Help with initial setup needed....

[Doug10]

Hello all, I am Doug. Recently military sent us from Virginia to Rhode Island. Over the past few years the wife and I did some ski trips in VA and I used the 94cm heads. Loved it, first time ever and it was pretty natural. Every trip since has been equally as fun with the exception of me being able to comfortably ski all the trails even when they were Icy with comfort. I might have 4 trips under my belt. I had roller bladed and skated a lot as a teenager. I am not 30.

We'll here in Rhode Island there is 0 support for ski boarding / snow blading and people look at you funny. Been to a lot of shops and here's what I have found.

1 shop has a pair of head 94's, older style, maybe 2005, good shape with lots of life left but need bindings due to age. 30.00

Another shop has some snow jam 99's with tyrolias for 300.00 new.

What I'm looking for is an entry/mid class setup but I will probably only use them for about 5-6 times a season. Can't rent due to no rentals in the area. What are some suggestions for bindings, boards, and boots? I am 6' and 174lbs. I do not. Do trick parks etc... Mainly just enjoy carving back and forth and the thrill of the ride. Have no real preference on bindings one way or another. All my experience has been the heads with tyrolias. I do believe I need to look for boots in the 60-70 flex right. Thanks for the help guys.

Doug

[Bad Wolf]

Welcome.

Generally you won't find any quality skiboards in local retail stores or resorts. The RVL8 line is sold here, you can't go wrong, they are all good!

As very general advice, the shorter boards have a more skate like feel and the longer boards a more ski like feel. You can use regular ski boots with either release bindings on risers or non release bindings. There is also the option to use snowboard boots and bindings on boards 110cm and under. If you go with ski boots, the softer flexing, upright style is best. As a bonus these tend to be less expensive beginner boots.

The boards here come in a variety of lengths, widths, flex, camber and rocker to suit all tastes. We all have our favorites based on riding style and experience, so you will get lots of recommendations. I skate as well so have a preference for the shorter boards and non release bindings. My favorites are the 98cm Slapdash and the new rockered 88cm Blunts. There is a demo program if you want to try before you buy.

The Blunts are new this year and proving to be very popular, here is a link to all the current reviews and information on them;

http://www.skiboardsonline.com/forum...highlight=wolf

And,

Thank you for your service.

[Wookie]

You are probably not going to find support for skiboarding at any local shop anywhere. Skiboardsonline.com and Skiboards.com are your best sources in the U.S. for high quality skiboards.

Most of the guys here are partial to RVL*8 and Spruce skiboards but Summit, Snowjam, and Allz are good boards as well. Generally for selection advice Badwolf's note that the shorter boards (100cm and less) feel more skate-like is accurate. Longer boards (105cm+) feel more ski-like as they get longer but they never feel as cumbersome as traditional skis. Longer skiboards give you a little more edge and stability particularly in icy and steep conditions. I ride the Spruce 120s as my go to board and ride them like I would ice skates or rollerblades so the advantage of length need not feel like clunky skis. The odd bird in skiboards is what we are calling 3rd Generation skiboards. These rockered short skiboards (Blunts and Rockered Condors) ride differently than anything previously made and are the big buzz in the community right now, especially the Blunts.

If you are looking to upgrade from the Head94s cheap, keep any eye on this forum as guys will regularly part with good condition boards for much less than the original retail price. You just missed the preseason closet clear outs but I suspect there will be some postings as other riders look to clear out old gear that was replaced by Holiday gifts. One entry level option would be the 99CM Snowjam Wave with Spruce Sport Binding ($298 from Skiboardsonline.com). The advantage of these over the Snowjams at your local shop (I'm assuming) is the bindings are removable and can be interchanged with any skiboard rigged with 4x4 or 4x10 inserts. So if you give them a try for a season or two and then decide to upgrade further you can reuse the bindings and only have to buy new boards.

For boots don't worry too much about flex. A softer flex boot will work with skiboards but look to find the most comfortable boot in you budget. If you have a good ski shop near you and can work with a bootfitter to find the right boot you will be so much happier on the mountain.