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Since i posted it here, you're free of course to use it however you like Hell you can even change the title to SJ-David's guide if you want. Still, there's three more sections to go and that's a long time for it to go from useful--->useless! And I would love to turn it into a blog schnee, but there's MUCH better and more detailed info out there. What the world probably needs less of, is people like me telling you 'how it is'. The aim was really to take what I'd learned and try and smash it all together into one big chunk to create one small thesis that paints a big holistic picture

No message at all. It just doesn't seem to allow the option to edit my previous posts in the thread. I just assumed there must be some kind of time limit before posts are no longer alterable. It's no bother, but would obviously prefer to have the info in one place instead of scattered around the thread

moved to the front page

part 1: Types of deck is now finished. Added some outlines on freestyle/freeride distinctions and went off on one a bit talking about the freeride sticks Ah well, relatively speaking they covered about the same amount of text as the freestyle sticks.

I still think the best deck to learn technique on is camber. Im 100% on this... well, 85% The other 15% says "but if all camber boards vanish and no one rides them again, what the hell was the point of learning how to draw pin like carves in the snow?" I still think the best snowboard for a beginner is: the right recommended size for your weight. CAMBER soft-medium flex (4.5ish even though we know that flex ratings are as bizarre as everything else in snowboarding) Low maintenance Twin relatively cheap (just in case) and with good resale value After your first year o

Actually, you have convinced me that maybe i need to link them though. I think it doesnt diminish the point if i bracketed the jib/park/all resort/all mtn freestyle under the general category of Freestyle. It would also then make sense to throw the next category up to be the big kicker/pipe/backcountry freestyle sticks up next just to complete it. This poses a huge issue though for freeride, because i really wonder with c2, camrock, r+c, and even TBT, how hybrid cambers can really be called freeride sticks... but now im confusing myself! Back to simplifying. Most of C2 is going in

I think one of the things ive found in my travels in snowboard research is that theres so much information, often contradictory, and so much variation in riders (from things like weight, to stance, to style) that it feels like you cant grasp onto anything solid. Sometimes, and i guess the purpose of this guide, is to smooth over the vast complexity, just to generalise a bit and let the new person pull at least something meaningful from what is to them, a wall of sound. I actually love your post, (i wish youd give me recommendations though ) because a lot of what you talk about (particular

yupyup, but this isnt the details, its just saying what im going to work on tomorrow. The bits ive reseved are for things like flex, sizing, board shape, and bases (though technically im not sure what else i should really add about flex given that ive pretty much dumped the general flex in the quick details, other than maybe torsional flex and how that effects certain choices, particularly for women's boards). id like to also mention sidecuts and cores, but i feel that might be a bit overboard in details for a new person. Maybe ill mention things like magnatraction and vario though sinc

yeah, its a bit of a stretch, but next three are: 1. Freeride all mountain rippers (i wanted to really make the all mountain freeride/all resort freestyle distinct). Was thinking of things like the titan, the t-rice/lando, the anthem, and of course the BlackSnowboardOfDeath and the midlife. Basically, your classic freeride directional chargers. 2. Pipe and big kicker decks. (this is the stretch because well, it kinda overlaps, but wanted to make a bit of a distinction between freeride sticks and directional twin type heavier duty freestyle sticks. I could throw this section into fre

think 4 should do it Oh! and if people want to add other recommendations, or want to correct mine, i'd really appreciate that. i know my capita, bataleon, and never summer lines, i have a vague knowlegde of burtons line, but ride, rome, nitro, mervin, smoking, yes, elan, k2, jj et al are all pretty much off my radar.

STEP 4: THE BASE There are effectively two types of base, and although you don't need to know how they're made I'll tell ya!: Extruded Base: Capita Stairmaster [Tech]Extruded bases are made via a rapid process of melting polyethelene and then squeezing it out a press creating a thin film which is attached to the base of your deck.[/Tech] Because of the speed of the process the molecules don't fuse and bind so well, so although it is cheaper (and quicker) to make on a massive scale, the result is less impact resistance, less water resistance, and finally, extruded

Quote: Pre-JARGON WATCH: Edge and EFFECTIVE edge the edge is the side of your deck. The effective edge is how much of that edge actually makes contact with the snow while you're riding on your edge. Washing: When riding on your edge, your board can slide out under your weight. So if youre on your heel edge, youll fall on your ass, and if you're on your front edge, it'll be on your face. You will usually fall uphill so it's not so bad. Its counterpart though is... Catching an edge: When you are riding semi flat (with the base of the board on the snow rather than your edge), or shifting your w

So I got a bit of time to kill at work today and tomorrow, and I remember from my own experience 2 years ago trying to find this advice and struggling. So here's a very basic and GENERAL guide on what you want to do: Things to note before i start all this: 1. I have 3 whole whopping years of riding experience. This is not enough to even remotely offer an authority on the decks I've ridden, let ALONE, the decks I've never sniffed. Lucky for you then, I spent a lot of time listening to other people and learning from their experience. Still, it means this guide is not even remotel

Just found out that i accidentally ordered the 164 charlie slasher instead of the 158 (great vid that sums it up from last year - this years comes with sintered base instead of extruded) Basically this means the pow has just become top priority Was thinking the 158 slasher was kinda mellow-big pow days and the quiver killer for days when i cant be assed riding the slasher. The 164 just screwed that formula up, so now its the slasher for proper pow days, the quiver killer for all mountain days, and the sierrascope for hangover days Just need the horrorscope and i have my

Jesus wept, i reckon my trips costiong twice as much and im only coming from korea and budgeting it all the way! Nice deal man.

*fffttffffftffffftttttt... *prrrrrrrrp** And yeah, its looking like furano has come out the winner after creeks complete (and right and true) destruction of kamui as a serious basing option... well, asahikawa Furano, then dot about a bit i reckons. So now we come to cheap and cheerful budget accommodation questions. Where can one find a good variety of after dinner cheese that wont break ones 3500 per night budget? (cheese optional).

Just out of nothing but idle curiosity inspired by the nozawa thread im just curious how much youre happy paying on AVERAGE. I know we'll all sometimes go mental, and other times kip on peoples floors, but just wondering what you usually consider par for the course levels of accommodation. Me, im a budget backpackers guy - 3000 yen per night if i can sneak it, 4000 if im caught unawares and 5000 if im desperate. But outside that, id honestly rather get back on the train and go home.

It was nice in that i got to see zao, nozawa and niseko in one season (but arguably spent way more time at hakuba than i intended - inertia and all that). Would have honestly loved a couple more days at nozawa, and probably needed a couple more days at zao because my day 1 experience was miserable. It needed more time to exorcise that demon. All in though, when i sat at niseko (and only had 3.5 days left before i had to JR back to fukuoka - epic travel mission), i relaised id made a daft mistake

tcha is a noise, kinda like pshaw or aii-shya! (or aii-go in korean). And probably heading there sometime around the end of january i reckons. Not restricted by needing to cram it all into my three week jr pass this time so can be a little more leisurely about it.

haha, i reckon after you said that im reconsidering Probably gonna have to base at furano eh and do a couple of days a week at kamui. Tcha, such a pain in the nads this one

Star wars my man. Hokk = hoth. Plus, hokk sounds weird, and im somewhat lazy so hokkaido is an ordeal to type. Hence, hoth it is! ... What? You asked!

alas, being british, i never felt the urge or need to drive I er, cant /blush Im a 35 year old man who cant drive in the modern world! Im also carrying not one, not two, but three snowboards around. And im glad youve confirmed my suspicion on kamui. It really does seem like a three day max type place. Ill also be on my own which is going to make it lose some of it luster. Ah, why do i bother?

I think tomamu is off the radar as soon as i saw where it was. Its just a teensy bit far. Last year i did all the travelling thing, and this year i really want to sit and chill at 1 maybe 2 resorts that are pretty much within easy reach of each other. I dunno why, but tomamu just feels like its a tiny bit of a borderline mission. and as soon as i start, my brain immediately thinks "well since im doing that, i might as well also..." So far, number 1 looks like kamui and number 2 furano. Kamui for pow and trees, and furano for more amenities/terrain. Not quite sure how to balance them. Ma

How is tomamu? right now it feels like a coin toss between kamui and furano. Asahidake sounds kinda lame judging by the reviews, but never really thought about tomamu. Ill check out some reviews but anything you can add would be nice ETA: Forgot to say thanks creek for the info. Sounds good, youre half way to selling me it. Looking at the location of tomamu the evil demon voice in my head said, "hell, if im that close to sapporo i might as well go to niseko!" I'll be honest, the idea of just cruising up and down the walls outside the gates made me love niseko, but this time im determined

Got a nice quick answer from the Tourist guys at furano. Thanks dude if youre reading this. Heres what they said: It is nice to hear that you are coming to Central Hokkaido to ski/board for 3 weeks or so. There isn't a season pass that covers all the resorts. There is however a multi resort pass. 5 to 7 day Furano lift ticket will give you the option to ski either Kamui or Tomamu. 8 day+ lift ticket will allow you to ski both Kamui and Tomamu. There are shuttle buses from Furano to Kamui and Tomamu on certain days of the week. Furano season pass is 56,000 yen Kamui se