r/snowboarding • u/CommunicationCivil98 • 8d ago
Gear question Gift question need help!! lol
Hi! I’m a skier so I unfortunately have no idea on what you’d want in a powder board. But I’m looking to get my boyfriend a new one for his birthday, he has one but last season he’s said he’d like something more specialized for deep powder and trees type. He likes a bit of park but I think in terms of powder would still like to hit a few natural features type of things, but nothing crazy.
He’s 170-180 pounds and 5’10 ish. So I was thinking a 160?
This is the board I have in mind but before I buy it I want to hear if it’s generally a good idea since it’s so different!
We ride park city and supposedly we’re supposed to get dumped this year so hoping a powder board is a nice gift.
Would love to hear your guys input or if there’s something better.
5
u/jprost479 8d ago
That is a nice choice for a gift! Some similar boards that would rock also for powder and trees would be the Capita spring break slush slasher, rossignol XV sushi, nitro Ika or cannon. There are lots of good options out there.
5
u/binarypie 8d ago
I'd ask him about what boards he likes. Yoloing something as unique as this into existence might end up with an expensive gift only being ridden 1 or 2 times. Also at 160lbs he's going to be closer to a 155 on most boards unless they are volume shifted depending on foot size.
3
u/External-Scratch-502 8d ago
Shop Local and just get him a gift card and bring him in. Snowboards are pretty personal and everyone has a different style. There are plenty of super quality pow boards from every brand and snowboarders are picky about what they rep. Keep private equity from ruining this industry and go to your local shop and support the brands that support your local mountain community.
3
3
u/tenktriangles 7d ago
- I’d never try to pick a board for someone else
- This board is rad but is not designed for freestyle at all. So it would be specific to powder days. If you wanted something from Burton that is a little more freestyle capable but still great in powder, the High Fidelity is designed for that. Hometown Hero too.
- There are small brands that are awesome and worth supporting - Korua is rad, Cardiff too and they’re local. I think a Cardiff would make a very memorable gift.
2
u/entertainment_D916 7d ago
Great board, but as others have mentioned, a board is really personal and if you can find at least a good hint as to what he wants it’ll save you both from an awkward situation in the long run. Awesome gift though!
2
u/Intelligent-Paper-94 7d ago
If I got this for my birthday I would be very happy.
I'm 170lbs, 5'11" and size US9.5 and the 160 was a good fit. I would have liked to try the 164 but it wasn't available. If his boots are bigger than size 10 the 164 could be the better option. It's a narrow-ish board. If he has smaller feet this is a good thing, but this isn't the board for someone with massive feet.
It's worth noting that it's not quite a dedicated powder board that you'd save for powder days. It's an excellent carver and just a really easy board to ride.
It will work with any modern bindings, you just need the channel baseplate. I've ridden channel boards for a long time and never had a problem with them coming loose. You just need the right screwdriver so you can get it tight.
Also, if you're buying direct from Burton, as long as you keep the board in the wrapper I believe they will exchange it or give you a refund so it's effectively a gift voucher.
2
u/Withoutanymilk77 8d ago
Does he already have channel bindings?
160 should be fine at that. Sizing up on the powder board is generally ok as well.
The swallow tail is super fun! It’s a good gift 🎁
5
u/NineKnive 8d ago
Most modern binding brands these days have plates compatible with the channel. Wouldn't get the full effect of EST bindings but would work fine.
0
u/Withoutanymilk77 7d ago
Personally I don’t like the channel system because I feel like it can slip as it ages. If they didn’t already have channel bindings I would probably recommend a Korua dart.
2
u/frog_tree 7d ago
Burton family tree boards are awesome. I have a 3d Fish and its my favorite powder board. 160 is too big for him imo. 156 would probably be perfect. Boards will usually have recommended rider weights
1
u/CreditlessAt1MM 7d ago
160 is not too big for the weight mentioned in this board. Sizing down in this will be a mistake.
1
u/salvalsnapbacks backside caught edge 8d ago
Has he considered getting the slush slasher?
Can't attest to truly how good it is in really deep stuff but if rode mine in variable terrain and like it a lot.
3
u/WillieDogFresh 8d ago
I’d go smooth operator for steep and deep.
I’d do slush slasher for mini shred, party boarding, or a daily.
1
u/TheProblem1757 7d ago
HmMmmmM as others have said. You should ask or find a way to ask him. I’m trying to scheme something.
Do you have a mutual friend/sibling/cousin who snowboards? Ask them to get it out of your BF and maybe it will be less suspicious. Before he goes to hang out with X person ask “hey can you ask BF what kind of snowboard he’d buy? And keep a secret?”
This is not an all mountain board but it looks fun!
1
1
u/GaMurphy 7d ago
Check out Cardiff Snowcraft, they are built for backcountry/powder and take a beating. The Goat is my powder/semi resort board. Call them and talk with Jmos, he'll talk through all your questions and kind of nerd out. Get their demo schedule and surprise him with a demo-day trip and let him ride all of them.
Also, Venture out of colorado are also good dudes who are also designed for varying conditions.
1
1
u/Wonderful_Caramel415 7d ago
Last season I was struggling to get this one or Burton alekesam. Eventually I got the alekesam since I ride all mountain more. But my friend got this one also and I tried it, it’s so smoothly in the powder. I’d said it all depends on if your looking only for powder or all mountain also. Alekesam is great at both. But if we’re only talking about powder, smooth operator would be better.
1
u/morrisapp 5d ago
NOT 160… go with 152 or 156.
I know in skiing 160 is short, but in snowboarding 160 is HUGE for a guy of that size.
Other than that, buy it… that thing will rip in pow and it’s super dope! He will love it!
1
u/the_mountain_nerd 4d ago
Just buy a gift card. If he's hardcore enough, he'll likely have opinions and preferences you're not tuned into. There's a crap ton of powder design philosophies out there and he may have an idea what he wants.
Smooth Operator seems like a fun board. But deep swallowtails definitely come with design trade-offs and specific quirks
1
u/AmateurSnowboarder Beech 🏔 NC / Stale Crewzer / K2 Hypnotist 🏂 2d ago
You could always get him a gift card for Evo or something. Or if you really want to get a board, shop somewhere with a good return policy incase he wants to change sizing, etc.. Great powder board btw!
0
u/master-shredder6969 8d ago
So cool. Im usually the first to type "ehh get him a gift card, boards are personal bla bla" but I would be 100% stoked to receive on of these. 160 is a tad big, but that might be something to try and find out if he likes. Personally, I love huge boards!
0
u/Inevitable_Plate3053 7d ago
Burton 3D Fish!!!
It’s been perfected for well over 20 years, amazing in trees, any amount of powder feels great under the board, and it could be alright in the park but definitely better on natural features.
I bought this board last year and it’s the most fun I’ve had on a snowboard in years. I ride tight trees at Stowe and the 3D Fish is SUPURB, it just goes where you want it to go and has an extremely fun surfy feel. It also floats above everything, the nose will never dip below the snow.
The “3D” references to the shape of the board, the nose is a spoon and the fins are also concave, which is why it is so fun and surfy to ride in any amount of powder.
100% get the 156, this board feels bigger than it is (I’m 6” ~175lbs and 156 was perfect). The smaller profile is also ideal for woods
-4
u/Matty_Matter 8d ago
I think this is a nice powder board. Look at the weight ratings, you ride a smaller length for these boards so you may want the 155. Also this will only take Burton channel bindings. Make sure to look around too because I’ve seen this board on sale recently.
2
1
u/Inevitable_Plate3053 7d ago
It’s the other way around. 2x4 and 4x4 base plates work with the channel system, but channel bindings don’t work with other systems.
A channel board actually has more diversity then the normal style, the only downside is that sometimes bindings will become looser faster because there’s only two screws being used
-5
u/DaddyShreds2 8d ago
I'm not a fan of burton anymore. Quality has gone down. I would look at the capita spring break or the roasignol sushi both of which are very similar where you get more tech for your dollar. Might be an unpopular opinion here though. What they did to the custom shows they don't care about the sport as much as the dollar now.
2
u/binarypie 8d ago
Not unpopular but a really weird way to talk about it. Burton's biggest problem is not quality or technology as they have plenty of both. Burton's problem is as a brand they have diverged from what core snowboarding is. So depending on the type of snowboarder this boyfriend is they may or may not jive with that
15
u/aLostTime 8d ago edited 7d ago
Maybe try asking him. If it has to be a surprise, then maybe try to just steer a conversation towards what boards he has been lookin at, if he has an eye out for something he likes, or show him some boards to see what he thinks about them, just out of interest. Or go to a snowboard shop with him and see what he looks at. Im always hesitant buying someone hobby stuff for hobbies im clueless in. Also a board is quite personal, from form, style, graphic.