Looking for a good free ride board... I think

[Breaker73]

After a demo of carve boarding at highlands a couple of years ago I got really stoked about carving. I ended up hastily buying a board, an Oxygen Proton 172 GS and it is not my favorite. It's a little too stiff and a little too fast.:smashfrea Yup, I'm a dumbass. However, I dont want to sell it cause I feel i might really want to ride it by the end of the year.

So I've been living in Hawaii for the last year now I'm back in the mountains and NEED a board to ride that is more my style, more of a freecarve or all mountain board, but I have no idea what to look for. Any suggestions?

I'm 5'9" 155lbs and just wanna cruise and carve. :biggthump Looking for something economical as well, just got back from a trip to New Zealand and I'm kinda broke...

Peace yall, and I'll see you in Feb!

[Loc]

The Prior 4WD seems to be everyone's go-to all-mountain board here.

[Ian M]

Hey Breaker73,

To me there is a large difference in character between free-carve and all-mountain boards. If you're looking to cruise and make sweet carves, go free-carve. Choose all-mountain for bumps, crud, and other non-corduroy terrain. When you're board shopping, keep in mind that buying a board that is the right stiffness for your weight is really important. Try to ask sellers how much they weigh, and whether the board suited them.

Here a few that come to mind:

Freecarve

Donek freecarve
Coiler stubby, monster
Sims freecarve2
lots more...All-mountain

Prior 4wd
Coiler all-mountainOthers, please feel free to add to this list... there are lots more boards in both categories!

[Breaker73]

Ian M,

Thanks for the reply. I looking for something to cutting up the groomed trails, thanks for clarifying the difference. Now I just need to find the right board.

[Jim Callen]

Well, Protons kinda suck. Especially for out here: they are just too stiff. Maybe pick up a used prior WCR? That would probably work out a lot better for you. There is a 177 on their website for $500. That said, you can probably find older ones cheaper on the classifieds.

[bobdea]

Well, Protons kinda suck. Especially for out here: they are just too stiff. Maybe pick up a used prior WCR? That would probably work out a lot better for you. There is a 177 on their website for $500. That said, you can probably find older ones cheaper on the classifieds.

what he said.

been on a couple protons and they just felt wrong....... thing is, it's not that they are stiff IMO it's they are stiff in the wrong places. mind you I'm fat so my yardstick for stiff is different than Jim's.
I alway kinda felt stuck in turns on protons as if I were on rails or something. the thing is they don't hold a edge all that well either....

[Jim Callen]

what he said.

been on a couple protons and they just felt wrong....... thing is, it's not that they are stiff IMO it's they are stiff in the wrong places. mind you I'm fat so my yardstick for stiff is different than Jim's.
I alway kinda felt stuck in turns on protons as if I were on rails or something. the thing is they don't hold a edge all that well either....

Ditto