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Brief intro + NEWB question regarding Snowboards.


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I'd just like to say: Hi guys! I'm new here!

I am officially a snowboarder. I've been once, last year (in Canberra) for a week. I'm a guy btw.

I am, by origin, a surfer. I live on the beach on the Gold Coast, and I surf a lot.

Also an interesting fact is that: I am half Japanese (other half Aussie) and I have lived in Japan for 9 years total. I can speak Jap fluently etc.

 

Anyhow. Me and a friend are going snowboarding in Niseko (staying in Hirafu) this Dec or Jan.

If I were to purchase a snowboard what size would I be looking at?

I am 183cm tall and weigh 65kg shoe size 9~10. I can ride ok. Last time, I picked it up pretty good and stuff.

 

So what sizes should I be looking at? And brands? etc?

I really don't know much about snowboards so... yeah it would be a great help.

 

Thanks again.

 

Also: I will be getting into Snowboarding more and more each year. Hopefully going on a working holiday once a year to Hokkaido. I go to uni btw, so I have limited money and time.

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Hello and welcome. I have a few things to offer:

 

1. Sailor-Boy is a terrible thing to call yourself. Consider an early change.

 

2. If you think you have limit time as a Uni student, you may as well die now, cause the future is horrible.

 

3. Don't get too worried up in what board you buy, just get a second hand one you can afford and that comes up to your nose.

 

4. Pay more attention to the boots that you buy. Don't get absolute junk just to save cash. Buy the boots that suit your feet. Any major brand will do, just go and try heaps of them on.

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 Quote:
Originally posted by le spud:
Don't get too worried up in what board you buy, just get a second hand one you can afford and that comes up to your nose.
So I shouldn't even worry about the width? at all?
So it wouldn't make a difference?
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 Quote:
So I shouldn't even worry about the width? at all?
So it wouldn't make a difference?
No, not really, unless you have very big or very small feet, which you don’t. Widths vary by millimetres and the delta is a small percentage of the waist width and board surface area anyway: 24.8mm or 25.2mm... all the same really unless you are planning to get technical and are looking for a single board designed to perform a certain way under specific conditions. Wide boards are more stable at high speed and vaguely harder to turn than a narrow board.

If you have only ridden once then get a soft flexing board - it will let you make small mistakes at higher speeds which would otherwise result in the back or front of your head being slammed into the ice with the force of a head-on car crash. A softer board can also be good for powder (Hokkaido).
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> 160-165cm sounds good

 

165 cm sounds perfect. 160 cm sounds too short.

 

I'm about the same proportions as you, though more ... muscular, and I happily rode a 169 cm board. You could do with something shorter as you're lighter.

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you could get away with as short as 156. I rode a 158 for my first 2 years and I'm 189cm 75kg.

 

shorter boards are easier to turn.You're going to hate a 165 unless you're in deep pow everyday, but then again since you're a beginner it won't be that much fun.(ie trying to get up after falling in powder, especially in a flat spot lol.gif )

 

that's why I highly recommend just renting boards. You could rent a different board a day and get to see which size feels best for you (there is no law that says 'you must ride this board'). Plus this you live on the gold coast you would only use it on trips (once or twice a year?). You also save the hassle of flying with it up to Japan, carrying it around, and buying a snowboard bag to carry it in.

If you want to buy something, get some decent boots. Don't order them by mail! Go to a shop and try on as many as you can and choose the ones that fit best. If you have no shops near you, you can wait for Japan but only if you have feet smaller than 27.5cm I guess. Maybe schedule a day in Tokyo when you arrive and go pick up boots in Kanda.

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