Which Board and How do I pick the right one-

1. STAY AWAY FROM FLOW.  read this to learn why:
http://www.sierrasnowboard.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=28600

the board is a fine choice.  the surf thing, though, really only comes into play if youre riding pow on a tapered (wider nose than tail) rocker board, as far as how it actually feels to ride.  the only other similarity is the concept of rocker being "more floaty."

i would look into your basic bindings from union, burton, rome, and maybe a couple others.

union force, union data, burton mission, burton cartel, rome 390, rome united.... all pretty much medium flex bindings, not too spendy, great all around.

that setup wont be hard to learn on, but it will also carry you through to a higher skill level.. which will be in years, but thats not the point.

i did.

number one, the speed-saving thing is a gimmick that doesnt matter.  think about it.  you saved 10-20 seconds, maybe.  did that make anything better?  no.  not at all.

number two, the bigger one, they compromise performance because of the way the highback is attached and set up, and the single strap is not as responsive and specific as two straps.



in short, they simply do not offer any REAL benefits over normal bindings whatsoever.  they are only a step down, plain and simple.  as i said, there is no reason whatsoever to get flows unless you are a 100% beginner that hardly rides and doesnt care about continuing to ride and improving your skills, or if youre old and have physical problems, but even then, you still have to bend over to pop the highback up.

conventional two strap bindings are better in every way.

why do you WANT flows?  do you have a real legitimate reason?

very good board choice!
but dont get the flow bindings, the only good thing about them is that you can strap in fast.


Get a binding like burton cartel or union contact. i think you will be much happier with those choices.

Spenser pointed out a very good point. When you snowboard, it's performance that really matters. Lets put it this way, strapping in faster doesn't give you a better (quality) run done the slope. Take 10-20 seconds more to strap in and have a run that get you stoked is the essence of snowboarding. Like taking a heli up a mountain for only 1 good run is way better than doing 100 runs down your local ski resort.

how are you not getting it?  i clearly stated why flow is no good, multiple times.  the time to strap in and the performance issue IS the reason why theyre no good.

as for size, there is no specific formula for board sizing.. it depends on a lot of things.  i told you why.  by your weight, youd be on a larger board, but as a beginner, its nicer to start out on a slightly shorter board.. and you ride in australia, and lets face it... youre not going to be on any serious terrain.. so a larger board is unnecessary.  also, because you are shorter for your weight (or heavy for your height, either way), your height does factor in a little bit, because you cant get as much leverage over the board as an average-height person for your weight.. so you knock the size down a little again.  thats why a board closer to 156 is going to be better for your specific case, but thats just my opinion.  if anything, i size boards slightly larger than most people ride, so im not cutting you short.

i have had all of those bindings and ridden them extensively.

as far as more forgiving ("softer") to more responsive ("stiffer") it goes like this:

contact - mission - cartel/force.  the cartel and force are very very similar as far as how responsive they are.. i cant really tell a difference.  all that basically means is how quickly and strongly the bindings respond to your movements, and how supportive and powerful they are.

the contact is definitely the least responsive.. i love them, but only on a smaller softer board that i use for jibbing and messing around.

the mission is a great binding for the price, and probably between the contact and cartel/force as far as response/stiffness, but closer to the cartel/force.

the cartels are also a great binding for the price.. you get a little more than missions.. upgraded buckles, straps, materials.... they are an all around medium flex, good for anything, and youd probably enjoy them on the TRS BTX.

same goes for forces as cartels, but even more so.  the force is my favorite binding.  not soft, not stiff, just right in the middle.  good cushioning, awesome straps, damp (sucks up vibrations well), and i simply like everything more than any other binding ive had.



i would guess that you would be happy with any of them, but the best bang for your buck is probably forces.  union is an amazing company.

sounds like a rad choice.  something i would definitely ride myself.