New to Skiboarding FAQ - The Basics

[Wookie]

I wonder if a place like Snow Planet would do good in the USA?

They has been one under construction in New Jersey, just outside of New York City, since 2003. (Discussed previously in another thread) The project and the Mega-Mall it is attached to has had it's ups and downs and has yet to open. The most ironic setback for the project was that it's roof collapsed under the weight of a heavy snow storm. The recession, poor planning, bad luck, and a variety of other factors all contributed to preventing the mall and ski dome from opening.

The site was acquired by Triple Five, famous for the Mall of America in MN. The optimists around here hope that the upcoming SuperBowl to be played in 2014 at the adjacent Giants Stadium will motivate the owners to get the mall and the ski slope ready for prime time TV and open next year.

Here is a vid of it partially completed taken in 2009 when it was slated to open in 2010:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGa_cGpbWTE

[wushuguy]

Hey everyone,

New to the forums and to Skiboarding. I've never gone in my life and it's impossible to find a place that rents etc! So I'm looking for some tips on purchasing that I hope will be solved before I take on the hills this year.

I'm currently looking at the Snowjam 2012 Wave 99cm Skiboard (http://www.skiboardsonline.com/p/snjm1299.html) with the Technine LMP Snowboard Bindings (http://www.skiboardsonline.com/p/techninelmp.html). My reasoning is the ease to wear the boots in the car on the way snowboarding and walking around the hill should be easier.

In addition, what type of boots would I be needing? Would the bindings be good with any snowboard boots? Or would I need a specific brand/type of boots? Any recommendations?

I'm looking at keeping costs a bit low so any alternatives and suggestions are appreciated. I'll be using this season as a test run to get up and running and hopefully, if all goes well, next year, I can start looking for upgrades and perhaps sell this year's set to a friend that sees me on the hills.

Nice to meet you all and looking forward to all your advice!

Alvin
Toronto, Canada

[STILL BOARDING]

welcome! There are a few sites on line that rent perhaps you should check that out before buying to be cost effective. You will get great advice from everyone here as far as boots and bindings. good luck have fun and never look back!

[Bad Wolf]

welcome! There are a few sites on line that rent perhaps you should check that out before buying to be cost effective. You will get great advice from everyone here as far as boots and bindings. good luck have fun and never look back!

This is one of them! Skiboardsonline demos their boards and bindings through the mail for a very reasonable cost.

Wushu. You will get more specific advice with a little more information. Have you skied before, have you snowboarded, do you have any equipment already, what's your budget, where will you ski, do you skate, what are your goals, what's your height and weight? Stuff like that. Welcome by the way to a great sport and a great forum.

[sempai]

Wushu,

Welcome! Here's the link to SBOL's demo program:

http://www.skiboardsonline.com/p/sbol_demo_program.html

If you decide to go with the Technine snowboard bindings, you'll want stiff boots. Two top end choices are the K2 Thraxis and the Salomon Malmutes. There are others out there that aren't quite as expensive. Shoot for 7/10 or higher flex ratings.

[wushuguy]

This is one of them! Skiboardsonline demos their boards and bindings through the mail for a very reasonable cost.

Wushu. You will get more specific advice with a little more information. Have you skied before, have you snowboarded, do you have any equipment already, what's your budget, where will you ski, do you skate, what are your goals, what's your height and weight? Stuff like that. Welcome by the way to a great sport and a great forum.

Thanks for the quick replies everyone. I'll reply to this one since it asks for some more information.

I'm a long-time skier (10+years - Intermediate) and I recently took up snowboarding (2 seasons - 5ish times so still beginner). I have no equipment whatsoever so it would be from brand new. I'm also from CANADA and unfortunately, the demos are for Continental USA only. Size-wise, I'm 5'8 and around 190 lbs (hoping to shed that on the slopes this season!)

Sorry for the lack of any more information (I posted that information to skiboardsonline's FB msg and forgot to add it here!

My goal for this season is to ideally pick it up and get the hang of it. Just take it out a few times to get a nice feel for what it's all about and then make up my mind afterwards. I'm looking for a beginner board (saw a few on Ebay but not sure how trusty those sellers are) and I'm wondering whether I should go with snowboard boots or ski boots (ergo release or non-release).

Hopefully that answers a few questions and hopefully you can guide me towards my first purchase. Heck, if some of you have used ski boards that are great for beginners, I'd be interested in taking them off your hands too (provided they aren't half destroyed LOL!)

[Bluewing]

Thanks for the quick replies everyone. I'll reply to this one since it asks for some more information.

I'm a long-time skier (10+years - Intermediate) and I recently took up snowboarding (2 seasons - 5ish times so still beginner). I have no equipment whatsoever so it would be from brand new. I'm also from CANADA and unfortunately, the demos are for Continental USA only. Size-wise, I'm 5'8 and around 190 lbs (hoping to shed that on the slopes this season!)

Sorry for the lack of any more information (I posted that information to skiboardsonline's FB msg and forgot to add it here!

My goal for this season is to ideally pick it up and get the hang of it. Just take it out a few times to get a nice feel for what it's all about and then make up my mind afterwards. I'm looking for a beginner board (saw a few on Ebay but not sure how trusty those sellers are) and I'm wondering whether I should go with snowboard boots or ski boots (ergo release or non-release).

Hopefully that answers a few questions and hopefully you can guide me towards my first purchase. Heck, if some of you have used ski boards that are great for beginners, I'd be interested in taking them off your hands too (provided they aren't half destroyed LOL!)

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for the details. Here are a few thoughts:

Since you have a 10-yr skiing background at the intermediate level, if you are looking for a good "transition" board from skiing to skiboarding - these boards are "ski-like" so they should feel familiar but a much more nimble and turn quicker than skis:

--Spruce 120 - I have these and love them, as do many other people on the forum. Very sweet ride. Some refer to them as "the pretty girl next door" in terms of character. Very fast, carve great, soft edge great, carve trenches when you want to. You have to use the Spruce riser with release bindings with these (and any board above 110cm).

--Spruce 125 - I have ridden these, and quite a few people on the forum have them. I have said that if the Spruce 120s are the "sweet girl next door" then the 125s are "her hot sister". These are fast, carve deep trenches and are even more nimble than the 120s I think due to the rocker and zero camber underfoot. The only 2 things that weren't "perfect" for me were: 1) on hard snow you do get quite a bit of "tip whacking" where the tips and tails are vibrating over the bumps in the snow. This is common for rockered boards - doesn't hurt performance but after a day of this I got a bit annoyed. 2) they have such tremendous grip underfoot that I had a hard time getting them to soft edge - not saying they can't do it just that for me it wasn't automatic like the 120s. These are currently sold out - I think a production run is planned for this season - but sempai on this forum has a set for sale. He is a good guy and takes great care of his gear.

If you are looking to go with something shorter for a "true" skiboard experience consider:

--Revolts - http://www.skiboardsonline.com/mm5/m...Code=105revolt -these are 105cm. I suggest trying the older models with the triaxial fiberglass construction, the "Bullseye" or earlier (Cities, Chickens, Vacant, Flow) due to softer flex. These are not made any more, but do come up for sale on the forum. I think there is one pair of Bullseyes for sale now. Forum member rgzip might have a set of the "Condors" not the Condor board but the Condor graphic on the Revolt) for sale.

--DLP/ALP - http://www.skiboardsonline.com/mm5/m...ry_Code=110dlp - again suggest the older models with more flex so the "Condor" model or older. Not made anymore but some do come up for sale on the forum.

You can use release or non-release bindings on either of these boards. It is a personal choice. If you search around the forum you will find some good threads on pros/cons.

I'm sure you will get some other opinions. Hopefully you can pick up a set of boards soon and get out on them. Let us know how it goes.

[wushuguy]

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for the details. Here are a few thoughts:

Since you have a 10-yr skiing background at the intermediate level, if you are looking for a good "transition" board from skiing to skiboarding - these boards are "ski-like" so they should feel familiar but a much more nimble and turn quicker than skis:

--Spruce 120 - I have these and love them, as do many other people on the forum. Very sweet ride. Some refer to them as "the pretty girl next door" in terms of character. Very fast, carve great, soft edge great, carve trenches when you want to. You have to use the Spruce riser with release bindings with these (and any board above 110cm).

--Spruce 125 - I have ridden these, and quite a few people on the forum have them. I have said that if the Spruce 120s are the "sweet girl next door" then the 125s are "her hot sister". These are fast, carve deep trenches and are even more nimble than the 120s I think due to the rocker and zero camber underfoot. The only 2 things that weren't "perfect" for me were: 1) on hard snow you do get quite a bit of "tip whacking" where the tips and tails are vibrating over the bumps in the snow. This is common for rockered boards - doesn't hurt performance but after a day of this I got a bit annoyed. 2) they have such tremendous grip underfoot that I had a hard time getting them to soft edge - not saying they can't do it just that for me it wasn't automatic like the 120s. These are currently sold out - I think a production run is planned for this season - but sempai on this forum has a set for sale. He is a good guy and takes great care of his gear.

If you are looking to go with something shorter for a "true" skiboard experience consider:

--Revolts - http://www.skiboardsonline.com/mm5/m...Code=105revolt -these are 105cm. I suggest trying the older models with the triaxial fiberglass construction, the "Bullseye" or earlier (Cities, Chickens, Vacant, Flow) due to softer flex. These are not made any more, but do come up for sale on the forum. I think there is one pair of Bullseyes for sale now. Forum member rgzip might have a set of the "Condors" not the Condor board but the Condor graphic on the Revolt) for sale.

--DLP/ALP - http://www.skiboardsonline.com/mm5/m...ry_Code=110dlp - again suggest the older models with more flex so the "Condor" model or older. Not made anymore but some do come up for sale on the forum.

You can use release or non-release bindings on either of these boards. It is a personal choice. If you search around the forum you will find some good threads on pros/cons.

I'm sure you will get some other opinions. Hopefully you can pick up a set of boards soon and get out on them. Let us know how it goes.

Based on your recommendations, I'm going to try looking for the Revolt boards. If I'm buying them used, hopefully someone will help me with the binding choice :P Haha!

Thanks so much for your help. Off to work now and I'll be back later with more questions

[wushuguy]

Was in a time crunch earlier so I'll elaborate a bit more now.

I'm looking at going for the skiboard experience versus the transition one. I realize that I stated that I want to ease in but if I'm going to purchase a set, I'd rather go for the actual one and grow into it rather than buy a pair and have to buy another one to experience the true feeling.

In regards to the two types of boards you gave me an example for, both seem like top quality choices. The price is a little steep, however, and being unable to try them makes it a little worse since I'm in Canada and not many people use skiboards on the hills here. I'm also wondering if I should find a cheap pair on ebay and test it out first before buying a quality pair. That might be another option, I suppose.

In regards to non-release versus release, the only concern I had about wearing the ski boots was the turning and spacing of your boards. The reason why is that with skiis, you can keep them really close together (think moguls) and with your knees together. It's a bit different from looking at ski boards due to the width of the board. I've been reading about the gorilla style (haha!) and it seems a bit different. Just looking at how far apart your knees and legs are makes me wonder how stable you are (but I guess due to the increased area touching the slopes, it's more stable).

At first, I wanted the skiboard boots and bindings because they seem more comfortable in terms of walking and transportation. But I suppose most pro riders feel more comfortable with the ski boots so I might have to give that a shot. Will regular ski bindings work on the skiboards? If so, I might be more inclined to get the custom snowboard bindings and perhaps swap out some ski bindings to test it out from a friend's set or something.

As for boards, I'm not even sure if there are any authorized dealers in Canada let alone Toronto. If there are, it'd be amazing to go and check them out and see how they feel. At any rate, the Cities board looks SOO cool!!!!!!!! The only reason why I posted these boards (http://www.skiboardsonline.com/p/snjm1299.html) was because they're cheap but wasn't sure if they were a good fit for a trial pair of skiboards. If they are though, I might buy them to test it out for a season before moving up the chain. PLEASE PROVIDE FEEDBACK FOR THAT BOARD IF POSSIBLE!

Anyway, I want to thank you all for your time and your help! (I remember one board trick that I saw on youtube where the guy was going down the hill backwards but on the front tips of his board! Not sure if you guys know what I'm talking about but I can't find the video again! HAHA!)

[Bluewing]

To answer a few of your questions and add some of my perspective:

--The Snowjam boards you linked to are decent boards. Snowjam generally has made fairly good quality stuff. These are a bit on the narrow side at 11.3cm tip/9.0cm waist/10.3cm tail. However, if you were riding groomers only they would probably be fine. At $99 if you only used them for a while to get started they are a good value. You could always try to sell them to get some of the $ back.

--Bindings - if you go with release bindings you need to get the Spruce riser/binding combination. You can't direct mount bindings to the boards sold on skiboardsonline. com. http://www.skiboardsonline.com/c/release.html The Spruce Pro Sports are fine for most people - at $199 a good value. I use these and they are great. These will work with all but the widest boards (the brakes are not wide enough to clear the Blunts, KTPs, Condors or Rockered Condors). You can always do like I do with wider boards and simply use a leash since the brakes won't deploy on the wide boards. The cool thing about the riser/binding combo is that you can move it from board to board - it is simply held in place by 4 screws that attach through the board inserts.

--Re riding style - it basically breaks down into 2 camps: skier style and gorilla style. I don't think it has anything to do with the width of the boards - simply personal choice.

--"Transition" boards vs shorter boards - just to clarify even the longer boards, like Spruce 120s and 125s, still ride like skiboards. Quick turning, center mounted joy. The longer boards are more "ski-like" than the shorter boards, but in no way are the longer boards like riding skis.

[wushuguy]

To answer a few of your questions and add some of my perspective:

--The Snowjam boards you linked to are decent boards. Snowjam generally has made fairly good quality stuff. These are a bit on the narrow side at 11.3cm tip/9.0cm waist/10.3cm tail. However, if you were riding groomers only they would probably be fine. At $99 if you only used them for a while to get started they are a good value. You could always try to sell them to get some of the $ back.

--Bindings - if you go with release bindings you need to get the Spruce riser/binding combination. You can't direct mount bindings to the boards sold on skiboardsonline. com. http://www.skiboardsonline.com/c/release.html The Spruce Pro Sports are fine for most people - at $199 a good value. I use these and they are great. These will work with all but the widest boards (the brakes are not wide enough to clear the Blunts, KTPs, Condors or Rockered Condors). You can always do like I do with wider boards and simply use a leash since the brakes won't deploy on the wide boards. The cool thing about the riser/binding combo is that you can move it from board to board - it is simply held in place by 4 screws that attach through the board inserts.

--Re riding style - it basically breaks down into 2 camps: skier style and gorilla style. I don't think it has anything to do with the width of the boards - simply personal choice.

--"Transition" boards vs shorter boards - just to clarify even the longer boards, like Spruce 120s and 125s, still ride like skiboards. Quick turning, center mounted joy. The longer boards are more "ski-like" than the shorter boards, but in no way are the longer boards like riding skis.

I was on the RVL8 website and noticed a dealer in Toronto. Hopefully, I can drop by and check out their inventory and get a better feel in person for what they look like and what I'd be expecting.

Depending on used boards, I might try the bindings you suggested and the $99 board that I saw. It should hopefully make for a decent beginner set to test around and I'm sure I can just use those bindings on the next board.

Thanks again for your help!

[Bad Wolf]

I was on the RVL8 website and noticed a dealer in Toronto. Hopefully, I can drop by and check out their inventory and get a better feel in person for what they look like and what I'd be expecting.

Depending on used boards, I might try the bindings you suggested and the $99 board that I saw. It should hopefully make for a decent beginner set to test around and I'm sure I can just use those bindings on the next board.

Thanks again for your help!

The question about bindings is difficult to answer as it really comes down to personal choice based on riding style, riding preferences and risk tolerance. The basic choices are non release bindings, release bindings on risers, direct fix release bindings and snowboard bindings with snowboard boots. What makes it difficult to choose early on is that you may not work out what is best for you straight away, making it tough to commit your money early on to a set up.

As a huge generalization, most of the park types and short board riders go non release, the skier types and long board riders go with risers. There is of course a growing popularity for the comfort of snowboard bindings as the equipment in this sector improves. Just remember that snow board bindings only fit on 110cm and below because of the insert configuration.

If you just want a cheap starter set, I would look on eBay for a used set of Lines, Cannons, Snowjams or Heads. You can usually pick up boards and bindings in fair condition for $150. Once you get a feel for where you want to go with your set up, then you can spend your money with confidence and invest in a quality product like Revel*8 or Spruce. There is a very active market for used skiboards and bindings, both here and on eBay. They are easy to buy and sell without much depreciation, just be careful, it's addictive.

Here is a nice example. these just sold on eBay for $140 delivered. They are 94cm Line Weapons with FF Pro bindings. The bindings are almost worth that on their own and would last you for years. The boards are slim by modern standards, but would give you and a great ride whilst you feel your way in the sport. A good, cost effective starter set up.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Line-94cm-We...item46163396f9

[wushuguy]

The question about bindings is difficult to answer as it really comes down to personal choice based on riding style, riding preferences and risk tolerance. The basic choices are non release bindings, release bindings on risers, direct fix release bindings and snowboard bindings with snowboard boots. What makes it difficult to choose early on is that you may not work out what is best for you straight away, making it tough to commit your money early on to a set up.

As a huge generalization, most of the park types and short board riders go non release, the skier types and long board riders go with risers. There is of course a growing popularity for the comfort of snowboard bindings as the equipment in this sector improves. Just remember that snow board bindings only fit on 110cm and below because of the insert configuration.

If you just want a cheap starter set, I would look on eBay for a used set of Lines, Cannons, Snowjams or Heads. You can usually pick up boards and bindings in fair condition for $150. Once you get a feel for where you want to go with your set up, then you can spend your money with confidence and invest in a quality product like Revel*8 or Spruce. There is a very active market for used skiboards and bindings, both here and on eBay. They are easy to buy and sell without much depreciation, just be careful, it's addictive.

Here is a nice example. these just sold on eBay for $140 delivered. They are 94cm Line Weapons with FF Pro bindings. The bindings are almost worth that on their own and would last you for years. The boards are slim by modern standards, but would give you and a great ride whilst you feel your way in the sport. A good, cost effective starter set up.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Line-94cm-We...item46163396f9

Again! Awesome suggestions. I think I'll shop around here on the forums and on ebay. Since I'm not too sure what's decent or not, I'll keep browsing around and ask for advice here in case I see a few things that look interesting. If anyone wants to help scour ebay too, that'd be nice!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SNOWJAM-SkiB...item27db4e3546

At any rate, I've been pming some people on the forums that were selling boards.

In addition, I think I'd like to give release bindings a try. I assume they're the equivalent of ski bindings (step in, lock, go & when you fall, boot pops out, brake comes down) That seems the most logical step up for a skiier. If it feels awkward, I may give the snowboard bindings a go at a later date!

[wushuguy]

Ok. I think I have my eye on a pair on kijiji and I really hope that it won't be gone. Seller is in my area and is selling a RVL8 Tree board with Black Revel8 Receptor Non-Release Bindings. Hopefully I can get that pair and have a well-establish board as my first board!

Wish me luck guys! (also, taking boot advice on those type of bindings!)

[Bad Wolf]

Ok. I think I have my eye on a pair on kijiji and I really hope that it won't be gone. Seller is in my area and is selling a RVL8 Tree board with Black Revel8 Receptor Non-Release Bindings. Hopefully I can get that pair and have a well-establish board as my first board!

Wish me luck guys! (also, taking boot advice on those type of bindings!)

I think that would be a great set up for you if you can get it. Even if you want to go with snowboard boots, you will always be able to resell the Receptor bindings.

The good news about ski boots is that the beginner models work best with their upright stance and soft flex. Beginner = cheaper!