My Daughter is 10 and wants her first board.It has been suggested that l get an inexpensive board and step in bindings/ boots so when she falls she will come out of the bindings instead of staying in and injuring her knees and hips.l found a Roxy board and Ride Orion Sl boots/bindings for less than $150.l found a Burton 126 cm board for $95 but was told she needs a bigger board. She is 4 ft 6 in and weighs 65 lbs. Help!Confused Mom!!!!

Whoa, Whoa, Whoa!!!

First off, there r no snowboard bindings that release. Knee & hip injuries r not very common in snowboarding especially for a beginner. This does not mean that it does not happen but it is very rare & usually more of an issue for advanced boarders who r riding expert terrain & jumping. Keep in mind that the way u fall on a board is much different than with skis. On skis, if one ski twists & does not release u get leg & knee injuries. On a snowboard, since both legs r attached to the same board when it twists in a fall, ur whole body will twist with it. By far, the biggest injury concern for a beginning snowboarder r broken wrists. Invest in a good set of wrist guards & lessons for ur daughter & u should be all good.

l think l replied to a few of ur other questions & would like to reiterate that the Orion & Roxy setup is not bad..it just is not that good. For $150 it is a steal & ur daughter should have a great time with it. As she gets better & more intune with what she needs she can upgrade as necessary. Keep in mind that replacing the boots for the Orion setup will be very difficult so buying this system now may make it difficult to upgrade later. A 126 cm Burton board (Like the Chopper or the Chicklet) has a suggested weight range of 55-100 lbs. So she is right there in the middle & that would work but she will grow out of it very quickly. If she is ridden before & says she needs a bigger board then she probably does. Something in the low 140 cm lengths would be great (the Feelgood 144 ranges from 70-110 as does the Lux 143). l am really not familar with the specifics of the Roxy boards but it is a safe bet that similar lengths r good for the same weight ranges. Here r a couple of links to questions about what to look for when buying a snowboard:

http://..com/question/index;_ylt=AidTGsgFeIRq9r5kv9TjEn_zy6IX?qid=20060703151316AA3XHPR

http://..com/question/index;_ylt=Auu0mzra5RDKQ6gOwxH5gv7zy6IX?qid=20060620063216AAnYRli

http://..com/question/index;_ylt=Aqo06L3J46v49_u8jGVOFMfzy6IX?qid=20060617043735AAOSFSx

Also the Burton website is a good resource, even if u do not intend to buy a Burton.

http://burton.com/default.asp

Feel free to contact me if u have any specific questions.

EDIT:

Ugh! No offense to torrado_fan4evr but u must keep in mind that a snowboard has absolutely no idea how tall its rider is. There r so many formulas for how long ur board should be; To ur chin if you're a beginner, To ur nose for park riding, Above ur eyes for big mountain. They r all wrong. If u r very tall, yet only weigh 120 lbs, u do not want a board that reaches ur eyes & if u r short but weigh 200 lbs u would be miserable on a board that came just under ur chin.

Remember, YOUR HEIGHT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. It is ur weight, ur ability level, the kind of riding u do & personnal preference. Keep in mind that kids r going to grow & u do not want to replace expensive equipment every season. A smaller board is easier to learn on but the question is; How long is ur daughter going to be a beginner? Do not buy a board for learning unless u plan to upgrade as soon as u r not a beginner, that is what renting is for. Buy a board that u can learn on but will carry u to a more advanced level.

And torrado_fan4evr is correct. Burton equipment is less compatible than other board companies. It uses a different binding mount system then other companies. There r adaptors that work great but if u go with Burton (and non Burton bindings) be sure to check with ur shop before buying to be sure of compatability.

You usually want a board that fits under ur chin when u r standing straight. Shorter boards r easier to learn on. l am 5'3'' & l learned on a 138 cm. Stay away from Burton unless u r going to buy everything in Burton. They purposely make their stuff non compatible with other companies.(I've made that mistake once before). As for binding types, it is personal preference. I've been boarding for 15 years & refuse to try step ins. l am a crusty old lady set in my ways l guess. Try renting before u buy if u can. That way u will have a better idea of what she feels comfortable with. Most stores that sell the stuff will let u demo.

k first there is no bindings that will just release, knee injuries r very common in snowboarding, Ive been boarding for about 4 years & l have had lots of knee injuries, but there not always major, falling is a part of snowboarding, once she gets better she will not fall as much, but as l said, everyone falls, some fall on easier stuff than others, like jumping & expert terrain, the best could still wipe out, l would personally go with the Burton snowboard, there the best money can buy & they r really dependable, & for the bindings l would go with strap in, because when snow & ice get into the step ins, they r really hard to get into & really hard to get the ice & snow out of, Ive been boarding for 4 years, like l said earlier, & Ive always went with the strap in, & plus, with the strap in, if her friends r in a hurry, the strap in takes like 1 minute & ur good to go

NEVER GET A BOARD THAT YOU CAN FALL OUT OF WAY TOO DANGEROUS. LOOK FOR FLOW BINDINGS, THEY HAVE A THING WHERE YOU STEP IN THROUGH THE BACK AND PULL THE BACK UP AND HIT A THINGY ON THE BACK AND YOUR IN! YOU DONT FALL OUT THAT EASY. YOU DONT WANT ONES THAT COME OFF YOUR FEET BECAUSE THEN YOU HAVE TO EITHER CHASE YOUR BOARD DOWN THE MOUNTAIN, OR RUN BACK UP TO GET IT AND IT HURT WAY WORSE WHEN YOU FALL. FOR HE BOARD YOU WANT NOT A WALL MART BOARD BUT SOME THING THAT GOSE UP TO THE TOP OF HER HEAD, AND FLEX'S (TRUST ME SHE WILL LOVE IT).
WELL l HOPE l HELPED.
-SOMEONE

l think that step-in binding were a fad & hass passed. They seem to easy to step into, but snow can get packed in them so much that u have to stop & dig it out. A lot of the pros have straps, personally l think it is because u can tighten it so that it is more stable & when u lean ur board goes with you. With the step-ins u have too much wiggle room that makes ur board not as responsive to ur body movements. Just what l have hear. l like straps & always have. l started when l was 14 & a cheaper board worked just fine for me. l used it for two years & got a nicer one once l learned. Make sure she likes it before u invest all this money in something she might not like just so that she can look good on her first run. Renting is a good idea. She should keep in mind that she will be falling a lot, but tell her to stick with it, because once u get it. it is a blast!

There r no step ins that release. For a beginner it is probably best to go with step ins or click ins as l call them because it will be a a lot easier to get them on & off when ur first getting the hang of everything. Once u get more experienced & know what ur doing, strap ins will be way better. Since ur daughter is still growing, u do not want to get her a really expensive board that she will just grow out of. l would sugest u get something that is not too expensive but is safe & good quality. Roxy is a good brand & they make boards especialy for girls. Burton is good too but l would sugest u go with Roxy for ur daughter. The other thing too is what if ur daughter does not end up liking snowboarding? And you've just got her all this equipment. l would sugest that u rent the equipment on her first try. If she likes it than go buy a board etc. l do not know where u live, so l do not know what stores u have, but if u go to a sporting goods store or a store that sells snowboards u can ask them all ur questions & they can help u find the right board for ur daughter. Good luck!

well l would go with strap in bindings. plus no bindings releas when u fall. burton is a really good brand name board but l wouldnt spend that much money because she is still growing. in 2 years or lesit will be to small. so for a beginer probably the roxy. oh yeah l forgot to tell u that step in bindings r a pain in the butt. they get clogged with snow all the time. snowboarding is the best!!!!!!!!!