method9455 Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 I've been board shopping and I run into this weight range issue.I'm 5'6" so a board that is 157 comes up to my nose and that's good for me as a carver but I thought rail and halfpipe riders like a shorter snowboard. I've been riding 155 boards for the last 2 years and as I go to stores now to buy a new board I have a sales clerk ask me how much I weigh and they check the chart on the snowboards and its got these weight ranges: 157 125-175 161 140-190 165 150-200 which raises questions. Will I break a 157 board because I weigh 225 pounds when dressed for snow because I weigh 50 pounds more than the board was designed to carry? Will the board perform extremely bad because I weigh 50 pounds more than the board was designed to carry? Will my extra 50 pounds make the board flex wildly and cause loss of control? Does Burton expect me to buy their 165 because its designed to carry an adult? A 165 would be taller than me! I'm not a big fat man. I'm a little old guy and most of the kids on the hill are taller than me so I just can't figure how Burton ranges their boards. The board only feels your weight, not your height. The height between the nose and the eyebrow is a quick rule of them for day rentals when it doesn't matter, but for buying a board, follow the design specs. Truthfully the "adult" boards are not designed for adults, they are designed for teenage-20 somethings because that is 90% of the snowboard market. I'm 20, I am 5' 11" at 180 lbs. My freeride board is a 159cm and my park board is a 153. My brother is more your weight, at around 220 lbs and he rides a 163 cm. That kind of exemplifies how much of a range is possible, 6 cm range is perfectly fine for me between the two boards. A 151 would probably do me fine for the park and I've ridden my brothers board and I can ride that too. I don't think you have to worry about "breaking" any of them, the boards are really durable. Me landing a jump wrong at 180 lbs is going to put many more times of force than even a 400 pound person on my board, and it survives me casing jumps all the time. What you really want is to get an ideal weight for the flex of the board. Based on you saying that you like to carve fast and stay on the ground, bigger is better. The only time bigger isn't better is for spinning and jumping. On the ground, length gives you stabilty, edge hold, and speed. Stiffness reduces chatter so it is easier on your knees and you skid out less often. Especially if you are in fact riding the Burton Air, which is a generally soft board, I would say the max size is the right one for you. The really good news is that the largest sized boards are the ones least likely to sell during the season. Everyone picks up the small boards for park, and then there are just so many kids running around we clean out 151-157cm, but large boards like 159,161,163,165 are hard to sell. Both my 159 and my brothers 165 came out of my store at our tent sale. Mine was list $750 and I paid $200, his was list $650 and he paid $200, so large sizes are much better for deals and will fit you much better overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santa Clauss Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 I Don't want to sound like an idiot here and i know i probably will but hey, If you want a good all mountain board wouldn't you just want like a freeride board? not freestyle? as for length, its a piece of wood, composites and whatever else, its made to take stresses of rails, falls, all that stuf, your not gonna break it, i've had 6 boards in my short life and never broke one, de-laming, de-edging yeah. but thats from hitting shit. As for BURTON, corporate bullshit, I will never buy burton, Ronnin, Red, whatever, because there are a TON of innovative companies out there that are completely revolutionizing the industry while burton is gonna say hey, were gonna use 3 bolts instead of 4 because... (WHY!!!) ohh now were gonna use some kind of rail system because hey, our bindings suck so were gonna make our decks so they can only use our bindings? and people will buy into it just because its expensive and they tell us its really good and some douche bag named Sean says so. (i'f you've ever seen the terrain park safety video with him in it you know what i mean, and having to show the video to hundreds of kids over 2 months, believe me, you would HATE him too.) all in all, IN MY OPINION burton is way over priced, and when you think your getting a huge sale its really not, you think a $750 for $200 is a good deal, (And don't tell me it was proform, thats bullshit too, factory B line, didn't pass quality!) well how much did that board cost to make? whats the whole sale price? its so obvious that there marked up so incredibly high. it makes me sick, Last year I bought a ride DH i think MSRP is like $480 and I looked and looked and the lowest price i could find was like around $400 on ebay. Its like buying a prius, even though it costs $28,000 and you save a little money on gas, your paying an extremely high cost to save a little money on gas, (Image) basically what i'm saying is... I don't even know anymore... but just try something else! and support any board company other than burton... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick malozzi Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 I Don't want to sound like an idiot here and i know i probably will but hey, If you want a good all mountain board wouldn't you just want like a freeride board? not freestyle? as for length, its a piece of wood, composites and whatever else, its made to take stresses of rails, falls, all that stuf, your not gonna break it, i've had 6 boards in my short life and never broke one, de-laming, de-edging yeah. but thats from hitting shit. As for BURTON, corporate bullshit, I will never buy burton, Ronnin, Red, whatever, because there are a TON of innovative companies out there that are completely revolutionizing the industry while burton is gonna say hey, were gonna use 3 bolts instead of 4 because... (WHY!!!) ohh now were gonna use some kind of rail system because hey, our bindings suck so were gonna make our decks so they can only use our bindings? and people will buy into it just because its expensive and they tell us its really good and some douche bag named Sean says so. (i'f you've ever seen the terrain park safety video with him in it you know what i mean, and having to show the video to hundreds of kids over 2 months, believe me, you would HATE him too.) all in all, IN MY OPINION burton is way over priced, and when you think your getting a huge sale its really not, you think a $750 for $200 is a good deal, (And don't tell me it was proform, thats bullshit too, factory B line, didn't pass quality!) well how much did that board cost to make? whats the whole sale price? its so obvious that there marked up so incredibly high. it makes me sick, Last year I bought a ride DH i think MSRP is like $480 and I looked and looked and the lowest price i could find was like around $400 on ebay. Its like buying a prius, even though it costs $28,000 and you save a little money on gas, your paying an extremely high cost to save a little money on gas, (Image) basically what i'm saying is... I don't even know anymore... but just try something else! and support any board company other than burton... here we go again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHarrisburg Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 I DONT look for boards and service at the ARMY NAVY store.I look for boards in the small ski shops and get information about boards THEN go to ARMY NAVY LAST to see if they have what I learned about.= Hahahahaha go fuck yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toast21602 Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 Hahahahaha go fuck yourself. c'mon man, thats a bit harsh. but yeah, i agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santa Clauss Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 yeah thats right, nick, why don't you explain to me why burton is so great and why a $750 board can go on sale for $200? why 3 bolts are better than 4 and why a rail down your board is such a great idea other than making sure people have to buy your bindings too? has anyone else seen the video i was talking about? As for service from ski shops? yeah I can't see any benefit from buying from the store other than getting it now and trying it on and seeing it in person but you can get some good advice, but it may not always be that good and may be just to sell whatever makes the salesman the most money, my 32 TM 2's broke a week after I bought them, Ski corner almost made me pay to send them back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHarrisburg Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 c'mon man, thats a bit harsh. but yeah, i agree. Nope. If this guy is for real I've read more than enough bullshit in the two threads he's started to know that he's King Douchebag who knows nothing and is severely offended when you call him on it. Anyone who willingly wastes shop employee's time only to take their newfound knowledge to an ARMY NAVY so they can think they're saving money is a douche. The best part about this whole debacle is that if this guy would actually take time out to talk to a decent salesperson they'd probably end up with a better board for less money. Oh well. P.S. Santa doesn't know what he's talking about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santa Clauss Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 (edited) Yeah, your probably right... but seriously, i really don't like burton. Edited November 6, 2008 by Santa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick malozzi Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 yeah thats right, nick, why don't you explain to me why burton is so great and why a $750 board can go on sale for $200? why 3 bolts are better than 4 and why a rail down your board is such a great idea other than making sure people have to buy your bindings too? has anyone else seen the video i was talking about? As for service from ski shops? yeah I can't see any benefit from buying from the store other than getting it now and trying it on and seeing it in person but you can get some good advice, but it may not always be that good and may be just to sell whatever makes the salesman the most money, my 32 TM 2's broke a week after I bought them, Ski corner almost made me pay to send them back. i'm not going to have this battle, everyone has their preferences. i agree that there is a HUGE mark up. that is a given. all i was getting at was that somebody (not me) is going to come in here and defend Burton to the teeth and in a week all we are going to come to is "Well we can agree to disagree". I happen to ride a Burton, and I've been very happy with it that is all I have to say on the subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schif Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 Burton makes some great stuff. I'm still riding on an 8 year old Burton. I've since gotten non burton boards, but this old girl is still kicking the few times a year i pull her out. On the same token, the worst pair of bindings I've ever owned were Burton's. Lets not worry what each other is sliding down the hill on. As long as we all start at the top and get to the bottom we should all be friends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaldon Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 Vote Dharrisburg 08 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santa Clauss Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 hey, I was simply voicing my opinion, I'm passionate when it comes to my ideals. i'll sum up all my ranting to this, burton is a name, big one, uses tactics like the rail system binding thing, 3 bolt binding to suck you in to buy there other stuf, personally, i'm against tactics like in any industry, i don't care what you buy, but i see some people that literally look like a burton bill board, everything they rock is from burton, that kind of close mindedness, thinking there the best, buying all there shit, go ahead, keep feeding the fire and buy over priced items... whatever i really don't feel like typn anymore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaldon Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 hey, I was simply voicing my opinion, I'm passionate when it comes to my ideals. i'll sum up all my ranting to this, burton is a name, big one, uses tactics like the rail system binding thing, 3 bolt binding to suck you in to buy there other stuf, personally, i'm against tactics like in any industry, i don't care what you buy, but i see some people that literally look like a burton bill board, everything they rock is from burton, that kind of close mindedness, thinking there the best, buying all there shit, go ahead, keep feeding the fire and buy over priced items... whatever i really don't feel like typn anymore im still not quit sure why you hate Burton maybe if you say it again ill get it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick malozzi Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 Vote Dharrisburg 08 couple days late on that one friend. maybe '12 though! i mean i'd vote for him, but only on the condition that his platform is based around putting a law in affect that all must grow mustaches. imagine the campaign sign potential there, i mean seriously! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
method9455 Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 hey, I was simply voicing my opinion, I'm passionate when it comes to my ideals. i'll sum up all my ranting to this, burton is a name, big one, uses tactics like the rail system binding thing, 3 bolt binding to suck you in to buy there other stuf, personally, i'm against tactics like in any industry, i don't care what you buy, but i see some people that literally look like a burton bill board, everything they rock is from burton, that kind of close mindedness, thinking there the best, buying all there shit, go ahead, keep feeding the fire and buy over priced items... whatever i really don't feel like typn anymore Yea we just went through this in another thread. I agree with you on some stuff, but just as a side note, you will never find a Burton board marked off $200 for a $750 board, those boards are always brands people don't know. Burton stuff you throw on Ebay in april and people snap it up for 25% off like a bunch of suckers, while the good boards get 50% off stickers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert2 Posted November 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 (edited) Nope. If this guy is for real I've read more than enough bullshit in the two threads he's started to know that he's King Douchebag who knows nothing and is severely offended when you call him on it. Anyone who willingly wastes shop employee's time only to take their newfound knowledge to an ARMY NAVY so they can think they're saving money is a douche. The best part about this whole debacle is that if this guy would actually take time out to talk to a decent salesperson they'd probably end up with a better board for less money. Oh well. P.S. Santa doesn't know what he's talking about Yea... I'm king Douchebag because my local shop owner has 12 boards in his shop so when I walk in he must sell me one of the 2 boards he has in my size...and they are only his $500 and $700 boards... ... and those boards have graphics shit on them I would never display to the public. I'm a grandparent and I have bought thousands of dollars of bikes, kayaks, rock climbing harnesses, snowboards, boots, bindings, skis...... all from my local sports shops and last month I paid more for 3 shirts...padagonia base layers , capilene 4, $255 at this local shop then I paid for the snowboard so don't think you can ever accuse me of dicking a local store out of a snowboard sale when I support my local shops big time. Yea... I'm the king Doughebag because I take a bus 30 miles away to "the big town with the malls" to see what they have to offer in their ski shops and the last place I look is the ARMY NAVY store that sold me 2 kayaks for the price I would have paid for one kayak at Cabellos. So yea... I have a history of finding deals at the ARMY NAVY store after shopping around all the others. Whats wrong with that? I'd still like to find out what board, by any manufacturer, is designed for 220 pound adults riding hardpack. Why do you think we come here? To get input about gear so whats with all the bullshit? I can't believe a damn thing I hear from sales people if a year later they can sell a $400 board for $200. 90 percent of the kids and parents who buy snowboards would easily have paid the $400 price tag and never have known dick about it being last years board without the store setting those boards at half price. How can they do that if the boards didn't cost them less than $200 wholesale? They didn't lose any money on me buying this board for $200. Edited November 7, 2008 by Robert2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mixilplix Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 If you're into just cruising/carving hard pack check out an alpine board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert2 Posted November 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 If you're into just cruising/carving hard pack check out an alpine board. OK... can you be just a little more specific? WHO's alpine board would you recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toast21602 Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 OK... can you be just a little more specific?WHO's alpine board would you recommend? Burton, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHarrisburg Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 I'm a grandparent I take a bus 30 miles away to "the big town with the malls" Oh. Oh and if you spend $225 on base layers then you need to stop worrying about how much money you're going to save by going to Army Navy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert2 Posted November 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 Oh. Oh and if you spend $225 on base layers then you need to stop worrying about how much money you're going to save by going to Army Navy. When you stand at the edge of the abyss ready to go downhill in 8 degree air temperature with howling wind pushing UPHILL and the ground up hardpack ice tick tick ticking away like a sandblaster louder than your MP3 player on your goggles you have to dress like astronaut with no skin exposed and your mouth and nose covered so don't breath any of that cold air. Wind chills at 20 below zero can crack your teeth when you munch a granola bar. My water bottles always have frozen if I don't finish them by the end of the day and I carry them in inside pockets. The warm clothes are the only thing that keeps you alive in February so if you don't buy now you will freeze later. You can't wear cotton fleece, flannel, or long underwear with cotton jeans and sweat shitless for 3 hours snowboarding. As soon as cotton gets wet it freezes. So... yes... I spent $1000 on clothes this year but those clothes will last ten years........ unless they grow feet and my kids snarf them for Midnight Madness at BB . Learn to dress for it and you can be drenched in sweat but still be warm. Same thing with rain. All the warm clothes for cold will also keep you comfortable in drenching rain. I wear the same clothes for kayaking as I do for snowboarding. I've been on a lake every day for 6 months and I don't have a tan because I wore long sleeve capilene and gloves so I never got any sunburn. Spending $255 on that capilene for 3 shirts is a lifetime investment. Capilene is guaranteed for LIFE. If it rips you send it back to Padagonia and they replace it for free. So $85 a shirt that gets worn every day forever isn't such a bad deal now is it? As far as worrying about buying a cheap board goes, its simple. I know for a fact that I can ride a $200 so I spend $200. So when prices sore into $800 I step back and ask why should I pay that much for a board. What makes that board so special.... a name ? So if I can find a board that once cost $400 or $700 or more then why shouldn't I pay just $200 for it? I already support my local businesses buying the clothes so its never an issue of dicking a local business out of profits that keep them in business. So this year I figured I would try to find a good board made by a good company instead of just finding the right size and color board. The choice of Burton was only because they were supposed make good boards. Doing real research is impossible. Burton's web site keeps saying a COME BACK LATER message now. Store clerks are a crap shoot. My local store has very limited choice. So I figure I'd play in forums for a while and get some input from riders instead of sales people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
method9455 Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 (edited) Fyi stores are losing money when they sell last years stuff. The margin on board varies from 20 to 40 percent but never 50. So selling them for 50% off is a bad thing, but the alternative is never selling them. Either way you are writing off the loss it is a matter of freeing up cash that is stuck in depreciating inventory. People see it as a sign the boards are over prices to begin with but it is just what you have todo to survive. Look at Princeton ski shop closing as an example of what happens if you buy too much and have to keep dumping it at a loss. Just clarifying that point Edited November 7, 2008 by Method9455 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHarrisburg Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 Well guys I guess I better just get out of this thread, I mean, when it comes to gearing up for the absolute tundra that Pennsylvania is during the winter it is blatantly apparent that I am a complete noob and obviously I need to do some research on Patagonia's new space age materials that will never degrade, rip, or otherwise fall apart during my lifetime. Everyone knows that doing research on the internet is a complete impossibility and obviously the only factor that comes into play with snowboards that cost more than $200 is purely name brand recognition and has nothing to do with construction quality, materials, or technology. I guess you could call me a "gaper" if you wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick malozzi Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 Well guys I guess I better just get out of this thread, I mean, when it comes to gearing up for the absolute tundra that Pennsylvania is during the winter it is blatantly apparent that I am a complete noob and obviously I need to do some research on Patagonia's new space age materials that will never degrade, rip, or otherwise fall apart during my lifetime. Everyone knows that doing research on the internet is a complete impossibility and obviously the only factor that comes into play with snowboards that cost more than $200 is purely name brand recognition and has nothing to do with construction quality, materials, or technology. I guess you could call me a "gaper" if you wanted. Gaper. Sorry you sorta asked me to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ectobar Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 When you stand at the edge of the abyss ready to go downhill in 8 degree air temperaturewith howling wind pushing UPHILL and the ground up hardpack ice tick tick ticking away like a sandblaster louder than your MP3 player on your goggles you have to dress like astronaut with no skin exposed and your mouth and nose covered so don't breath any of that cold air. Wind chills at 20 below zero can crack your teeth when you munch a granola bar. My water bottles always have frozen if I don't finish them by the end of the day and I carry them in inside pockets. Did anyone else hear Don LaFontaine's voice in their head while reading that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.