Snowboard recommendations

[holliscx]

Hey, so, lifetime skier here. I was born in Virginia where I learned to ski at Wintergreen. I was on a junior ski team and we used to take bus day trips from Virginia Beach at the crack of dawn. I moved to Georgia and my brother and I were Nastar rats. We skied out west and were the top-ranked Nastar racers for our ages. We used to take the last lift up at Steamboat. We'd take our skis off and have a long Coke and Snickers break then race each other to the bottom. As we could see the last trickle of skiers towards the base we otherwise had the mountain to our own for that last run. Fast forward and at some point I met my brother and some friends of his from Japan at Whistler. I rented a snowboard and started out with a girl who was advanced intermediate. I was falling right and left, how those first falls go to your butt but you feel it in your head, so I told her to leave me alone and we met 4 hours later. I took the Gondola or chair to the top of the mountain and we were both shocked that I was better than she was. I could snowboard the whole mountain top to bottom. It made no difference what the terrain was. I told my brother that I would never ski again which has been mostly true. After this apart from two mind blowing trips to Niseko, Japan I haven't skied or snowboarded that much but now I'm passing the sports on to my kids. If there's little snow, I rent skis. My kids are almost 11 and 13, so they need my help less and less. My son and I just got back from Andorra this weekend so he could try snowboarding for the first time. Like his old man, it took my son 4 hours and we took the chair to the top and started exploring. Yesterday I slipped coming off a steep, icy lift ramp. My board slid out from under me and my fixed right foot (I ride goofy) in the binding was planted in the snow. My son rode into me torquing my ankle awkwardly with his body weight. I had to call it a day and rode the lift down with ski patrol using the girl's ski poles like crutches so I could hop off the mountain.

I'm writing because I have this sensation when I snowboard that I just don't get skiing. I've only surfed once standing up on a friend's longboard in Dewey Beach, Delaware but there's this flow to snowboarding that I love. To me it's about the fun factor plus snowboard boots are like bedroom slippers and I've never liked ski boots. I probably only have about 10 days on a snowboard yet I feel almost as good as I am a skier. I still struggle with things like carrying speed (I can't tuck like I would on skis), lift shenanigans with one foot unstrapped, bottoming out and anticipating terrain, plus strapping in and out, just all the minor details. I also learned this weekend that I'm confident skiing early morning crust conditions on steep runs. But when I'm coming down the mountain carving turns I feel great. We're only getting out for about 6 days a year. One 4 day trip plus a weekend. That's not a lot of skiing but I was considering buying my own board, boots, and bindings. This being VSalon the consensus will probably go away from what I was thinking and the recommendation will be to just rent. But if anyone thinks I would be wise to buy what do you recommend? I'm thinking what's the CAAD of snowboarding? Honestly I've been happy with everything I've rented so I'm sure something midrange will be fine. Or maybe it's wiser to keep renting. As I said I ski for my kids now but we've probably got a decade until they leave me in the dust and I'll probably hang it up then as my wife doesn't ski or board so I don't think I'll continue after my kids are gone.

Anyone know any good deals? Or is 6 days a year better to just rent?

[Tom]

I have no current info but my second board is a good Burton GS model I got second hand 15 years ago, hard boots. I never ride the soft boot board any more though I still have it. I still ski, I've done that since I was five and each has its time and place but I'm with you. Pulling Gs going wall to wall on what is basically water injected ice, aka pretty much every day conditions in the east, is almost too much fun to be legal. Looking down a virtually empty run at Whiteface and getting to carve full turns unabated is the best.

[holliscx]

I also learned this weekend that I'm confident skiing early morning crust conditions on steep runs.

This was a typo, that should read: I also learned this weekend that I'm not confident skiing early morning crusty conditions on steep runs.

My son and I were snowboarding crusty steeps and I had low confidence initiating turns on my board. I've mostly snowboarded in powder which is a dream but turning on icy steep terrain was a challenge for me. I also don't feel comfortable or have a strong desire to carry a lot of speed on a snowboard but I'm fine with that. I basically am always turning on my snowboard but that's what I love about it. It's flowy af and I love how a snowboard pushes heavy snow around. The conditions in Andorra this past weekend were awful yet my son and I had a blast. I would've hated it on skis.

I grew up skiing some at Stowe and Loon, so I paid my dues in the harsh northeast.

[vertical_doug]

I'm a bit of the opposite of you, I skied young, switch to boarding all through the 90's in Japan, went back to skiing when my daughters started skiing in 1998. I still board but strictly off piste because I prefer the board in pow. I prefer my skis for the chairlifts.

I don't use step on, and still use the Burton Ruler boot and bindings. I have a Burton Custom and Supermodels in the basement.

I like the Custom because it has normal camber and is bi-directional. It is not a one quiver board but pretty close. It sounds like you want to play a little on the board, because that is what your children will probably be doing unless they become park rats. I think the custom is pretty easy and playful with enough pop.

As a note- I think people often mistake the speed at which you can go from beginner to carving a half-decent S turn is indicative a boarding. That's easy and progression is faster than skiing. However, that is generally where you stop. Progressing beyond that is more painful on a board from my experience than skis.

But ultimately, it doesn't really matter because you can wreck yourself skiing or snowboarding, just in different ways. (I've been to the ER on my board and on my skis.)

I just think pow on a board is much more accessible for most people than on skis.
It's a riot.

[holliscx]

I just think pow on a board is much more accessible for most people than on skis.
It's a riot.

This. Have you boarded Niseko? Hands down best skiing or snowboarding in the world. Legendary pow-pow and a bowl of slopeside ramen only the Japanese can do that well.

GS / hard boot and Burton Custom. I have no idea what these are.

[Tom]

We went to Steamboat Springs once for a week and I brought only the GS/hard boot rig. I was concerned I brought the wrong gear at first. I was wrong. I had a blast everywhere and you're right, in the powder it was sublime.

[VertigoCycles]

My last snowboard purchases were nearly 20 years ago but I love them, the edges are still intact and they have no core shots so I have no reason to "upgrade". My main board is a Burton T6 which is probably closest to a Custom X aside from the camber. For me, it's about as close to a quiver killer as I can imagine. It's great in all conditions but I move the bindings back in deep powder so I don't have to stand on my back leg OR I take my Fish. If you like that loose "surfy" feel, the Fish in powder is a hoot. It's a one-trick pony though and is NOT fun on stiff snow

[robin3mj]

Nothing to add but I grew up skiing in NJ and snowboarded a bit during college where we had Massanutten nearby. Have you seen the Gentem boards? They’re Japanese and seem super flowy- not sure if they mesh with the type of snow you encounter.

https://www.gentemstick.com/

[vertical_doug]

Himalayas Spring 1998



Hakuba Norikuri Dake






Niseko, Ryutsutsu, Tenjin, Hakuba, Manza, Arai, Appi

Pretty much hit a lot of the stuff.
Powder is good at Niseko, but terrain is a bit lacking.

I think $ value the best spot to board in Japan is Tenjindaira (Tanigawadake) which is an easy Bullet Train ride out of Tokyo.
We'd catch the first train out, have two Suzuki Jimny stashed at the station and be on the mountain for first chair. The resort is crappy, but the Gondola up to the base of the lodge, than lift to the ridge. You have some of the best hike out, backcountry stashes on the planet. The burton pros all rode there in the 90's.. It was epic time in history.

Jeremy Jones did an episode in his movie Further in Hakuba. They play it up a bit, and get a bit overly dramatic, but it is a cool area of the mountain.


Here's the same area in the chutes from 7 days ago. I don't know why the guy paniced and stopped.




I think Hakuba has the best terrain in general, but because of climate change, the season is getting shorter and shorter.
You really want to hit the 4 week stretch from last two weeks of Jan to first 2 weeks of Feb.

[holliscx]

I saw this Spanish dude on Saturday who looked straight out of a Warren Miller movie: skis and boots, jorts, and a mullet.