Bulgaria Ski discussion board

Hi all!

My boyfriend and I were out in Boro at the beginning of Feb and had a snowboard taster session with Bobby (which was excellent!) and have now decided that we'd like to have a couple of holidays snowboarding - Kas we will get in touch with you once holiday is booked and see if Bobby can give us a couple of lessons.

We went to our local ski shop (both water and snow) and the guy in there basically wanted to make a sale to get rid of some of his stock. He said he could do boots, bindings and board for £200 for each of us which I thought was really good. All new stock but wants to get rid so he can get the water ski stock in. Everyone says if it sounds too good to be true it probably is and after choosing boots and bindings there were only two girly boards available - both the same size and only came to my collarbone. Bobby said they need to be between chin and nose so I'm ruling out using the board.

Do I make the most of the deal and buy the package, sell the board and bindings on eBay then I get a decent pair of boots with some money back or just buy the boots separately?

Other half is all kitted out :-)

Any advise would be great! Thanks!

Hi bexiie!

£200 is cheap for a full set up, but it does depend on what was on offer. Can you remember any details of what the board, boots or bindings were? Make/model? No snowboard shop worth its salt (or one that would like to stay in business) would send you out of the door with something that suited their pocket before your riding experience, you may want to try somewhere else just to be sure.

As for size it depends on what kind of board it was and your own dimensions. Up to your collarbone does sound pretty short though. If you would like advice on what a general size would be post up your height and (ungentlemanly I know) weight and I'll give you an idea.

Lastly as a beginner its important to get a few things right before you start or you will slow yourself down in the long run. Good fitting boots are important, its normally good to try on a few pairs to see whats comfy - I cant wear burton or vans boots but solomon and 32 fit me fine. Your first board should ideally be flexy so that it is more forgiving, so knowing the model is important. A stiff board will give you a nightmare as a beginner!

There are plenty of options about so dont jump on this offer until you have shopped around!

When buying anything for snowboarding , firstly buy your boots, this may take several trips to several stores, but get boots that fit, no heel lift and are comfy, get the inners heat moulded, and if needed customn footbed to make pain free ridnig , as boots can make or break your holiday .

Snowboard wise ... size is determined by weight , not height , a board doesnt know how tall you are , but it does do different things if your weight isnt correct fort the board you buy

Its a myth about it needing to be between chin and nose height etc

Where in the uk are yolu so we can advise a good local shop to you

Bexiie

I would agree with everything said so far, especially the bit about a decent shop not just selling you anything to get the sale. From what you have said I would be very careful with this retailer. My board is just below my chin because I have tested different lengths of boards and that's the length that I like. If I were you out starting again with hindsight in mind I would hire different lengths at least if not go to The Snow Dome or similar and test a few different makes out before spending. I now have 2 boards and one of them is for decoration as I bought too soon.

The absolute right boots are essential, get these right first without question.

Don't rush it.

Thanks for your advice - really appreciate it.

I tried on about 5 different boots,I tried head, northwave and nitro and out of the three I found nitro gave the best fit. May go somewhere else and try a couple of more brands and sizes. I cant remember what brand the bindings were but the board was a drake misty 143. I'm about 5'5" and because I want some advice, I weigh about 10.5 stone.

I'm from Suffolk so Milton Keynes and Hemel Hempstead are about the same distance away so may give them a try. The guy in the shop said a smaller board is better for learning and would do an exchange next year on the board for a bigger one but you can never believe everything a salesman says.

As I said any advice is appreciated. Everyone wants to get a good deal but obviously comfort is more important.

Thanks!

The 143 is a little on the short side going by rule of thumb, but......... Not neccesarily too short. Given the stats you posted puts you nearer the 148-150 ish kind of range if you follow traditional advice but like I said its not guaranteed to be something you'd like to ride. My mrs is 5'2" I think and prob somewhere between 8.5 to 9st and she rides a 144. Im 5'8" and 12st and I ride a 156, previous to that a 159. A few cm isnt a big deal.

If you are lucky enough to try some out then that would be best!

Hey, I only bought my first board this season so not long been in the same situation as you. I already had my boots for a couple of seasons though, and as mentioned, these are your most important piece of kit. Having comfortable feet will keep you happier and on the mountain longer. It's a lot easier to change boards than boots!

One question that I dont think has been asked and answered, what sort of riding are you into? If you want to mainly mess around in the park all day, then a shorter board is better as you can turn it easier when doing tricks. If you want to charge around a brake-neck speeds, a longer board will give better stability.

I just wanted an all-rounder, so went for an 'All Mountain' board. I believe these are the most popular. I ordered online so didnt 'try before you buy' which I was a little concerned about, but a poster on one forum said it's simply a board, just ride it. Took it out to Boro end of Jan for it's first go and was more than pleased with it.

Other thing is when are you planning the next holiday? If it's not until next season, you could probably get some better bargains in a month when the season is properly ending. That is a gamble of course.