Snowboarding!

[Jake.]

Right...

I was given a volkl sting snowboard as a present, (I thought it was an ironing board at first). It's second hand, reasonable condition and will last a good few trips.

I need some help though, no bindings were included. I have bindings from another snowboard I have (which they won off eBay for £12 with a board included). But I'm pretty confident that these aren't good enough, the boots I have seem to struggle to almost fit in them.

This leads to my question, what bindings will be good for a size 9-10 UK boot and a 166cm board? I'm a novice boarder, wouldn't like to spend more than £100 on bindings realistically and I'd rather buy second hand to save money if possible.

Secondly, if I get on with snowboarding (haven't done it proper for about 3 years). I'll be booking a holiday for around February, anyone got any suggestions wheres best to go? Will probably be going with a group of about 4 other novice friends.

[Blake]

Somewhere with snow is good

Norway was pretty amazing compared to the alps.

[Rich J]

Step 1; http://whitelines.com/snowboard-gear/buying-guides/how-to-choose-your-snowboard-bindings.html

Step 2: You just want some M/L medium stiffness bindings. All the sizes are different but a bit of research should tell you what what size binding for the boot. Brands such as burton, k2, forum, union all would do the trick as a novice you just want comfort. Don't go overboard a set of freestyle bindings could make it harder to be comfortable, perhaps not by much but keep it simple.

Most resorts in France are your best bet, they usually cater for everything, can be pretty cheap and the snow on the whole is good. Id just look at package deals compare resorts and book. Again its a case of learning you dont want blacks you want blues and reds something simple but fun. Things to consider though is rental for the other friends, lift pass costs and obviously apres.

[Jake.]

Thought there was more snowboarders on this forum than just you George haha, I'd like to go somewhere with decent nightlife too if poss though.

[williams]

Right...

Secondly, if I get on with snowboarding (haven't done it proper for about 3 years). I'll be booking a holiday for around February, anyone got any suggestions wheres best to go? Will probably be going with a group of about 4 other novice friends.

Can't help you with the bindings because I hate everything that has to do with snow, so I'm deffo not into skiing and snowboarding etc.

Butttttt, I'd seriously recommend going to Sweden for some snowboarding. I don't say that because I live here etc, it's just because we have amazing skiing/snowboarding places where it's cheap to stay etc, good nightlife on these places aswell!

Drop me a line if you want more specific info!

Want to add: Even though I'm not into skiing, doesn't mean that I don't know anything about it. And I have been to a few 'good skiing places' in Sweden.

[SCOTTY___]

Right...

I was given a volkl sting snowboard as a present, (I thought it was an ironing board at first). It's second hand, reasonable condition and will last a good few trips.

I need some help though, no bindings were included. I have bindings from another snowboard I have (which they won off eBay for £12 with a board included). But I'm pretty confident that these aren't good enough, the boots I have seem to struggle to almost fit in them.

This leads to my question, what bindings will be good for a size 9-10 UK boot and a 166cm board? I'm a novice boarder, wouldn't like to spend more than £100 on bindings realistically and I'd rather buy second hand to save money if possible.

Secondly, if I get on with snowboarding (haven't done it proper for about 3 years). I'll be booking a holiday for around February, anyone got any suggestions wheres best to go? Will probably be going with a group of about 4 other novice friends.

Get new boots. If the boots don't fit properly it will 100% ruin your holiday. I made this mistake on my frist ever trip. Blisters and constant foot pain is not nice.

To get correct fitting bindings for the board you need to take your boots / board with you and go sample. You need roughly equal toe & heel overhang (slightly more heel is poss) to aid you when riding. Buying random tech of eBay is probably they first error you will make, everybody does it. But spend the ££ on boots. You wont regret it, they are the first n foremost most important piece of kit you need (More so than board & bindings).

If you cant get to a local shop, basically;

Measure your boots, you don't want to much overhand 5/6mm is perfect over the front & rear of the board.

Look at Courchevel. Its part of the 3 valleys in France. Courchevel, Méribel and Val'Thorens. You can buy list passes for just Couchevel but would recommend getting a 3 valleys pass and go explore. Also the DC Pro pack is in Méribel and makes for epic viewing even if you cannot ride the lines (There is n00b lines btw).

You mentioned your board is a 166cm? How much do you weigh? Because that board is MASSIVE. I'm roughly 13.5 stone.. and I'm a size 154cm ...

Good luck. Its a mine field!

[Rich J]

I think he means his boots dont fit his binding rather than his feet. 100% agree, boots are hands down the most important thing.

Mine field agreement here you say you are on a 154, same weight I'm on a 161 and love it. 166 is huge though.

[SCOTTY___]

I think he means his boots dont fit his binding rather than his feet. 100% agree, boots are hands down the most important thing.

Mine field agreement here you say you are on a 154, same weight I'm on a 161 and love it. 166 is huge though.

Depends how you ride. Im on a Never Summer Evo .. so its pretty much an 1 quiver board. handles well in Pow because of the profile, and epic in the park <3

[Simpson]

Right guys never been snowboarding before. Now going for a month.

Got:

A jacket

Salopettes

Long johns and thermals

hoodies

thermal trousers

wolly hat

gloves

socks

helmet

goggles

sun lotion

anything else?

Goot boots and bindings to put on a board that i have out there also

[Jake.]

Step 1; http://whitelines.com/snowboard-gear/buying-guides/how-to-choose-your-snowboard-bindings.html

Step 2: You just want some M/L medium stiffness bindings. All the sizes are different but a bit of research should tell you what what size binding for the boot. Brands such as burton, k2, forum, union all would do the trick as a novice you just want comfort. Don't go overboard a set of freestyle bindings could make it harder to be comfortable, perhaps not by much but keep it simple.

Most resorts in France are your best bet, they usually cater for everything, can be pretty cheap and the snow on the whole is good. Id just look at package deals compare resorts and book. Again its a case of learning you dont want blacks you want blues and reds something simple but fun. Things to consider though is rental for the other friends, lift pass costs and obviously apres.

Cheers that link helped loads, I'm gonna go to a shop with my board and boots and have a better idea of what to look out for with bindings now. And nice one with the Holiday bit!

Can't help you with the bindings because I hate everything that has to do with snow, so I'm deffo not into skiing and snowboarding etc.

Butttttt, I'd seriously recommend going to Sweden for some snowboarding. I don't say that because I live here etc, it's just because we have amazing skiing/snowboarding places where it's cheap to stay etc, good nightlife on these places aswell!

Drop me a line if you want more specific info!

Want to add: Even though I'm not into skiing, doesn't mean that I don't know anything about it. And I have been to a few 'good skiing places' in Sweden.

I don't think I'll be going to Sweden but I'll have a look at their prices cheers William.

Get new boots. If the boots don't fit properly it will 100% ruin your holiday. I made this mistake on my frist ever trip. Blisters and constant foot pain is not nice.

To get correct fitting bindings for the board you need to take your boots / board with you and go sample. You need roughly equal toe & heel overhang (slightly more heel is poss) to aid you when riding. Buying random tech of eBay is probably they first error you will make, everybody does it. But spend the ££ on boots. You wont regret it, they are the first n foremost most important piece of kit you need (More so than board & bindings).

If you cant get to a local shop, basically;

Measure your boots, you don't want to much overhand 5/6mm is perfect over the front & rear of the board.

Look at Courchevel. Its part of the 3 valleys in France. Courchevel, Méribel and Val'Thorens. You can buy list passes for just Couchevel but would recommend getting a 3 valleys pass and go explore. Also the DC Pro pack is in Méribel and makes for epic viewing even if you cannot ride the lines (There is n00b lines btw).

You mentioned your board is a 166cm? How much do you weigh? Because that board is MASSIVE. I'm roughly 13.5 stone.. and I'm a size 154cm ...

Good luck. Its a mine field!

Perfect info. Helped loads! Cheers man! My boots have a teeeny bit of overhang but not much, I should imagine it'll be a bit different with bindings though.

I will be having a look at that, if it's cheap enough I may give it a shot. Thanks again! And haha I love snow parks, will deffo be giving them a proper go this year. I'm looking forward to "grinding" stuff.

Yeah it does seem a bit big, got it as an xmas present. I'm about 5'11" and about 12st. Ideally I'd have gone for a 158cm board but for something free I can't complain, can still get bindings for it and eventually get a different board if I get into it enough. Chances are I'll be hiring a board out in France anyway but the one I have should be fine for a couple of local snow sessions or if a massive snow storm comes overnight for some local hills!

Thanks again!

I think he means his boots dont fit his binding rather than his feet. 100% agree, boots are hands down the most important thing.

Mine field agreement here you say you are on a 154, same weight I'm on a 161 and love it. 166 is huge though.

This ^ I'm a bit worried about the size... Will it affect things too much? Boots were fine last time I used em but will buy new ones if too small.

Cheers.

[Rich J]

Right guys never been snowboarding before. Now going for a month.

Got:

A jacket

Salopettes

Long johns and thermals

hoodies

thermal trousers

wolly hat

gloves

socks

helmet

goggles

sun lotion

anything else?

Goot boots and bindings to put on a board that i have out there also

More socks and more pants. Putting new ones on when you can is amazing. Layers are important too weather changes so much so layer up rather than just thick clothes. Id also take a back pack even if you ride with it empty its something you can put layers in but I just carry drinks and food, mountain food is a joke most places.

Cheers that link helped loads, I'm gonna go to a shop with my board and boots and have a better idea of what to look out for with bindings now. And nice one with the Holiday bit!

This ^ I'm a bit worried about the size... Will it affect things too much? Boots were fine last time I used em but will buy new ones if too small.

Cheers.

Size will make turns harder, imagine it in bike terms I spose, but if you get used to it a shorter board will feel crazy easy. I've ridden all sorts of lengths but once you are used to it, it's fine. 166 is rather big though, it'll be slower but only a little but that again might make turns harder. Take it with you but maybe hire a shorter board the second day and decide if you can afford it, no point ruining a trip because of kit. Maybe take to an indoor, book a session they provide kit with it so you can test sizes pretty freely.

Now someone hook me up with a trip please, ill cook for you?

[Blake]

Right guys never been snowboarding before. Now going for a month.

Got:

A jacket

Salopettes

Long johns and thermals

hoodies

thermal trousers

wolly hat

gloves

socks

helmet

goggles

sun lotion

anything else?

Goot boots and bindings to put on a board that i have out there also

Get good gloves or take a few. I find when carrying my snowboard or moving it around it's very easy to tear the gloves with the sharp edge of the board, and boarding with a cold hand is f**king horrible

[Simpson]

Yea I have like 6 pairs of socks and 3 different grades of gloves so pretty much sorted on that front I'm lucky my Dad gets money to buy clothing each Jan for cold weather testing with his cars so we have loads of thermal gear sitting around

[haydon_peter]

Get some impact shorts, you won't regret it!

For trips away check out UCPA. You get accommodation, food, lift pass and equipment hire included in the price, if you want to get lessons/guiding it's not much more expensive and very worthwhile! The UK booking agent is http://www.action-outdoors.co.uk/

My last 3 trips have been with UCPA and I'm heading out to their Val d'Isere centre in February, I can't wait

[thomaswh]

some months later )... i am just new on this forum, but anyway, good checklist to start with. I am going also for the first time in March this year.

[haydon_peter]

Only 2 weeks until I will be at the Val d'Isere UCPA, really excited!

Luckily Sadly I'm being made redundant at the end of February so I'm going to be in Tignes for the whole of March

This year I bought my first board and also decided to replace my boots and bindings. I went for a 2013 Rossignol Taipan and some 2014 Rome 390 bindings.

[GavLawson]

I'm not a boarder so can't help with the first bit.

As for deciding where to go the most important thing is the level that you are at, you will enjoy a holiday much more if you feel confident on a decent amount of the runs.

I'm just back from St Anton and would highly recommend it, however it's not very novice friendly. There are no green runs and most of the good stuff is off piste.

Alp d'huez is supposed to be excellent for beginners

[bartsmet]

Yes, indeed, Alp d'huez is a great experience for beginners. Was there in Februar !

[Simpson]

Maryhofen was sick....... just saying

Got 360s over jumps

Did the steepest run in Austria 78 Degrees

Clocked 40mph on piste

and get some off piste ragging also.

Never been before so was chuffed to do all that in 3 weeks. Shame I broke 2 boards - one of those being a £450 Lobster OOOooooooooooooooooops

[bartsmet]

hi, I find an awsome interesting article about a bigairbag. Very exciting !! I want to try it out, anyone heard about it ? Have a look :

http://www.airbock.com/blog/airbags-prove-to-be-a-useful-training-tool-for-winter-x-games/

[trialsbikingnunn]

I know f**k all about snowboards but I know a fair bit about where to go as I've been skiing 18 times in my 18 year life

Courchevel as said before is a good place to go but it depends which one. There are 3 different courchevel villages, 1850 being the highest but most expensive as it is mainly full of rich Russians and bottles of wines cost 3000 euros. The middle and lower village on the other hand are cheaper and quite nice villages. Also it's part of the 3 valleys ski area so you have a lot of choice as to where to snowboard.

In the next valley over is St Martin de Bellville which is a small nice traditional village but not a lot of night life. Les Menuirs and Val Thorens are probably the best place to be. A lot of night life, fairly cheap accommodation and Val thorens is the highest resort in Europe so it has great snow conditions most of the time and you can get to pretty much every other valley that the lift pass covers from there.

Val D'Isere is also a good place to go but can be quite expensive. Good night life and good ski area.

Ischgl in Austria is a great place to go. In the main town there is loads of night life, shops, Restaurants and accommodation isn't too expensive. There is also a really long Sledging track from the top of the cable car that goes back down into the village which I would recommend you should try out. Lift pass also covers 2 other ski villages in the valley.

Zermatt in Switzerland is a lovely place to go. Traditional village but can be quite expensive but there is a lot of Beautiful scenery. When I went there though the main way of getting to the main ski area was via a mountain tram/train thing which takes 40mins to get to the main area but I think they have updated it and put in a cable car now.

Now the next few places will be a lot more expensive as they are in North America. The first on is Crested Butte in Colorado. When I went there we got a crazy cheap all inclusive deal with Club Med which included lift passes and ski hire for £1000 for a family of 4 but we did have to pay for plane tickets. It's a lovely ski area and night life is pretty good.

Whistler in Canada is my Favorite place ever. Amazing scenery, lovely people and a good ski area. Night life is also good and I just can't explain how lovely it is there.

Finland is my final recommendation. They have quite small ski resorts and ski areas but are really nice. They are fairly expensive and there isn't much day light but it's still a nice place to go.

Edited June 2, 2014 by trialsbikingnunn

[Blake]

I know f**k all about snowboards but I know a fair bit about where to go as I've been skiing 18 times in my 18 year life Courchevel as said before is a good place to go but it depends which one. there are 3 different courchevel villages, 1850 being the highest but most expensive as it is mainly full of rich Russians and bottles of wines cost 3000 euros. the middle and lower village on the other hand are cheaper and quite nice villages. Also it's part of the 3 valleys ski area so you have a lot of choice as to where to snowboard. in the next valley over is St Martin de Bellville which is a small nice traditional village but not a lot of night life. Les Menuirs and Val Thorens are probably the best place to be. a lot of night life, fairly cheap accommodation and Val thorens is the highest resort in Europe so it has great snow conditions most of the time and you can get to pretty much every other valley that the lift pass covers from there. Val D'Isere is also a good place to go but can be quite expensive. good night life and good ski area. Ischgl in Austria is a great place to go. In the main town there is loads of night life, shops, Restaurants and accommodation isn't too expensive. There is also a really long Sledging track from the top of the cable car that goes back down into the village which I would recommend you should try out. Lift pass also covers 2 other ski villages in the valley. Zermatt in Switzerland is a lovely place to go. Traditional village but can be quite expensive but there is a lot of Beautiful scenery. When I went there though the main way of getting to the main ski area was via a mountain tram/train thing which takes 40mins to get to the main area but I think they have updated it and put in a cable car now. Now the next few places will be a lot more expensive as they are in North America. The first on is Crested Butte in Colorado. when I went there we got a crazy cheap all inclusive deal in club med which included lift passes and ski hire for £1000 for a family of 4 but we did have to pay for plane tickets. It's a lovely ski area and night life is pretty good. Whistler in Canada is my Favorite place ever. Amazing scenery, lovely people and a good ski area. night life is also good and I just can't explain how lovely it is there. Finland is my final recommendation. They have quite small ski resorts and ski areas but are really nice. they are fairly expensive and there isn't much day light but it's still a nice place to go.

[Jake.]

Nice post Matt, pretty useful to be honest. Doesn't matter if you ski or snowboard the valleys are the same.

[Blake]

yer really well written top grammar 10/10 excellent wall of text

[trialsbikingnunn]

is that better for you George?