My 12 yr old son is asking for a snowboard for xmas.?

My son has never even skied before. He says he wants a Burton because his friends say they are the best and not to waste money on the others. I just looked and Burtons are so expensive! I hate to buy him something so extravagant to find out he doesn't even like snowboarding! Does anyone have any suggestions for a good learner's board that won't break the bank and what else do I need to buy to go with it? Doesn't he need boots or can these be rented? I hate to discourage him from trying something new, but I also don't want to spend an arm and a leg on a passing fad. Please help!

My 12 yr old son is asking for a snowboard for xmas.?
I would recommend that you do a season rental for the first year. The equipment will take a beating the first year so it is better not to destroy brand new stuff.





The other reason is that usually you want to size the board a little smaller when learning. Then once he knows how, you can get him a larger board that he can grow into. I did this exact thing with both of my pre-teens when they learned to snowboard.





And as for the Burton board (or any other brand for that matter), there is no reason to pay full price. You can find pre-season sales (Sports Authority "Sniagrab" is best) with prices at less than half the list price. Ride, K2, Rossi, and even Burton all make good boards. For a kid, the cheaper board is usually the best one to get as they will be growing out of it anyway.





Have you gone to a ski swap to look for used equipment or looked on the internet or board shops for last year's model at discounted prices?





Good luck
Reply:You can rent everything you need for a begineer rider the board with bindings, and the boots. No one to be honest really buys there set up berfore they have started riding. You should only start to consider getting your own board once you have learned your turns from heel to toe edge and toe edge to heel edge. Your right to not want to spend out before hes even had a lesson as he may find he doesent like snowboarding, and it might not seem such fun once hes taken a few knocks. If he really wants something snowboard related for christmas i would suggest getting him boots. As different brands of boots fit different people and the rental places usually only have one type of boot usually a wide fit boot but it will only be a good fit on some people on most people it wont be a good fit. Also your boots should always be the first thing you buy, then get your board and bindings, Good luck.
Reply:your the parent, you should know the saying that goes "just cause jimmy has it doesnt mean you should or need to have it too" for a 12 year old do not get a burton, for one he will probably become uninterested in it very fast, and because of the price if he does still like snowboarding later in life the board you get him now will be too small for him in two years. get a cheaper board and if he loses interest then you didnt waste a bunch of money. wait for the more expensive thing until you know he is good enough for a better board and when he stops growing as fast. hope i helped
Reply:Your best bet would, if possible to rent a snowboard/boots and get a short lesson to see if he's interested. Burton is not necessarily the best and there are many equally good companies out there. It would help if I knew your price range but i can still answer the other questions. You would need a snowboard(try to get one get a softer board,its easier for begginners), bindings, boots, and a safety leash. It would also be wise to get him a stomp pad. (softer means that the board has more flex)
Reply:I would highly recommend first taking him to a ski resort and having him take a 1 or 2 day snowboarding class to see how he likes it. They'll provide the snowboard and boot rentals, and the entire package is relatively cheap.





If it's something he enjoys after that, then consider buying him his own board. And yes, boots can be bought or rented but he does need them.
Reply:rent him and take him to a ski resort do lessons and stuff for about 140$ a season. you would end up spending about 800$ on every thing if you bought him stuff. if you don't live within two hours of a ski resort don't bother. Burtons just a well known name because he invented snowboarding. And there not the best.
Reply:Maybe you can compromise with him. That kind of equipment can be very expensive, especially if he decides he doesn't like it.





Get him a gift certificate at a ski place. You can get all inclusive ones that will have lift ticket, equipment rental and lessons.





You should probably buy him a helmet though. It's very important that his helmet fits correctly. Go to a local ski shop to get one for him.





Good Luck!
Reply:Well, it's not a passing fad if you already love it. But take him to a resort first, rent some gear, and see how he likes it. Who knows, maybe he'll hate it. I've heard only Burton's int.-adv. boards are worth the price, and any other company is good for beginning. And the other companies are good for higher up too. In short, no matter how much the board costs, or how good his friends say it is, he will suck the first season or so. Buy him a cheaper board (not a plastic one though), and when he gets better, get him a better board.








I started on a k2. You can rent boots, you need bindings, and A HELMET. By all means, break the bank to protect his noggin. You'll regret it if you don't and something happens. For beginning, if you're going to buy him new stuff, don't spend over $300 for a board, $100 for bindings and the same for boots. A way to expensive board has no use for a kid who can't ride, and he doesn't need super-reflexive and light bindings yet, and boots are a touchy subject. You don't want sore feet, or cold ones, so spend a reasonable amount.
Reply:rentals usually run about 40 a day.. do that a couple times and you could get some cheap boots and bindings from sporting goods stores, or look on ebay for brands like "liquid" and "morrow" or burton if you like.. just remember at 12 he will out grow it in a year or 2.. also you will need to either get a boarrd that comes with bindings or buy them separately.. so be sure to think abou that when looking.. you could probably find some cheap boots for like 50-80 new.. or maybe some used for cheaper
Reply:I would recommend you buy him a used board to learn on. It will be cheaper than renting in the long run, and tell him you'll buy him a brand new board next season if he is still into it.





There are plenty of places out there that sell used boards. With rentals @ $15-30 per day for boots and board you will probably be money ahead to buy used the first season.





Make sure you get him a couple of lessons at first so he can learn the basics. Wrist guards and a helmet are a really good idea too since most common injuries are a broken wrist or a head injury.
Reply:if i was you i would take him to a resort and rent him a board for two days or so....... then if he thinks he likes it go and get him a board. snowboarding is grate and fun so he will mostlikely love it.



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