I've been snowboarding for about 5 years now, and l still dont have a snowboard of my own. the snowboards that l have been renting have been from brands all over the spectrum:sims, santa cruz and a lot more. l requested the Burton 2006 catalog and received it in the mail. as l was looking through it, l saw one that l liked (Burton Feelgood), but did not understand any of the stats.

i would like to find a snowboard that is sturdy but still gives a little, and would be able to go down the mountain or through the terrain park (including jumps, the pipe, rails, etc).

what things should l consider when l go shopping for a board, and if you have any suggestions please tell me. thanks! :)

Burton boards r great, I've been riding for 20 years & have ridden about everything out there & l have been very impressed with Burton gear. l am sure u will see a ton of people here bad mouthing them but when it comes down to it, u just can not go wrong with them.

When buying a new board u should always ask yourself a few questions, like: How good am I? How much do l ride? Where do l ride? What kind of rider am I? What conditions do l ride in most? The most common stats of a snowboard r it is length, tip width, waist width, tail width, contact length, sidecut & flex.

Length is a personal preference. A shorter board is usually a little easier to manuver but not as stable at higher speeds & a longer board is more stable but a little more difficult to manuver. Most park riders like short boards & freeriders like longer boards.

The width of a board is important in that u do not want ur toes or heels hanging over the edges of ur board. Also, it is just as important that ur board is not too wide as this makes it harder to turn (I've actually torn the arch of my foot riding a too wide board, ouch!).

Sidecut is how much the sides of the board r cut in. If u use ur imagination when looking at a board u can see that the ''cut'' of the board draws out the path of a circle. The more cut, the smaller the circle & the less cut the bigger the circle. Some boards have progressive sidecuts but l wo not get into that, it is not important. Again, park & pipe riders generally like a board with a bit more cut as they need the added manuverabilty to hit the features in the terrain parks more smoothly. A board with a lot of cut can feel a little twitchy ( l call it nervous) at higher speeds & they get hooky in deep snow. A freeride board will have less cut as it is more often ridden at higher speeds with bigger turns.

Now we come to flex. Here is where people differ the most in their opinions. When l sell boards, this is how l explain it. When u r riding u r ''telling'' ur board what to do to carve. For the most part, a softer board is easier to ride as u do not have to be as exact when u r ''telling'' it what to do. Soft boards offer a very comfortable ride & great performance at slower speeds. Jibbers love them bcause they r less likely to hang up on a rail with a soft board. However, at higher speeds or in more aggressive situations a soft board will get bounced around more & not be as responsive. Now, a stiffer board needs exact instructions for u to get the most out of it. They r not as comfortable to ride because they transmit more of what is going on to u instead of absorbing it for you. But, they perform very well, especially at higher speeds. Also, the stability of a stiffer board offers a great deal of forgiveness when u land in the back seat or too far forward because the stiffness wants to keep u centered on the board.

The Burton Feelgood is a great, women is specific board. It has been consistently my best seller for the past three years. Looking at the '07 stats, it is definately an intermediate to advanced board & it rates highest in groomers, halfpipe & park. It is flex is just above medium as is its sidecut. So, after what l said above u can imagine that it rates lowest for powder & rails (too much cut to be a great powder board & too stiff to be a great jibber). All in all, I'd say it is a great board for all conditions, If u wanted something stiffer, go with the Feelgood ES, something more park/jib get the Gtwin & if u wanted a more powder specific the slightly tapered Feather would be awesome.

Hope that helped.also, when buying go to a snowboard shop not a big box store. The folks at the snowboard shop will have a much better idea what they r talking about than the dude at Big 5.

l was in the same exact situation as u just a year ago. l rented for 4 or 5 years, & wanted to get a board. l immediately wanted a Burton because they make the best boards. It is more pricey but it is really worth it. l got a 2006 Custom X, it is really, really nice. For want u want, & looking at the catalog. You would want a Feelgood. The Feather, Sterling, & Troop r all right, but if u want to hit the terrain park, & some mountain riding, l would buy either the Feelgood ES, or the Feelgood. They both have Infinite Ride, meaning that they r really strong & can take anything u throw at it. Good Luck in finding the board for you.

Have you already try ed that board you want? It´s a better to test it before you buy it.

l bought the Troop. It is a good board. It is an all-terrain board, which is good for the terrain park & for just cruisin' down the mountian. It is alittle stiff though when u land jumps & do rails. l like it though, l like the Feelgood better, but l am a poor college student who had to save up for a whole summer to buy my board & bindings. Anyways . . . . The Feelgood is an exellent board. The Feelgood ES while being more expensive is even better. It rides awesome. l got to demo it in a competition. It responds amazingly for all types of terrain. Half pipe, downhill, & park. l would definately recommend the ES, if u do not mind spending alittle extra.

I've been riding my feelgood for about 4 yrs now and it is great. l has a little snap to it but not to much. it is great in the terrain park, but also great for just freeriding.

the best snowboarder has the ability to skate on anything that under their feet.