Which Snowboard??

jencar01

I’m thinking of buying my Boyfriend a snowboard for x-mas. He’s only gone once before and loved it and plans on doing it some time in the new year again. He plans on going every year now so I know it wouldn’t be a waste.

I’ve no clue about snowboarding and not sure what’s the best brand etc.My budget is 300 Euro. I had a look on the site below and the prices seem reasonable. But I’ve no idea which brand is good. The brand Wild Duck seems to be the cheapest, is this a good make? Also what size would you recommend?

Can anyone help me out on this one,

Cheers


http://www.bargainboards.co.uk/ProductList.aspx?Cat=1

JahEerie

There are HUNDREDS of snowboards to choose from.
When deciding on what's good from what's bad, its no harm to check some of the review sites / forums - www.snowboardreviews.com is a good independent one.

The actual board you choose will also depend on your fella
- What height is he?
- What weight?
- Shoe size? (Big feet = wider board)
etc, etc, etc...

There's actually a fair bit to it.

Another suggestion would be to contact Paul at Irish Snowboards (www.irishsnowboards.ie) - he's a helpful guy & does the best deals in this country that I know of.
Wild Duck wouldn't be one of the better brands, but for a beginner board
(at the right price) they could be grand.

Anyway, get as many suggestions/recommendations as ya can
- the best advice on what boards are best come from people who have ridden 'em themselves.

My personal recommendations would be for: Ride / Forum / Option / Morrow / Burton - but there are dozens more.

Hope ya get sorted,

JohnBoy

paddylonglegs

I did a season in Burton gear and it was solid. Can't remember the model of it though. Also, you may find good deals from OZ and New Zealand websites at the mo as its their off season for boarding. Might get done for shipping tho

Shad0r

JahEerie wrote:

There are HUNDREDS of snowboards to choose from.
When deciding on what's good from what's bad, its no harm to check some of the review sites / forums - www.snowboardreviews.com is a good independent one.

The actual board you choose will also depend on your fella
- What height is he?
- What weight?
- Shoe size? (Big feet = wider board)
etc, etc, etc...

There's actually a fair bit to it.

Another suggestion would be to contact Paul at Irish Snowboards (www.irishsnowboards.ie) - he's a helpful guy & does the best deals in this country that I know of.
Wild Duck wouldn't be one of the better brands, but for a beginner board
(at the right price) they could be grand.

Anyway, get as many suggestions/recommendations as ya can
- the best advice on what boards are best come from people who have ridden 'em themselves.

My personal recommendations would be for: Ride / Forum / Option / Morrow / Burton - but there are dozens more.

Hope ya get sorted,

JohnBoy

All of the above is rock solid advice. I've owned a Burton Custom and rented boards made by Palmer, Salomon, Head and have ridden on a Flow (I think!).

My favourite by miles was the Burton. That said they make probably the most expensive boards so that may not be an option.

A few additional things:
a) If the brand is not above, are they reputable? (Do they get good reviews anywhere on the net on review sites)
b) That link you posted have prices in sterling. You're going to get murdered on the conversion and probably there will be shipping tagged onto that too.
c) If you can find a board that is of "last seasons" design then you will usually get a much better price on it. I'm not talking about second hand here, it will never have been used but its just got last years art work on it.

jencar01

I’ve been looking on a good few sites now and I’ve come across a brand called Trans Ltd, does anyone know if these are good??

I’ve been a package deal for board, bindings and boots. For very cheap.

Can anyone help me out on this,

Thanks Guys

JahEerie

Just found this online:

Board features include:
WPB
SIDE WALL CONSTRUCTION
Wood core
ABS
Carbon Stingers
2 x 10 insert pattern

Looks pretty basic, but if the price is right?
To be honest, its a gamble buyin anythin ya haven't even seen in the flesh
- BUT ya could get lucky.

If your fella is gonna get more than a few weeks use out of it its probably worth it.
Then again, if ya think he's into it for the long haul I'd advise ya to go for a more recognisable name (with good reviews)

As my aul fella says: Ya get what ya pay for

Cheers

JohnBoy

da7a

beware of cheap gear, snow boarding equipment is not cheap, and you really do get what you pay for. alarm bells shoudl be ringing if you are getting a board and bindings for less than 500 euros. you will be wasting your money. You would be much better off to spend the money on the board and let him get the bindings and boots. (this will cost at least another 300-400 euros)

ok heres a few boards you could look at. you really need to get his height, weight and shoe size, you cant ride a board thats not designed for your particular size/weight. choosing a board is also really depends on his riding style and taste, i spent ages looking at boards last year until i finally decided on one i liked, one that suited me interms of its riding charcteristics and of course one that looks cool! Since hes only a beginner any of these board would be great.

Burton dominant, a great freestyle board, forgiving on landings, great fun to ride. almost bought one myself last year. its a bit out of your price tange at 379 but its a great board. its nice and wide too so it'll work a little better in powder than most freestyle boards. this would be my first choice.
http://www.blue-tomato.at:80/ProductDetailAction.bto?selectedNode=6TvtX6HkHw8TEBWgen8Aie-1

atomic hatchet, another great freestyle board similar to the dominant. A very popular board aswell. 350euros.
http://www.blue-tomato.at:80/ProductDetailAction.bto?selectedNode=jd1XauKo749SEBWgen8Aie-1

apo seed, nice all round board, good for beginers. apo do great boards. this one is 299. never riden this one but seems like it meets your criteria.
http://www.blue-tomato.at:80/ProductDetailAction.bto?selectedNode=swQA8wuFAE1SEBWgen8Aie-1

freestyle oriented boards are good for begginers becuase they are usuallly soft flexing which makes them forgiving and easy to ride.

the extra 50-80 euros actually does make a surprisingly big diffenerance in terms of the spec and technology gone into the burton and the atomic... the apo seed is a good board but its a bit low spec compared to the other two. it would still make a good beginner board, where as the other two would allow him to progess more before needing to buy another board.

if you want more options you could email blue-tomato or the hot-zone (http://www.hot-zone.tv/store/index.php) an tell them your storey, and budget. ive found them both very helpful in the past.

stay away from cheap crap, its a waste of money.

frodo_dcu

jencar01 wrote:

I’ve been looking on a good few sites now and I’ve come across a brand called Trans Ltd, does anyone know if these are good??

I’ve been a package deal for board, bindings and boots. For very cheap.

Can anyone help me out on this,

Thanks Guys

by sounds of this it sounds like you've found adien on irishsnowboarder.com trans boards are a rock solid first time board - i was involved in the the snow club in dcu for a long time and we have always recomended this package to first time buyers - you can't go wrong with them - the boards are good freeride boards with a nice light spring in them too - all need to find out is your guyd height and shoe size whoever you pick should be able to sort you out

paul over at irishsnowboards.com is also another great supplier that we have worked with

ps to paul looks like you've final got your site in order nice job

slappywagish

I'd urge major caution on using this guy. I got major burned by him. I tried to buy a SUP board off him and arranged with the guy Paul to meet him over the weekend. I even changed what day to meet him to suit him and told him i was going to be staying up there in order to pick it up. The little piece of crap wouldn't answer his phone on the day we were supposed to meet an then the cheeky asshole sent me a text an hour after we were scheduled to meet saying he couldn't make it and maybe we could do it another time. I cant even begin to describe how mad i was at this and he wouldn't even answer the phone after i received the text. AVOID THIS PLACE LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!!!!