Best Time and Place to buy snowboards? (1 Viewer)

[Noah Gottula]

I've only been up out snowboarding maybe 5 or 6 times, so im no expert but I dont suck either. I was wondering where the best place (not online) to buy them is at. Also when would be the best time. I know alot of places have sales going on now, but will they get even better around April or May? I would prefer new rather than used boards. I live in Seattle so there are many different large stores around here that sell them (REI, Gart Sports, etc), but im wondering what u guys think.

 

[Ryan_C]

Noah,

I do snowboard, and I might can help you out a little. Now is the really the best time to buy any gear. The longer you wait, the less of a selection there will be. Where are you from? Check out some local board shops right now.

I just moved from NC, but I called up my local shop in NC and the guy there really hooked me up. 50% off everything I bought just about. If you can find a good shop, that would probably be the best thing. Larger stores are ok, but sometimes they tend to have salespeople that aren't that knowledgeable working there, where as the board shops are the opposite. But there are exceptions to that. I have been in more than one board shop that has the stereotypical "uh, umm, yeah dude, that board rocks" type.

How much do you want to drop on your gear? If you aren't looking to spend a small fortune or get the best, you can probably get a decent setup right now, as the high end stuff goes the fastest when the sales start.

Email or PM me if you have any questions, I will gladly try to help you out as much as I can.

ps - if you are looking for a jacket, I have one for sale that was Burton's top of the line that is practically brand new. It's a 3 layer fabric so it's very breathable and super waterproof. I have some pics I can send you if you are interested. Just lemme know...

 

[Noah Gottula]

Well I was looking for more around the entry to middle of the line stuff (as i dont think buying the expensive stuff will make any difference at my level), maybe around $400-500 for the whole setup. I guess i'll go check out some boarding places around my area and see what they have going on.

 

[Ryan_C]

That sounds like a good plan. That should get you a decent setup to last you awhile or until you decide you want to get into the sport more and get some higher end gear.

Another piece of advice I would give, is layering is the key to clothing. I would buy a shell jacket, and a light fleece vest or something of the sort to go under it, versus a heavier jacket. Believe it or not, it can get hot on the slopes towards the end of the season, and you don't want a heavy jacket on those days.

 

[AaronMg]

The best time to go shopping for a snowboard, or anything snowboard/ski oriented for that matter, is between March and June when all of the big chains do season-end closing sales.

 

[Jay H]

Now to Mid March is the best time to buy any snow gear, all the shops near me are having sales and that includes online stores... I would try to go to all the different shops and browse their selection and pick the best one for your needs and go from there.

I recently got a complete backcountry ski package for $300

$100 ($195 retail) Karhu Pavo backcountry skis (campmor local)
$40 ($60 retail) Rottefella NNN-BC manual bindings (REI)
$50 ($85 retail) Stix Composite C5 poles (REI)
$109 ($150 retail) Alpina 1550 X-C boots (backcountrystore.com)

You, being a snowboarder should have ALOT easier time finding gear because its much more popular than backcountry skiing, at least in terms of stores and stock. I could not find any store around me that had any kind of stock in X-C boots so I was forced to go online. But I've seen alot of snowboards around so find one that you like and go for it.

If you do go online, check out the usual stores,

rei-outlet.com
sierratradingpost.com
overstock.com

Even check out the canadian ones like MEC.CA or so, sometimes with the dollar, the deals are a little sweeter...

Jay

 

[Tony-B]

I don't snowboard, but I do golf, and I will apply some of my golfing logic to this. The best time to get snowboards would most likely be at the start of to the middle of summer. Seeing how golf clubs tend to be cheap in the winter becuase they are out of season, snowboards should be cheap in the summer since they are out of season! Just keep a look out for good prices around town.

 

[Kevin Farley]

One word: Burton.
Not knocking other brands, I'm sure that many of them are excellent, but Burton seems to be the BMW of the bunch...

Their catalog/website is excellent at matching boards to riding styles.

I agree about spring sales, but they're pretty damn cheap now. I'm looking at getting a new Burton soon for about 280 for the deck; that's really cheap for a Burton.

It seems like from 93-98 there was a lot of progression in board design and development, but really since then, imho, it's just graphics. If you take care of it, a new board should last years. I'd get an off season board, or even a used one a year or 2 old. What's important is getting comfy boots and good bindings. Look into clip-on bindings, they make lifts way more fun (clip-in when sitting into the chair, then at the top, just ride away ) Anyway, Good luck!

 

[Noah Gottula]

I've used clip in bindings but dont like them as much as the strap on bindings, so I think i'll still with those. Is there anything I should look for in particular in bindings? It seems most work for a variety of boot sizes.

Also boots, I know comfort is very important, but any other advise on what to look for? I have a friend that has some Vans boots that have like a metal wire that winds up to tighten them. They look like alot less effort to me but I've also heard bad things about them (wire breaking and whatnot).

What about brands. Ones i've heard good things about: Burton, K2, etc. But are there any out there that I should stear clear of?

 

[Ryan_C]

I more or less have nothing but Burton. They have been in business since '77 I think, and most of the time their low end stuff is as good as other companies mid to high end stuff. The have a 48 hour warranty replacement/fix policy. In other words, once they get your warrantied item they will get it back to you in 48 hours, guaranteed.

I would stick with strap in bindings, the general consensus from what I have heard is that they are more dependable and give a better response.

 

[Khoa Tran]

Jim Burton and Sims were the first ones to start snowboarding(arguable)...anyways i have a jim rippey burton and a gnu carbon high beam....pretty much anything from burton and mervin trust company is good...boots....northwaves and burton....bindings drake and burton....other brands could be Sims and Ride....if you notice....the Mervin boards are made in USA, and burton/northwave/drake stuff are made in Italy....as for clothing...i like sessions good quality stuff but overpriced...i got deals on my clothes...so if you find any get it because there aren't that many out there....jackets remember to get alligator gaurds...they are the gaurds around your hand area, and around the waist to keep snow from coming in....yeah so there ya go

 

[Tim Morton]

Its not Jim Burton..Its JAKE Burton( a friend of mine)....and while yes they make nice noards they are by far not the only company that does....I think i have read more missinformation on this little thread than in most HT threads...anyway...not sure where you live or what you are riding now...but here in vermont the best time of year to buy snowboard stuff is thanksgiving weekend...they have tent sales at most of the mountains and you will find real good bargains. I have two questions though...why not online? And why not used (or demo'd) You can find great deals on this years boards if you are looking to buy now before the season ends. So many people come up here in vermont for "presidents week" and buy a snowboard for 7-8 hundred bucks and then sell it because they don't want to shlep it back to the city..to me thats a great way to buy a board. One brand you may not have heard of is "Ride"..i think they make a sweet board.

 

[Kevin Farley]

Rides are awesome. My friend had one a few years back and it rode really sweet.
I miss Swag, XXX, and NineOneSix gear. Still got my Swag pants, but I miss those guys.
RIP Blunt mag, too.

naah! :p)

 

[Noah Gottula]

The only reason I dont really wanna buy online is because its hard to get a sense of the actual looks of it from just a picture. Im also worried about things fitting right. I guess it wouldn't matter so much with boards and bindings, but definately not boots. What are the best online sites to look for stuff (cheap/trustworthy/etc)?

 

[Noah Gottula]

Thx for the replies guys, turns out my local olympic sports was having a 50% off sale, so i picked up a Burton Omen board for $230.

 

[Khoa Tran]

wow that's a pretty good deal!

 

[Ryan_C]

Noah, what size did you get? That is a sweet price, that is a real high end board. Most places don't sell their boards that cheap, even at the end of the season. They lose to much on them. So congrats on that! Have you figured out what kind of boots and bindings to get yet?

Anohter place to check stuff out is cheapsnowboards.com and sierratradingpost.com. Sierra has some Burton gear, adn cheapsnowboards.com has tons of stuff with good deals, but alot of it is last seasons.

And I will give you a good deal on that jacket I have that I mentioned earlier, if you are interested in that too. I really need to sell it.

Keep us posted on the other gear you end up getting.

 

[Noah Gottula]

I got the 157. The only had that and a 166 which would have been too big for me. Haven't decided on bindings yet, been looking into Burtons, Drakes, or Rides. Same with boots, still decided/looking for deals, I kinda want the ones with the BOA lacing, cuz im lazy. Not really looking for a coat right now.

 

[Mike H]

I'm in the Seattle area now, actually the Eastside(Redmond/Bellevue area).

I'd be interested in the Jacket depending on the size and color. I'm about 5'11 and 225 so I need a bigger jacket.

I just picked up a K2 Fatbob with boots and bindings from REI. It all came to $360. I got Burton Carbide boots and Ride LS bindings.

I wanted to get the EX bindings from Ride but they didn't have them. Oh well. I'm pretty stoked about the whole thing.

Mike

 

[Ryan_C]

Mike,

I sent you a PM about the jacket.