just no stiffness left in the nose so if your a little heavy you load the nose just a little bit and youl get catapulted in the air and end up with a dislocated shoulder like me:D (wich had nothing to do with my board but the more its used the faster this will happen) so my advice secend hand bindings ok boots ok but get yourself a new board -coiler freecarve= kick ass board and really cheap for what it is id pay twice as much for it no prob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gabe Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 With my beginner status, an all mountain board may be the way to go. I find that all I want to do on the mountain..is try to get faster...to get closer to the edge. With the rental boards.. (and soft boots) my greatest frustration has been the bumpiness and lack of control at high speeds on groomed slopes. I want to go faster! But, I also love powder. If there is a fresh snow day.. I don't want to find myself floundering. But, I don't see myself doing any off the trail snowboarding. What I'm trying to do is get the fastest board possible that can still handle powder. Two boards would be wonderful, but won't fit in my budget right now. Thank you for responding Fin, and I hope that is enough info to make a recommendaton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gabe Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 Originally posted by boogieman so my advice secend hand bindings ok boots ok but get yourself a new board -coiler freecarve= kick ass board and really cheap for what it is id pay twice as much for it no prob Thanks for the advice boogieman. I looked at Coiler's site and it could take a couple of months or more to get a board from them. I'm hoping to buy and recieve a board in the next couple of weeks. =( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 What you want is a Prior 4WD or a Donek Axis, probably in a 170-ish length. Coiler makes a direct competitor, the AM, but as you point out delivery is an issue. Either of them new will chew up all of your budget, though. If you check the Prior website you'll find some used/demo boards for a little cheaper. If you want to do this on the cheap, you could get an old Burton Alp. There's some NOS ones at Klug's site, see here. The 64 would be a good starter board for you but at your weight it's probably pretty soft - I think you'd outgrow it pretty fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fin Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 Gabe, Right on, you have given us more to work with. As the others have mentioned you have some good options for an all mountain set-up that will still let you go fast. If funds are the issue then I would say spend the money in this order: boots, bindings, board. Boots are the most important for obvious reasons. Bindings will last you years to come and can be moved from deck to deck. And boards you can always find used to get you started. For you I would recommend either the Deeluxe Suzuka or LeMans. Both of these boots we call the "work horse" model as the can do it all and generally "get'r done". The both have all the good options for adjustments and both come with Thermo liners. The SB413 is also a great boot for the money but you get a regular liner and not as many adjustments. For bindings I would suggest (no surprise here :D ) the Trench Digger 2 series. You mention your size and weight and that you are tough on bindings. Well, just try to break the TD2 ! I would also recommend the Purple (medium) E-rings as they will help take the "bite" of the rigidity you will feel when you first start on plates. I would also suggest a 3 and 3 degree cant set-up as we have found this to be a great "default" set-up for the first timer. However, all the above options are ultimately your decision. For the money you can go with the Deeluxe X-Bones but I might be a bit concerned with your weight and height on the durability factor. Board wise I would suggest: Prior 4x4 Donek Axis Coiler All Mountain As these guys mentioned, you can also get yourself a good used board on the "Classifieds" section and that will get you going just fine. As mentioned as well, you are probably looking at a 170's length board. You are more then welcome to give us a jingle at 1-800-277-2037 any time and we can help you out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gabe Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 Thanks for all the help guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 all this stuff is sold here: http://www.bomberonline.com/Store/index.cfm just in case you hadn't seen that yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WC Rider Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 I've found the Burton Alp to be an amazing board... I ride at Whistler and have no problems handling bumps, steeps, or powder... and if I happen to find myself on a nice groomer, I can lay it down with the best of them..... I'm about 9 years into snowboarding and still riding an Alp... started on a old oxygen board, got a Alp 64, rode that for about 4 years, broke it, and now I'm riding a Alp 71, and loving it. If you can pick up a new one fthese days, it should be cheap, its a great beginner All Mountain board.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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