Well in short… We don’t sell Junk.  There is a difference between entry level EQUIPMENT and entry level BRANDS of snowboards.  Unlike the Internet we have face-to-face contact with our customers.  We don’t have the luxury of hiding behind a website and an e-mail address.  We have to answer to our customers and we don’t want to be responsible for ruining their trip by selling them an inferior product.  You are planning a vacation, your expenses include gas, hotel, lift tickets, food, all of which add up quickly.  You shouldn’t have to worry if your gear is going to break after one run.  Let me put it to you this way, why is a KIA $8000 brand new but a BMW or MERCEDES is $60,000 brand new?  There is a reason for that; you get what you pay for. The same is true with skiing and Snowboarding but on a smaller scale of course.

Chin to nose can work in most cases but it’s not the real way to size a board.  What happens when there is a high school kid who is 6’3″ but only weighs 130lbs?  Do you give him a 168cm board because it comes up close to his chin?  You do if you never want him to snowboard again.  There are many factors in sizing someone for a board.  Height, weight, ability level, riding style, where you spend most of your days riding.  All of these things play a factor in sizing for a board.   Snow conditions change on a daily basis.  Some people have the luxury of having different boards for different snow conditions.  Most only have 1 board that will be used as their all mountain/all conditions board.  We can help you pick out that one board that will work for you in all conditions.

First question I would ask the sales person is “Are you on commission?”  Depending on the answer, you’ll just have to feel your way through the process and make sure everything they explain makes sense to you.  It’s real easy to start spitting out snowboard technical lingo. Its designed to make the brands sound cutting edge but it really makes the customer feel overwhelmed and it sounds like the salesman is speaking a different language.  It’s easy to throw out words such as DIRECTIONAL, TWIN, SETBACK, REVERSE CAMBER, ZERO CAMBER, and my personal favorite TWINISH. Snowboarding lingo can be broken down and explained in plain English so make sure you understand what you are being told.  I f the sales person can’t explain the differences in terms then you might as well be selling yourself the snowboard.  There should always be options from multiple board makers.

Best thing to do is come in and talk to somebody who actually snowboards.  Let us help you pick something out that you are going to love.

Our staff is welcoming, friendly, and most importantly, we ride. Every member of our staff Skis or Snowboards and we take pride in our ability to inform and educate our customers. We are dedicated to providing fast, friendly service and we believe this is what sets us apart from every other shop.

Yes it does matter the board you learn on, boards come in different sizes with different shapes and flex patterns.  It’s important to match up your ability level with the right equipment.  You know the guys you see flying past you on the hill, they know something that you don’t.  We can help educate you and help you pick out equipment that is going to help you get better. Or you could ask the always-helpful ebay; they seem to have all the answers.