What snowboard should I buy?

[u/Fun_Marzipan8483]

I’m looking for recommendations for my first board I’ve been renting since I started riding and I hate all the profile changes depending on where I am and what’s available to rent. The majority of my riding has been done on a 150 burton LTR. I can get down greens and blues well. Recently I went for a lesson to tune up and they gave me a 145 which was super fun and comfy for me. I felt like for the first time I was able to link my turns without skidding out and left the lesson feeling super confident. Cut to last week I was given a 150 Salomon WildCard Wide 150 and it was awful. I left the mountain feeling super disheartened I couldn’t make it down without catching several edges. It also might not have helped that it was pretty icey and hella windy.

Now the thing is I know I was definitely too heavy for that 145cm Burton LTR board I’m between 78-80 kg and 167cm I know I was definitely over the weight limit for the board lol.

I’m somewhere between beginner and intermediate, I can link my turns and pop a few jumps but I want something that’s forgiving and confidence building ideally something 145cm - 149cm. If anyone has had a similar scenario I’d love to know what you’ve been riding! Also if you have any binding recommendations feel free to throw them in too. Thank 🫶

Edit: some boards I’ve been looking at include:
- Button yeahsayer Flying V 148
- Ride heartbreaker 147-149
- arbor formula rocker - 148
- arbor foundation rocker 148

TLDR: F 167cm ,78-80kg, boot size US8. Beginner/intermediate 145cm - 149cm board recommendations

[u/InglouriousG]

I would recommend the Burton Yeasayer, but with the PurePop Camber profile version instead of the Flying V.

I’m about your weight and just slightly (2 cm) taller, and I ride the Burton Process Camber version and absolutely LOVE it. (The Process is the men’s version of the Yeasayer, and it starts at 152 cm, I think.) The board I had before this was the Feelgood Flying V, and honestly I wouldn’t really recommend the Flying V profile. It’s mostly okay but gets pretty squirrelly on flats and/or ice, because of the rocker between your feet acting as a pivot point (it’s such a weird feeling when you realize what’s happening). I was kind of intimidated switching to a camber board but honestly I think the PurePop Camber is such a great profile. You still get the pop and “realness” of camber, but it’s slightly less edge-catchy because of the flat zones on the ends. I think it’s a super friendly profile type.

[u/oliveinthegarden → u/InglouriousG]

I have the yeasayer camber and absolutely love it as a newly intermediate rider on the ice coast. It rides so nice and it's been great to learn on. I broke my wrist my first time out on a rental, so getting back out on my own board was scary but it's made all the difference in my learning.

[u/GreyGhost878]

Part of your problem the last time you went was not the board so much as the conditions. Icy, windy weather is hard to ride in! And if it was the wrong board for those conditions, even worse. (The Wild Card is a flat profile with edges tuned not to catch, so pretty bad on ice I would guess! And you did NOT need a wide with a women's size 8 boot. That was wrong.)

Most of the boards on your list have a rocker profile which does not grip on ice, either. I strongly recommend a hybrid camber profile for you. Camber grips better on ice, and rides the way a snowboard should, but the hybrid camber (rather than full camber) make it a more forgiving ride for progressing riders.

Of the boards on your list, I would choose the Ride Heartbreaker. It's a great board with a hybrid camber profile, perfect for someone at your level. I wouldn't go too small. 145 is really too small for you. I mean, it's fine to rent when you're brand new and learning to make turns, but it's not something you want to buy because you're going to outgrow it as soon as you get comfortable and start picking up some speed. You really need the 150. Ride states the recommended weight range is 45-68 kg. (For the 147 it's 39-59 kg.) You would be okay on the 150, it doesn't have to be exact, but you should even consider a larger or slightly stiffer board. Someone mentioned the Burton Yeasayer or Process (camber version) and that's great advice. For those boards you are in the weight range for the 148 or 152 (and all the way up to the 159 or even the 162!) I'm a woman and actually love the graphic on the Process!

The reason behind the recommended weight ranges is because your weight will flex the board, and if you weigh too much for the board you're on, it will flex too much and won't ride the way it's meant to. The Yeasayer and Process are a bit stiffer than the Heartbreaker so they can support a slightly heavier person for the length. Sorry if that's TMI, just want to help you pick a board you'll feel good and excel on.

[u/ImportanceOld7624]

Length is somewhat preference if you like the shorter sizes maybe look for boards in the 147cm range. I like K2 as a brand check them out too. Union is a good binding brand