Skiing/Boarding 13-14

PardonTheWait · 17 Nov 2013 at 00:49

I am apparently going to Val Thorens in January.

I think I need to go to the Snowdome and get them to teach me how to snowboard then!

Repta · 17 Nov 2013 at 02:20

lucky13 said:
Does anyone have any experiance of UCPA, my friends are not so interested in going so was thinking about booking a trip for myself.

Also has anyone skiied in Norway (near Oslo) as I am based in Gothenburg with work Mon-thurs so was thinking of planning a few weekend trips as apparently there is a bus service from Gothenburg to the resorts.

Ive skied Lillehammer, good skiing, nice range of slopes. Not sure how close to Olso it is though

robin7 · 17 Nov 2013 at 14:25

rjkoneill said:
Anyone have any board opinions?
Looking at the Ride buckwild or the Lib skate banana.
Doing jumps and stuff already so my Salomon eBay pro model is failing me a little, plus its too long for freestyle.

Opinions welcome.

I've got the 2013 skate banana, it's awesome!

Bought pretty small 156w size and it's buttery goodness

rjk · 18 Nov 2013 at 10:41

Weazle said:
Both look to be pretty good boards for park, if money was no limit then I would lean towards the Lib Tech.

Have a look at the Capita Horrorscope, Capita Outdoor Living, Capita Ultrafear, Stepchild Jibstick, Never Summer Evo or Nitro Rook. Models depends on if you want just a pure park board or something that is mainly park but can handle some all mountain.

The Nitro board and NS Evo look pretty decent tbh, Ideally I would love to demo them all and pick but its looking like the skate banana or the buckwild are going to be the favourites

Reason I am thinking the Buckwild would be better is that its still rocker profile so wouldnt be a big departure from what I have become used to.

I'm a little worried about going from a 163 all mountain cambered freeride board that I have now got used to down to a 159 jib/park rocker.

would the difference in profiles and flex even be that noticeable?
I get the impression that the Skate Bannana is going to me more playful over the Buckwild but not be as good at dealing with higher speeds.

robin7 said:
I've got the 2013 skate banana, it's awesome!

Bought pretty small 156w size and it's buttery goodness

I think 159 is the lowest end of what i could probably get away with in fairness, tough decisions.

Weazle · 18 Nov 2013 at 13:43

rjkoneill said:
Reason I am thinking the Buckwild would be better is that its still rocker profile so wouldnt be a big departure from what I have become used to.

I'm a little worried about going from a 163 all mountain cambered freeride board that I have now got used to down to a 159 jib/park rocker.

would the difference in profiles and flex even be that noticeable?
I get the impression that the Skate Bannana is going to me more playful over the Buckwild but not be as good at dealing with higher speeds.

It can be but it really depends on your riding style I guess, personally I prefer a mix of all-mountain and freestyle ... I've bought the Capita DOA which is meant out be for that purpose although I have yet to take it out for a ride. I also have a 3 year old Never Summer Evo that I got off the bay to practice park and done some kickers with it.

Its not so clear cut as "rocker" for park and "camber" for mountain these days as there's a lot of hybrid camber boards which are getting popular due to them being more multi-purpose. Don't judge a board just by its camber

, I would just read reviews and go to online shops like Trusnow & The House to get readers' opinions.

rjk · 18 Nov 2013 at 15:59

more reading required then.

the capita horrorscope looks pretty suited to my needs but they only go up to a 157.

not entirely certain that would be big enough.

rjk · 20 Nov 2013 at 12:52

Weazle, let me know what the DOA is like actually, there seems to be quite a lot of capita boards i like the look of.

Weazle · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:31

rjkoneill said:
the capita horrorscope looks pretty suited to my needs but they only go up to a 157.

What's your weight & height?

rjkoneill said:
Weazle, let me know what the DOA is like actually, there seems to be quite a lot of capita boards i like the look of.

Unfortunately I don't think I will be able go on a boarding trip this season due to work commitments

Really keen to take it out on the slopes, it won't touch a dome as that's what the banged up Evo is for.

randomshenans · 20 Nov 2013 at 14:01

Boards are for gays, though, right?

hahaha

rjk · 20 Nov 2013 at 15:07

Weazle said:
What's your weight & height?

6ft & 196lbs

Weazle said:
Unfortunately I don't think I will be able go on a boarding trip this season due to work commitments Really keen to take it out on the slopes, it won't touch a dome as that's what the banged up Evo is for.

this is my line of thinking tbh, I want to invest in a good board that will last me a few seasons and see light useage at snowdomes.
my current salomon board is perfectly fine for using in this country but its a few years old and I would like to invest a bit of money into something I am enjoying so a higher performance board will be a nice treat.

Mrs rjk has grabbed a pair of Union Contact Pro bindings for my christmas present so its only fair they go on a nice board right???

I'm sort of thinking the same, my ebay board is perfect for snowdome use

randomshenans said:
Boards are for gays, though, right? hahaha

Overclockers UK is a family forum. As such we do not tolerate homophobic prejudices.
:cool:

Weazle · 20 Nov 2013 at 15:24

rjkoneill said:
6ft & 196lbs

The 157cm will be a just in for recommended freestyle but to be honest, it really depends on how aggressive you ride freestyle. If doing loads of tricks/rails with some light mountain then 157cm might be fine. If however you do loads of kickers, some light rails and mountain then yeah maybe 160cm or so is better.

I've started to move to slightly shorter boards as progressed, I wanted more control while turning .... started on the recommended 156cm for my height/weight as a beginner, then my last board was 155cm ... currently the DOA is 154cm and the Evo is 152cm.

It's still down to personal preference. I've heard some snowboard pros doing jibs with stiffer boards because that's what they like.

Judgeneo · 20 Nov 2013 at 15:29

Won't be making it out this season

Will definitely go next year though, twice if I can

Weazle · 20 Nov 2013 at 16:04

rjkoneill said:
Mrs rjk has grabbed a pair of Union Contact Pro bindings for my christmas present so its only fair they go on a nice board right???

Let me know how those are, I've been eyeing that set of bindings for the past year!

rjk · 20 Nov 2013 at 17:29

Weazle said:
The 157cm will be a just in for recommended freestyle but to be honest, it really depends on how aggressive you ride freestyle.

thanks for tha advice, its appreciated.

Weazle said:
Let me know how those are, I've been eyeing that set of bindings for the past year!

will do. just from holding them, they are silly light. seems to have lots more support than my burton freestyles especially around the ankle area but retaining the flex at the highback.

quite interested to see how the reduced contact area affects board movement too.

platypus · 21 Nov 2013 at 07:43

PardonTheWait said:
I am apparently going to Val Thorens in January.

I think I need to go to the Snowdome and get them to teach me how to snowboard then!

Just bear in mind its 100 times better when its for real!

panthro · 21 Nov 2013 at 07:53

If I go this year it will be to Courchevel to visit my friend who runs a ski shop and custom builds. However I want to go to Whistler during summer 2014 so that will take precedence.

ScarySquirrel · 24 Nov 2013 at 01:08

Picked up a board with bindings for $80 today! It's from 2008 (bindings are 2010), but it's in pretty good condition considering. It's a K2 Viper, which seems to have some good reviews (from the limited info I could find) as a beginner board. I just need to get some boots now, might get some new ones so I can make sure they're good and comfy.

Local mountains are open now, but our lessons aren't until January

robin7 · 24 Nov 2013 at 09:20

rjkoneill said:
The Nitro board and NS Evo look pretty decent tbh, Ideally I would love to demo them all and pick but its looking like the skate banana or the buckwild are going to be the favourites

Reason I am thinking the Buckwild would be better is that its still rocker profile so wouldnt be a big departure from what I have become used to.

I'm a little worried about going from a 163 all mountain cambered freeride board that I have now got used to down to a 159 jib/park rocker.

would the difference in profiles and flex even be that noticeable?
I get the impression that the Skate Bannana is going to me more playful over the Buckwild but not be as good at dealing with higher speeds.

I think 159 is the lowest end of what i could probably get away with in fairness, tough decisions.

I quite like small boards really. I'm 6ft also, but now I'm a lot lighter since my last cut. Last year I was 210 haha. It comes down more to ride style really. I wanted a little jib board so the 156 was perfect. They do quite a few larger sizes though, so perhaps a 159?

ScarySquirrel · 28 Nov 2013 at 22:20

Just picked up some Burton Imperials for $100, they're practically in new condition, and they're so comfy

I'm ready now, just need some more snow, and January to come around a little quicker!

lucky13 · 2 Dec 2013 at 15:32

Booked a week in Val Thorens for end of March. None of my mates are interested so I was bold and booked with Action Outdoors, after reading some good reviews. Has any one else been with them?