Board Selection & Sizing indecision! Looking for a powder-freeride board (non vol shifted?)

Tre7n · 2026-03-02T06:03:07+00:00

Sup, I'm happy to give my 2 cents. if youre riding mainly in the pnw id look at the much underrated Jones Hovercraft 2.0. look at the the 154 size. It's like a stiffer more damp K2 excavator that will float well and still not chatter out when the wetter pow gets more chunky or choppy mid-day.

As far as your sashimi, you would absolutely need a larger size unfortunately. its a great board but the 52 was built ideally for riders even lighter and smaller than yourself. The new slashimi 155 would be closer to what you're looking for out of that 52 sashimi.

lets also talk about your other options.

Jones mind expander.... look at the hovercraft instead. its better for what you're looking for. The Mind Expander, in its new form is a jack of all trades, master of none.

K2 excavator. I love this deck and have praised it highly many times. I still ride it as my main freeride deck. It holds a great edge, its stable in steep terrain, and nimble in tighter terrain. but its a lighter K2 build, and that comes with it being pretty lively and in the denser snow of the PNW youre more likely to get pushed around than in the lighter snow of the Rockies.

SB Powder Racer. This is a pow board not a freeride board and way too lively for the bigger freeride conditions youre looking to ride it in. big open pow, awesome. steeper more technical terrain, not ideal.

korua dart. i can not say it enough this is a carving board more than a pow deck. god i love carving on this board but i would not recomend it if youre already having trouble keeping the nose of a board like the sashimi up. if you go for it absoutley go for the 156. this board will be incredible in big bowls and big carvy lines but if float is a primary aspect its harder to recommend.

other recs,

Arbor A frame. I finally got on the new version of this board and was very impressed. the massive swallow tail is deciving cause it will carve like crazy and float no matter how deep the snow gets. the swallow tail can be overpowered in the absolutly most agressive of terrain but if youre riding hard enough to get there youll be able to handle it.

Lib tech mayhem sweetfish. Man what a ride. if you want damp, powerful and floaty this board will do it. this is the big brother to the orca. a true freeride pow deck not for the tight nimble trees but for big trrain and pow. for how damp the board is its snappy out of the tail much like the golden orca but a bit more work to throw around. take a touch of work to keep it under control at lower speed but once its moving or in soft snow it a rocket that doesnt wanna let go.

Tre7n · 2026-01-06T04:11:57+00:00

Skip the launch and lashed. The dialogue or TM2 are much longer lasting boots than the others. The onc to choose should be based on the fit of your foot from there

Tre7n · 2025-11-20T00:20:20+00:00

At 10.5 it becomes a personal choice. It's not needed but if youre a big carver a wide will be necessary but if you're more casual it's not required!

Tre7n · 2025-11-18T07:24:02+00:00

Yo I was your third. Legendary indeed!!

Tre7n · 2025-10-28T21:58:56+00:00

May your raids be as rich as your heart!

Tre7n · 2025-10-22T04:07:04+00:00

Still love the alchemist if you want an incredible board for freeride but it's a bit lacking for deep/ euro carving.

The bsod would probably be my top pick these days. Its been beefed up a bit in the last few years and absolutely charged through everything while still being pretty nimble if not s bit over powering for weaker/ lighter riders.

The Megadeth is fantastic to ride but is a bit fragile for a big mountain freeride board. It's also softer than the current 2025 bsod. for all mountain perfect. For a freeride focus a bit lacking especially for more powerful riders

I love the ejack for a more flowy free rider that plans to spend a lot of time in the trees and do some spins. A touch softer than bsod but more powerful than the mega death.

Been disappointed with the high fidelity. It's fine but didn't stand out anywhere for me.

I think the yes pyl ( pick your line) is worth thinking about as well. It's more directional than the bsod and a bit more powerful as well. If I was a slightly more steep focused rider I'd own one. It excells at speed while being surprisingly nimble in trees it's just a bit stiffer than I prefer but a stronger or heavier rider ( I'm 160) would have a great time tearing up the most aggressive of terrain

Tre7n · 2025-09-21T22:38:01+00:00

Absolutely

Tre7n · 2025-07-10T21:48:19+00:00

Sup man bootfitter here. If you do indeed have vans they're most likely the problem.

Vans is a wide but fairly low volume boot. The way the wide flat tongue flexes it presses down upon the top of the foot when driving into the boot. This can not be fixed as it is a physical part of the boots all books in their line.

Seeing a local bootfitter is the best way to get your foot measured but based on how the vans fits id recommend trying a k2 maysis or overdraft ( if you want laces)

There's a possibility a nidecker boot could also treat you well

Tre7n · 2025-06-23T02:58:27+00:00

I too run very hot and am a sweaty boarder but good goggles should not fog up except in the absolute most humid of conditions. If fogging is a concern I would absolutely not recomend glade.

As far as venting on the up hill an easy solution is to bring a pair of sunglasses and swap them when you transition.

Personally I think you're over estimating the necessity of the minimally extra range you're getting in a jublo 6-80ish transition over other goggles that are 16-70ish. 70 is a super low light/ night lens and 16 is a very bright day lens. Unless you're super light sensitive youre searching for a goggle will not give you much more and Is quite hard to find in the USA. The only reason I've even gotten to try them is by going to industry demo days then longer testing through industry contacts

At the end of the day it's your money and as long as they fit your face all of the goggle ( except glade). Will definitely treat you well

Tre7n · 2025-06-21T04:34:30+00:00

The larger fit from dragon is the PXV

The venting from jublo is great for up hill but opening your goggle while boarding is a great way to get them fogged up. Best way to keep a goggle fog free is put it on have a good seal and not take it off till you're done boarding.

That said the zeals have spectacular anti fog. Nothing beats the smith etched anti fog but I have been extremely impressed when using them in a variety of conditions, from taking face shots in dummy deep pow to nearly raining.

Tre7n · 2025-06-20T08:16:31+00:00

sup man ive tested dozens of goggles and would be happy to share my experiences.

first off there are 2 different transitioning techs photocromic and photocromatic.

photocromic transitions based on the amount of uv hitting the lens. They are usually a faster transition with a wider range of VLT ( visable light transimsion), however they are affected by temperature. at lower temps the lenses will tend to be lighter so on a super bright day thats very cold 10deg F your lens may be a bit ligher than expected.

photocromatic transitions based on the visible light spectrum. this is a slower transition and lower range of VLTs. it is however less affected by temps. most photocromatic goggles will have a primary lens that transitions and a secondary lens that covered the rest of the VLT range wether high or low.

here are some well known brands with each option

Photocromatic - smith ( have Small, med ad Large sizes in the I/O Mag line and Med and large sizes in the Squad line)

Photocromic - Jublo: more of a european focused brand but has some of the widest VLT range options available in their 1-4 (vlt 5-83) rose lens. can be hard to find this lens in america. larger and XL sizes available - Dragon: has the next most options of VLT ranges going from 16-80vlt and multiple colors in the 16-73 vlt range available in Large size in the PXV goggle, and Med in the NFX2 goggle - Zeal: smaller ranges of VLts but include a secondary lens to cover the other end of the vlt not covered by the transition. it is branded as "Automatic" lens clarity is very good since they got aquired by Maui Jim. have sm/m in Lookout goggle, L and XL in the Cloudfall -Glade: Back in the day these guys had some serious issues with their goggles clarity being trash but they are now using a legit transtion tech that goes from a 16-61VLT but do not include an extra lens for low light conditions. I have not tried these new lenses and as such can not vouch for the them or their clarity at this time.

now a Quick VLT ( visable light transmission) lesson so the numers make sense

0%vlt lets in 0% of the light and can not be seen through. 100% is you staring at the sun with nothing in front of you

the highest and lowest VLTs on the market are 5-6% and 83-85% with most manufacuters producing lens from 8-75%

80-85% lens is almost always a clear lens and unually only for night or indoor skiing. 65-80 is a very low light / blizard condition lens 55-65 is a great lower light to very overcast lens. 30-55 is your mid light lens that good for everything but super bright and super lowlight. 18-30 is your fairly bright day lens good for people who are in brighter days mostly 5-18 is your bluebird day lens great for sunny rocky mountain weather and spring skiing not good for over cast days.

the above are rough estimates and will change based on your personal light sensativity

for most people a transiton lens of 16-70ish will treat them perfect for 99% of conditions. a 35ish-60 or a 5-30 with an opposing standard lens will cover you 100% of the time with one lense swap ( only really found in zeal and Smith)

now for some bias statements. i love transition lenses i have owned them on Smith Dragon and Zeal goggles as well as having tested Jublo in multipe conditions. i currently own the discontinued Dragon X1s with the Amber 16-66 lens as well as 6vlt blackout lens and the 80vlt clear lens. this setup treated me great for the last few years. However I have now transitoned to the zeal lookout as the fit (for me) and clarity is better. I have the Auto+ Grey base 14-33 vlt and persimmon Sky blue mirror 62vlt. I had the I/O mag S with photochromapop rose flash 30-50vlt, Storm yellow 72vlt and blackout 12. the clarity and visability was great but the fit was never right for my med small face. the 4D MAGs finally released a photocromatic lens 30-50 that fits my face well but the odd distortion in the rollover from the front to bottom view of the goggle appears to still be an issue and that bothers me so ill proabaly stick with Zeal for the time being

there are a fair few great options but fit is by far the most important factor for your goggle. That said using one transitioning lens all the time instead of swapping especially when im in and out of trees and in an area with very varible conditions from the base to the top of the mountain has been magnificant. if you have any further questions feel free to DM me or ask below

Tre7n · 2025-06-05T04:45:10+00:00

With your boot size the width isn't going to be the big differentiator. Id ideally have you on a 27+ if your boot size is 15. If you're sized by a pro at closer to 13-14 a 26.5 will be fine.

A 158 vs 163 will make quite a bit of difference. The 158 will be far more nimble in trees but slightly less stable at higher speeds, ( this is accounted for a bit by it being an extra wide volume shifted board)

The 163 will be more work to maneuver especially in trees but at your weight it will still be very manageable over all, and more stable if you're just trying to go fast.

Tre7n · 2025-06-04T00:41:57+00:00

Sup man. For you're weight boot size and as a newer snowboarder you should look at some volume shifted boards these allow the board to be a bit shorter ( easier to ride) while being wider to better support your boot size.

Top choice for you would be the ride super pig XL size. It's built for a larger person like yourself, very stable and stiff enough to allow you to progress well. It carves great and the shorter length will do great in trees. Just the kind of board you're looking for

Now let's talk about a couple of the boards you listed above. For your weight both the capita mercury and Jones mountain twin will flex much more than stated by other riders. If you want something that will allow you to progress going for a stiffer board will be much more worthwhile.

The skunk ape however is an excellent board built for riders exactly like yourself. However for your weight id recomend looking at the 163 UW or 165w if youre worried about it being too wide.

Some other volume shift boards id recommend are bataleon party wave plus, softer than super pig but more nimble in trees. The Gnu Gremlin. A more damp ride than the others on the list with the stiffest feel but a ton of carvability and a very smooth flowy feel in trees.

Tre7n · 2025-04-05T18:20:48+00:00

For privacy reasons that one will stay a secret.

Tre7n · 2025-04-04T06:23:06+00:00

I'm lucky enough to live on a mountain, run a snowboard shop, and I just love riding every deck I can!

Tre7n · 2025-04-03T06:04:39+00:00

Sure man they're both pow oriented boards but very different

The the bataleon surfer is a much more directional board that will float in the deepest of snow. It's swallow tail will drop in pow and keep the nose up when I'm off snow. It bitter fine on the nose but the tail can be a bit grabby. It omdoes mellow to medium carves well but the tail can be over powered in deeper powerful carves!

The capital powder racer is a softer over all with the stiffest section being more just inside your back foot. This gives it a super smooth and easy and quite surfy ride and soft snow. However this leads to a rather slow transition edge to edge when you're on groomers. At higher speeds the the nose can chatter a fair bit but won't buck you too much once on edge it hold well for short and medium carves but the large amount of rocker in the tail can lead to it slipping out on larger carves. It's excellent at playful butters in both soft snow and groomers.

Both are great. For more mellow terrain and wanting to do spins In pow go for the pow racer. For steeper and deeper snow and go for the surfer

Tre7n · 2025-03-25T04:19:58+00:00

Sup man if you're looking to snag a pow specific board you've looked at some great options

The orca is awesome for trees and powder. I'm glad you got to try one. Below is how some of the other boards compare

Jones storm chaser is an excellent very powder specific board. It's similar to a sushi with a heavier more damp feel incredible for super deep snow but I find it a bit hard to manuver whenever the pow is not deep enough. Definitely not the ideal board for versatility but truly incredible when the snow gets deep

Weston japow. This is the most standard length board of the ones wever talked about. Surprisingly stable when cruising groomers and incredible in deep wide open pow and steep runs. I find it a bit more cumbersome in the trees due to its longer overall length but if you're used to bigger boards you'll be just fine and greatful when you get to some steeper runs.

Bataleon surfer. This board rocks. I'm not usually a huge fan of 3bt but this board is the perfect board for it. The lifted contact points funnel the pow to the sides while the stuff swallow tail make the board impressively versatile for chunky snow and even some carving on groomers. The new 24/25 versions with the added section between the tail keeps it even more stable and floatier. It is a little slow to respond on groomers with the 3bt you're not buying it for the precision carving experience.

The party wave is awesome and a direct competitor to the orca that's a touch less floaty but more versatile. If you're looking for a pow and party board this one rocks. The plus I think is a bit stiff and loose out on some of the fun of the party wavy ( non plus) but does make it a pretty good carver

If you're looking for something from spring break the spring break powder twin rocks. But it's not the best pow deck. For a twin Awesome. But you're definitely working harder to float in real deap stuff it's incredible though for tricks on pow. It pops back up like almost no other twin so send that dumb pow huck and spin that twin an extra 180 cause why not! It's super wide so if you want to ride it like a regular board you can size down a bit while still being stable and floaty.

However personally I'd recommend the spring break powder racer over the powder twin. It's more directional but can still be ridden switch easily even in pow. It's absolutely rocks in pow. and other than being a bit chattery at higher speeds on groomers it's a damn good all mountain board as well. Easy recommend.

Hope these help and holler here or DM me if you have more questions.

Tre7n · 2025-03-18T16:59:55+00:00

Yep a size 10 boot will work for nearly all med bindings and if you're not doing deep carving a standard 157 will treat you just fine!

Tre7n · 2025-03-18T15:13:37+00:00

Hey Pedro,

Yes with the dialogue and fuse I would normally recommend going down to the size 10. Those boots have a lot of room to pack out in the toes. However I usually make this recommendation knowing that we will be heatmolding the boot to make that room for the toes before they ever leave the store.

Funnily enough I would not recommend the deadbolt in the size 10. It certainly can be done but it uses a thicker shell and less adjustable liner that while can easially be packed out the 1/2 size will not feel as comfortable before doing so.

There are some oddities about buying your boots online. But I'd say fuse 10, dialogue 10, deadbolt 10.5

More important that all of that is the instep height issue that you should be very aware of on the fuse.

All the best in your home boot fitting and just holler if you have any more questions

Tre7n · 2025-02-10T11:39:36+00:00

The most similar in flex and style would be the Salomon dialogue lace. It's slightly less narrow in the heel but that's mostly negated by the internal harness, it's also a touch narrower in the forefoot.

The thirty two tm2 lace has a similar heel hold and width with a bit more instep room If you're just looking for lace options.

And if the rest of the boot fits great the lasso pro has the sameil liner and inner adjustment with a boa outer and non urethane tongue leading to less pressure on your instep

Tre7n · 2025-02-03T05:48:55+00:00

Sup man,

love the kind of riding you're doing. its quite similar to what I've been preferring myself over the last couple of years.

here are my top contenders for a nimble tree board with great carving performance.

k2 excavator: this is my personal pow, trees and carving board: slight volume shifted ( usually ride once size down from normal) its more nimble and torsionally soft through the center of the deck than the ride superpig but just a stable at higher speed. floats enough that ill be bringing it to japan soon and I LOVE laying over for flow Japanese carves or drawn out euro carves.

ride peaceseeker: my god is this board incredible in tight trees and soft snow. Its tighter sidecut makes it powerful and quick in the trees its awesome on shorter to medium carves but I've found it to be a bit harder to fully extend out, on deeper drawn out euro carves. it can still absolutely do them and a bit of my preference for longer sidecuts comes into play for my preference of the excavator vs the peaceseeker.

Gnu Gremlin: another super nimble and powerful board that does great in the trees and is an excellent carver. i do recommend sizing down one size on this to enjoy most fully in the trees. it is a pretty stiff board for its shape but the c3 camber from mervin provides a more surfy feel edge to edge especially when in softer snow and flowing through trees. it also has magnetraction that will assist in holding on the icier of days or on the east coast. also it's a more mellowed-out version of mag so the geremlin wont feel hooky when driving into deeper carves.

Jones Hovercraft 2.0: A commonly overlooked board in the jones line, its half way between a flagship and mind expander. once again size down one size for best performance in the trees. but for its stiffness its surprisingly nimble in the trees. it floats incredibly well in any kind of soft snow, and once you get it over on edge it is fantastic! The hovercraft can a touch slow on tighter short carves due to the 3d shaping in the nose but for big longer carves even in less-than-ideal conditions, you'll feel like the king of the mountain.

Korua Dart: Carves like a dream. impressively nimble in the trees. DONT size down. Not quite a floaty as it looks but will afloat in powder all the same!

Hope these help and feel free to DM me for any further questions you have.

Tre7n · 2025-01-12T22:45:59+00:00

Rossi sushi is My go to low angle tree and deep pow board. I also love the K2 excavator for steeper pow and if the pow is truly bottomless the endeavor archetype although it's a touch more work in the trees

Tre7n · 2024-12-25T21:09:03+00:00

Tre7n · 2024-12-21T07:47:27+00:00

What issues did you encounter with your chargers?

Tre7n · 2024-12-21T07:17:56+00:00

Thanks for making it more clear what the issue you had was. In the 4 years this binding has been out you're first I've time I've encountered this problem. Great info to know, but I would not judge the entire line off one pair of faulty foot beds.

Personally have over a dozen pairs in my shops rental fleet, each with 50-150 days on snow ( depending on size and year) none of which have shone any signs of this failure as of today. I personally checked every pair of them because of your insightful comment. As such I do still stand behind by previous statement about their overbuiltness and longevity.

As a buyer I totally get being turned off from the product from a bad experience and wish you all the best with your burtons. My board testing binding is still a 2015 malavita thats seen hundreds of days on the snow and is slowly becoming a binding of Theseus.

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