Wednesday, November 14

Need a New Stick?

By Jaymo
EXPN.com

New boards are pouring into your favorite snowboard shop with graphics and hype so powerful that the products in general are becoming juggernauts of your will to ride. The enormous price tags seem to blur from reality as the thought of brand new polyethylene squeaking against cold fresh powder takes center stage in your mind. LONG STORY SHORT - YOU WANT A NEW STICK.

With so much on the market and so many factors influencing your wallet, how can a regular person be assured that the board they are buying is the right one? Bad news friends, I don't think there is an answer. However, there are a few tips which often go by the wayside when the sales guy is pitching you on the board that he "sticks huge frontside rodeo 7's on, bro".

Let's get a couple things out on the table that are facts. These facts may be a bit subjective, but after a lifetime in this industry, jobs in production and a heap of contest wins, I feel I have got some room to talk. So if you don't agree, send me an email and bitch - expn@jaymo-vision.com. Without further delay, here are the top ten facts you should consider when purchasing a snowboard.

10. All major snowboard brands build a decent product that will work well.

9. Snowboard construction is not nuclear science. Snowboard companies use different technologies, but nobody really knows more than the other guy.

8. Lighter does not mean better. Heavy boards usually have more plastic in them and are more damp on ice.

7. Cap construction is not better than construction with sidewalls. They are just different and offer a different feel. Sidewalls offer better performance on ice and cap works better in powder because of weight. More importantly - "cap" is NOT "monocouqe" construction. "Monocouqe" is very tech and very expensive. Engineers use it in indy cars and other applications where weight/strength ratios are a very big deal. Snowboarding is not one of them.

6. Most pros ride custom sticks and are not riding the board that sits on the shelf with their name on it.

5. If length is an issue for you, bring a measuring tape because the stamp that read 160cm is not always accurate. Most riders choose a board where the tip curls under the chin when standing up straight.

Jaymo shows how to be a human measuring stick. It's all about chin height.

4. "It's got tons of sidecut dude, it rips" Sidecut is all relative. Large amounts of sidecut will not perform on ice. Sidecut is slow. Sidecut and turnability are relative to the amount your skill and weight can bend a board. I can make a sharper turn than Peter Line on an identical sidecut because I weigh 200 lbs and he only weighs 150lbs. So remember - side cut is relative - don't use it as a sales point. Furthermore, less sidecut will hold better on ice and preform better in powder - it is just harder to turn.

3. Know the MSRP. Make sure you are paying the factory recommended retail price. You do not want to pay more than you have to. Call the company and find out the MSRP so that some yuppie rich shop owner is not smoking you to make his monthly Porsche payment.

2. Find out when the on snow demos are. There is nothing like riding a board first, before you buy. In fact, some shops will have demos. Ask for a demo. Pay the demo/rental fee and make sure that your demo/rental fee goes towards the purchase of your new stick when you figure out which one it is.

1. Here it is, the most important thing to know when buying a new board. Whatever your decision is in regards to graphics, brand, or length - none of it means shiteola if your boots don't flow with the magic. What magic? The magic created between your board, it's width, and your stance angles.

Before you go into a shop, know your stance width and the angles you prefer in both front and back foot. You also should bring your boots to visually see how they fit on the boards you are looking at. Let's run an example!

I wear I size 12 GNU Boot. I run the "northwest kungfu fighting stance". That stance is straight across in the back (0 deg.) and 30 degrees in the front. I wear a 23 inch stance, 3 inches back from board center. To get the most performance out of my board, I want my foot to be centered nicely on the board with just a smidge of toe and heel hang.

Right where it needs to be.

When I say smidge, I am talking 1cm. Since my back foot runs straight across and my front foot has so much angle, my back foot is the crucial deciding factor. I need a board who's width allows me to run a straight back foot with approximately 1cm of heel hang and 1cm of toe hang. Basically, I need a wide featherpluckin board. In contrast, Chris Klug wears size 12 as well. However, his Euro race stance allows him to ride a very skinny board which is fast edge to edge. If Klug mounted his stance on my wide freedoggin board, he wouldn't be winning any races.

So close...but not perfect. It's the little details that count.

Each person's boot length in combination with their stance width and angles, will ultimately determine what board is right for them. Believe it or not, width is the most important factor in finding a board that is right for you. A board that is too wide feels like ass. A board that is to narrow gives you toe and heel drag, which is a drag. Summing it all up! You need to bring your boots with you to the shop and know your stance. When you get to the shop, put your boots on, lay the boards you are interested down on the carpet and jump on - adjust your stance - check the toe and heel hang - get out your wallet.