The worst is falling off a rail and having your board catch on one of the vertical things holding the rail up...you get whipped around like a mofo and it HURTS.

Bump.
I'm going snowboarding in 7 weeks.
Can somebody please recommend a good beginner/intermediate board?
I'm thinking of buying a Burton bullet.

Can you give your height/weight/budget? What kind of terrain do you ride?

Mammoth and Bear are already getting snow, I'm so excited.

My budget is ~ $500-$600 for board and bindings.
Height: 6' 0"
Weight: 170
I'm really only slightly above beginner level, so will be sticking to the piste, I might try some small jumps if I'm feeling brave.

As of right now, I don't think I'll ever buy another Burton board...but I love their boots and bindings. I do think you should try and get your boots/bindings from the same manufacturer since they're designed around one another.

The Bullet is ok if you have really big feet, but a narrower board will be a lot more nimble...what size boots do you wear?

nice bump!

since I'm looking for a place in Tahoe again, never ended up going last year

anybody have any opinion wrt to staying in a town (Tahoe City) vs staying at a place on the mountain?

obv staying in town has the advantages of places to eat, bars, etc, but you need to deal with getting to the mountain

is there an option somewhere in between? we'll be skiing Squaw/Alpine, group of 8 ish guys

I am US size 11/UK 10

moved back from colorado where i spent last winter to minnesota for school.

bad news is i dont get to ski every week

good news is i can go somewhere outside of colorado and not feel bad.

like Tahoe!!

OK, I bought my first snowboard today, am really tired of crappy rentals.
I went for Burton Clash (158) with Burton Custom bindings, feels pretty sweet.
6 weeks and counting til I get to use it.

i got last years model of burton custom and some burton bindings and boots. i am new to snowboarding so i just took my friends advice. we went out to breckenridge and had a good time. there was only one run open on sunday and it was crowded. also, i am so out of shape!!

I ended up buying everything last year, but I'm not really happy with anything other than the pads and bindings

I bought the board brand new for $150, so I guess I can't complain since it's SOOOO much better than the rentals. Burton Seven, but I think I got it a little too big. I'm 6'0, 160lbs and it's a 158. I just threw the board in storage without cleaning/waxing it, so who knows what it looks like when it comes out. I really want to try a Banana.

I bought the boots before I even went snowboarding... I think they are some ****ty Big 5 brand. They actually worked awesome the first couple of trips, but now they are packed in and as soon as I start going down the mountain they are too loose. Definitely need to get a new pair.

I tried on the K2 Raider boots with the BOA system. Super easy to get in and out fast and get the boots as tight as I like. The boot was super stiff as well, which I thought would be a good thing... but I keep reading online that stiff boots are for experts. Anyone have thoughts on the K2 Raider, BOA system, or stiffness for beginners?

I dunno, the K2 system seems like a gimmick to me. They tend to jump on new tech really fast and so far it hasn't really worked out for them. You can get a great setup without spending a ton of money, so don't feel compelled to buy the most expensive stuff you can afford...maybe check out the Burton Hail or Freestyle.

As for the soft boot vs stiff boot thing, I don't think either is really for beginners or advanced riders. Snowboard equipment is cool like that; it isn't application or skill-level specific for the most part. Buy gear that fits well, is comfy, and is durable so you can get several seasons of riding out of it.

It's not K2's system, a lot of companies have the BOA system on their boots. BOA = super fast, easy and gets tight. I just want to know if there's any problems with them when you're actually on the mountain.

I can't get my laced boots as tight as I want them. I've tried Burton's speed zone lacing system and that sucked. Salomon's boots were too wide.

Won't be able to ski much this year with starting of the real world. Hit Deer Valley, Park City, Alta, Durango, Telluride, Mont Tremblant and Taos last year. Oh and skied this summer in Dubai. This thread is going to make me very sad when I am in the office right after Christmas and my family is at our new place on the mountain at Durango.

Can't believe no Banff pics...Sunshine FTW!!

absolutely terrible start to the season in BC it's so warm here that it's gonna be a late start. The last 2 years have been sick good some of the best ever but not looking good this year. Looking at a lot of mountains forecast for the next week it's just rain or snow/rain at night and rain in the day to wash away what little snow might accumulate

Really? I love my Burton's and have never had issues with getting them tight enough in the right places. You have to break them in just like any other pair of shoes or whatever, so once you get a few days of riding in them you can get them tighter than they are right out of the box.

I have a cabin on the 5th and North Star isn't even opened. dkfjakdlfjaldkfj

They were supposed to open last weekend, moved it back to tomorrow, and now moved the date to Friday. However, they are expecting 0" of snow within the next 2 weeks. I sure hope they create tons of snow on their own soon.

a lot of the places in the northeast are open or are opening very soon, much better than last year (about a month from now they opened)

**** COLORADO SNOW ALREADY YOU *******

So we hit about 20" of fresh snow at Keystone today, then we left at 1 PM and got home to Golden at 6:40 PM

We sat in traffic in Dillon for over 2 hours before even hitting the onramp. This is a distance of about 4 blocks.
...
It was worth it.

Still no snow for the next week. They are expecting a huge storm next Weds that will continue to snow for days. PLZ 2 LET IT B TRU!

Any board recommendations? I use my brother in laws old one right now and I think it has finally bit the dust.

I am 6'4", 165ish and wear size 13 Forum boots (they seem to have a relatively small profile too, for a 13 boot). I am a casual snowboarder and just like to freeride

Every year at about this time my grades drop terribly because all I can do is watch ski movies, constantly dream of skiing, etc.

Going to aspen for a week with college friend on Jan 4, will be skiing Ajax(where our place is), and highlands, maybe snowmass I don't know. Anyways, it's snowing and I'm pumped. If anyone else is a very good skiier/snowboarder and will be there I'd love to take a few runs. I ski mostly BC/trees/pow, but do mix everything in including park. Will also be drinking at night. Will have TR.

Also, does anyone know a good aspen demo shop? I love my skis now, but they are a few years old, getting kind of beat up since I ski a bunch, and am looking for something a little fatter. Was thinking of trying line prophet 100s, volkl bridges, dynastar big troubles, head mojo 94s. Have never demoed skis/boots/anything, and may just stick to my skis if there's not a ton of snow, but where can I demo these around Ajax?