Snowboarder input needed?

[Mlarsen]

Nobody likes a grammar nazi and I don't give a shit if you trust me. Technically boards should last 2 seasons under ideal conditions. Most wood core snowboards tend to warp after that. Most people can't tell the difference because they don't ride enough. Will it slide down a hill, sure. Wax it up and go. But, he asked if he should buy a new board or not. I said buy a Lib-tech.

[aaron325ix]

grammar nazi? come on dude that is grade school stuff. But no, he doesnt need to buy a new board. that custom from 02 is going to be just fine for what it sounds like the type of riding he is going to be doing this season. and its stupid to suggest he should go buy a brand new Lib Tech. I worked many years in the snowboard industry in colorado, and am still up to par on the standards.

" Technically boards should last 2 seasons under ideal conditions"
what does that even mean and where did you get it? how many days a year is he riding? what are "ideal" conditions? no rocks?

[quikveedb2]

Technically boards should last 2 seasons under ideal conditions. Most wood core snowboards tend to warp after that. Most people can't tell the difference because they don't ride enough.

If I get 1 FULL season out of a board, I'm happy. 80-100 days on the mountain, plus backcounty, jibbing, etc. And that's being "careful" to not fuck up the base too much. Warp? Not really an issue unless it's a really poorly built deck, and delaminates. I break edges like it's going out of style, my Darkstar had no less than 8 breaks in each edge when I finally retired it. How hard you ride will dictate how long your shit lasts, and for most people a Burton board is readily available, a recognizable brand, and good quality. For someone who rides a lot, the standard is different.

[phreshkid]

I LOVED my Darkstar, rode park hard for a season and a half on that & some Rome Targas (about 100 days or so) and it held up OK, I finally started breaking edges and got a World Wide Weapon and some Hurrithane binders. K2 ftmfw. Just because Burton is big does not mean they make the best stuff, do your own research before buying, and demo some boards if you can.

Stick with what you have unless you're going to get serious about riding, but snowboard technology has come a loooong way since that custom was new. Boards are lighter, more responsive, and more durable, and binders and boots have progressed by leaps & bounds as well.

Yeah I'm a darkstar man myself. the WWW is too noodly for my style. a 50 foot kicker with a WWW just feels too sketchy to me. I always ride Union Forces but I've ridden a few Burton Bindings and they do NOT disappoint. I ride a good 50 days a season up in Tahoe. We throw out front 3s and back 5s like nobody's business.

[Pantless Spency]

i learned on a board from the 90's and its the board i still ride every season... i do want thinner boots and a new board but its a legit set up, just because technology has changed over the years doesn't mean snow has 8)

[phreshkid]

Low profile boots and smaller bindings do wonders for a snowboarder. Ex: DC Park boots and a m/l binding instead of bigger boots and a l/xl binding. Less overhang, more insane carving angles, etc.

[quikveedb2]

Yeah I'm a darkstar man myself. the WWW is too noodly for my style. a 50 foot kicker with a WWW just feels too sketchy to me.

Going from jumping the Darkstar to the WWW took some getting used to, but I've hit plenty of big booters on my weapon without issues. Early rise does not pop like a normal camber board does, but you can make it happen. Honestly after some time on the WWW I think I can ollie higher than on my camber boards that I had before. I think rocker boards are good for beginners, it seems catching edges is less likely. Since your edge contact is underfoot instead of at your tip & tail, you really gotta be out of shape to hang up an edge. If OP was serious about getting a new deck, I'd look at some rocker/early rise stuff, maybe even zero camber. The changes in the camber of boards and skis is one of the more interesting technological developments in the past few years, imo.

[phreshkid]

Going from jumping the Darkstar to the WWW took some getting used to, but I've hit plenty of big booters on my weapon without issues. Early rise does not pop like a normal camber board does, but you can make it happen. Honestly after some time on the WWW I think I can ollie higher than on my camber boards that I had before. I think rocker boards are good for beginners, it seems catching edges is less likely. Since your edge contact is underfoot instead of at your tip & tail, you really gotta be out of shape to hang up an edge. If OP was serious about getting a new deck, I'd look at some rocker/early rise stuff, maybe even zero camber. The changes in the camber of boards and skis is one of the more interesting technological developments in the past few years, imo.

I agree wholeheartedly with this but especially the last part. Negative camber is something totally different from traditional camber. I remember when the lib tech skate banana came out and it was hyped so hard with all that magnatraction garbage. It was pretty cool but the next year everyone came out with similar stuff and then it became all about brand preference at that point.

[bramon]

Keep the Burton board to thrash on while you're getting back into it, but keep an eye on craigslist for some deals on boards. I got a brand new LibTech T.Rice Pro Model board midway through last season for $200 from a guy that was sponsored by LibTech so he just got a shit ton of boards. So just keep your eyes open and try and have a couple hundred dollars in hand so you don't miss some good deals.

But I agree with everyone else, boots and bindings will make the biggest difference, I prefer Rome bindings but they're fairly pricey.. And I've always like ThirtyTwo Boots. Although it has to be said that going from my K2->LibTech I wouldn't just skate over icier bits I could actually turn on them.

[delatlanta1281]

I still ride two 2002 nitros. They rule.

[kronus]

haha, i have a 2002 nitro as well. I just upgrade boots occasionally and take in the board for waxing and resurfacing, and it's fine. Getting a bit short these days, though.

if it goes down a hill, you'll have fun.

[Heysüß]

yeah if you haven't ridden in a while just grab it and ride it (that's what she said), don't listen to all these people who want their boards made an hour away from rare french imported wood. As someone else put it so well: snow hasn't changed in a few years.

They also probably like beers that only 40 people know about in the world, yeah they probably taste good but I'm also not ashamed to drink a miller lite with my redneck friends or a corona with my grandpa.

[Mlarsen]

If I get 1 FULL season out of a board, I'm happy. 80-100 days on the mountain, plus backcounty, jibbing, etc. And that's being "careful" to not fuck up the base too much. Warp? Not really an issue unless it's a really poorly built deck, and delaminates. I break edges like it's going out of style, my Darkstar had no less than 8 breaks in each edge when I finally retired it. How hard you ride will dictate how long your shit lasts, and for most people a Burton board is readily available, a recognizable brand, and good quality. For someone who rides a lot, the standard is different.

I get about 1 year out of a board. I ride well into summer every year. By the end of summer its time to retire. It's not uncommon for boards to warp. Like I said it's not that noticeable but, it happens. You'll notice the board looses it flex and pop. Its wood core boards that warp and not all boards are made with a wood core anymore.