What is the best type of women's snowboard?

Question

I have snowboarded a few times, but always used those rentals boards at the slopes. I was wondering if any one knew what would be the best type of board for someone who is a female intermediate-beginner board? Where can you get the best deals to buy one?

Answer 1

I'm not sure what your skill level is, but I don't suggest buying a board until you at least can do S-turns and get down a blue (intermediate) run without any problems. I would continue to rent until you get better so you know what you want and what type of riding you'll do.

The reason I say this is because it is better to spend the money once on good equipment that will last you and that your skill-level can grow into. If you buy a low-end beginner board, you may outgrow it and find that you'll wind up buying a higher-end board months later.

Also if you wait, you can figure out whether you want a snowboard that caters to doing park, freeriding, or big mountain riding. Many avid boarders sometimes have a couple boards- one for park (which they like shorter) and one for freeriding (which they like longer) since the board specs are catered to that type of riding.

I suggest buying your board and bindings at the same time, and be sure to buy a good brand/model. My setups (board, boots and bindings) run me more than $1000, but they last for years especially with the hard riding I do. I do believe you get what you pay for. Also remember when buying a board, your weight should be considered when it comes to the running length of the board. (Most people assume it's your height.)

What's more important than buying a good board and bindings are having good BOOTS since you'll be using your feet all day. A person who doesn't know boots may think they are all similar or buy based on what looks good, but when it comes to quality and warmth, you can tell a cheap boot from a good boot.  A cheap boot won't keep your feet warm, may cause you discomfort, and fall apart. Most of the good boots run $200 or more and it is something worth investing in.

One thing I'd like to advise is buying last year's models- you can get good gear for 40% off or more as time passes. The best time to buy would be starting around February or March, since that is the time when the snowboarding season is ending and stores are trying to clear out their gear for that winter season. They may start off with 25% in February, 40% in March, then 50% in April and continue to mark it down at a higher percentage as time passes. Don't wait too long or you'll run out of selection. This especially applies to limited sized items like boots.

If you want a good all around board, I suggest getting the Burton Feelgood. It is a high-end women's board that is good for intermediate to advanced boarders, and many female pros use them. I have one and I use it for park and freeriding. The model has been around for quite a few years and is a favorite- it's the equivalent to the Burton Custom (men's version). It normally retails for $499 but I got mine for $250 because I bought the previous season model.

As for where to buy, go to a local shop so they can help you in person and assess your needs. Most shops that are specifically snowboard-only shops will often give you incredible deals if you buy a board/bindings/boots package. So, if you wait for the sales/markdowns plus buy a complete package, you can get even more of a discount. A good snowboard shop will help their customer and give them deals so that they will want to come back to them for future business. Boarders are usually very loyal to one specific shop if they are treated right.

Good lucki!