new nitro board deliberations

[loc]

After my nitro template got downgraded to rock hopper after 3 days last season i now need to look at choosing a new board under warranty

was thinking of getting something a little stiffer and longer for carving and pow overseas. I am just on 6ft and about 100kgs - what would u guys think of a 163 nitro pantera? would it be too long to use in australia?

any other suggestions from the nitro range?

[foxpuppet]

163 seems pretty big...but definatley in your hieght/weight range...and for the style of riding you describe. if it's free go for it! get the best you can.

[dacraw]

No way would it be too big. At 100 kegs and 6 foot you'll be sweet as, no worries, in fact if you want a board for carving and pow you could go even longer. IMO people carry on a bit too much about board length especially if you want it mainly for freeriding. If you said 158 no one would say anything. An extra 5cm is SFA.

[Bo]

I'm 6'3 and around ur weight and I have a pantera 166- It is fine, nice and fast actually.

btw I also have a 154 gnu.

conclusion: It all depends on what you want from the board, freeride on the pantera go for a 163 or 166 i say- what are a cpl of cm

[foxpuppet]

Originally posted by dacraw:
An extra 5cm is SFA. actually it is ;)

[loc]

my template is 161 and now thanks to the damage is a prime candidate for park usage once i get it fixed up. Its probably a little bit too long for it - but it will do as its nice and light with a lot of flex and is fast as.

So yeah definately looking for a freeride machine for use here and o/s - would a 163/165 be too long for aussie runs do u think?

how much does weight play into the equation?

[dacraw]

Originally posted by foxpuppet:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by dacraw:
An extra 5cm is SFA. actually it is ;) </font>[/QUOTE]Meh, BS. The guy is big, 100kegs and 6 ft. He wants a board for carving and pow not park and pipe. How much of that extra 5cm do you reckon is gonna be in contact with the snow? SFA.

[loc]

Originally posted by foxpuppet:
if it's free go for it! get the best you can. its only free cos its replacing the board i spent a **** load of cash on - so i want to make sure i make the right decision

anyone else got experiences with the pantera?

[dacraw]

Originally posted by loc:
my template is 161 and now thanks to the damage is a prime candidate for park usage once i get it fixed up. Its probably a little bit too long for it - but it will do as its nice and light with a lot of flex and is fast as.

So yeah definately looking for a freeride machine for use here and o/s - would a 163/165 be too long for aussie runs do u think?

how much does weight play into the equation? Weight is more important than height and IMO that length won't be too long for Oz for a freeride board if you're on a 161 at the moment.

[dopestyle]

163 would work fine for your weight. If you want a freeride machine go for it.

[coops002]

Loc, I'm a very similar size to you and I ride anything between 157 and 163 depending on what I got planned for the day... At moment my favorite all rounder would be my rome anthem 159.
Gotta agree with foxpuppet though, 5cm is definitely not SFA as far as lengths go.

[dacraw]

Why? I'd be interested to hear why you think going from 158 to 163 on a freeride board is a big difference.

[foxpuppet]

so would you go down 5cm and sat the same? a 158 to a 153?

[dacraw]

Nup, I'd be sizing up on a freeride board. A guy in a shop was trying to tell me a couple of years ago that a 164 would be too big for me and reckoned I should go with a 158, he knew what I wanted the board for and that I'd be riding in Oz and OS. I called BS on this, bought the 164 and love it. I jumped on a mates 158 (same model) in Japan last year and couldn't tell the difference. Maybe mine is ever so slightly more stable at speed but seriously you'd want to be a scientist to split em.

[foxpuppet]

5cm can mean a lot of difference...unless you are talking identical boards. it means
more length (of course)
more width nose and tail
more waist width
more weight
more float in pow

it's ideal to keep these at a minimum. few people would ride freeride ALL the time. oz conditions just dont afford you the luxury. so unless you only ride groomers... having a longer board when you dont need it, is not a good idea. you limit yourself in what you can do on it.
i ride a 156 all the time even in japan pow. i swapped with a mate for a 158 and could barely tell the difference. then i tried a 163 after that and it was a boat...horrible to ride anywhere other than the pow. now admittedly they were different boards (56 and 58 unincs VS 163 option..vinson i think?) it was VERY different and not at all enjoyable.
however at the end of the day it all comes down to preference and what you want strapped to your feet all day...personally i want something in the 55-58 category for everything, but thats me.

[dacraw]

We obviously have different views on this and that's cool. Yeah, I'm talking about the same board in a different length. It's gonna vary more if they're not the same board.

I'd say depending on the board make/model.
More width nose and tail, maybe a smidgen.
more waist width, yeah maybe a tiny bit.
More weight, almost negligible.
More float in pow, ok then possibly a fraction

Which to me still equals SFA.

Each to their own though, I guess people will have a different take on it. I ride my 164 just about all the time but have a 159 rock hopper and that's as short as I'd ever want to go, but then again I'm not interested in park/pipe these days.

[ 15. June 2009, 04:33 PM: Message edited by: dacraw ]

[loc]

163 is on the plane from austria tonight
will post a pic when it arrives graemlins/woohoo.gif graemlins/snowboard2.gif