Ippy's Snowboard Buying Guide

Sierra reverse crew is the 2010 custom V. It IS the 2010 custom V, (im not just saying it is like it :) Its made by burton for sierra from the same press as the custom V. It was a late release (feb2010) board) So if you want a nice burton all mountain board that will carry you through your progression in a fun loose playful way it might be a nice choice. 

(Things to consider in the interests of accuracy (you might want to skip this if you dont really care about the details): It has been suggested its the 2011 custom-V, but the 2011 custom-v doesnt actually exist :) The 2011 custom was the flying V camber (camber and reverse camber), not straight reverse camber. 

It also does not have the burton channel system, but a standard 4*2 insert pattern. This means you can use any bindings you like with it (except Burton EST), but it also means you dont have infinite stance options.    
It doesnt have frostbite edges (which is a reverse sidecut at the bindings adding a little extra grip). 
Finally it does not have infinite ride, so it will over time mellow down (as most boards do). 

And one more thing: you may have to tune the top sheet by filing it if you want it to stay chip free. Most sierra boards DO have topsheet issues (including the capita ones). Although cosmetic and not affecting your ride, if you do buy one, go hunt down the thread on how to keep it from chipping and get to work (it takes about 5 minutes), and will keep you more than happy. 

The sierra crew IS the 2009 Burton Custom. Again a mid season (ie, late) release for sierra made entirely by burton. It has the same qualifiers above so no need to repeat them. If you think youll be riding for a while, then its a great board. If not, and you just want to check out and maybe hit up the resorts a few times a season, then its probably best to go with something a little softer (the sierra team for example) or something more playful (the reverse crew/stunt). For an absolute beginner it might feel a bit much. But for a progressing beginner it'll help you push your fundamentals probably more than any of the other sierra boards. Probably :) Horses for courses and all that. :) Who knows what you really want to do until you experience it? :p 

The sierra stunt IS the 2010 Burton Blunt. You mentioned it above so youll be glad to know that we have it and you can buy it. :) Truth is though im often reluctant to recommend it just because i think people will outgrow it pretty fast and want something a little more on point once they start hitting the red and black runs. Perfect for mellow cruising, and also great for mucking about in teh park though, so if you just want a board you can have FUN with messing about, this one is for you. You'll get your basics down no problem and still get a carve out of it, but the faster you go, or the more difficult the terrain the less likely you'll feel in control. That's not to say in 10 years time you couldn't slay double black diamonds on it, of course you could, but as a beginner you'll find it washing out on you and losing its edge a bit the gnarlier the speed, pitch and conditions get. So yeah, AWESOME board for an absolute beginner, great board for a park rat, and great board for just cruising. But a little weak for a progressing beginner and someone who wants to get a strong foundation. For that you maybe want to go for the crew (or lesser, the reverse crew, or the sierra team) as i say. 

The Sierra Bluebird Stunning to look at. I saw one at niseko and its absolutely beautiful, but its maybe not the best choice for you. Its based on the burton Guru, which is a medium flex directional board. It comes with a 5mm taper (which just means the widest part of the tip is 5mm fatter than the widest point of the tail), the aim was to give it a spot of extra float for pow days. 5mm isnt all that much though so if you are buying this for a crypto-powder board (to the generic 'you', you of course arent) then id probably size this up a bit. Still, its a bit much board for a beginner so i'd probably look elsewhere. 

The Sierra V spot Im only putting this in for the sake of completeness. Its based on (and i hope you understand based on means IS), the Burton social of 2010. Its a soft flexing park rig similar to the stunt. I used to think it was a bit stiffer, but almost every review starts with the words "I was surprised how soft this board felt" so im gonna have to go with the masses and declare it as a super soft ultra forgiving easy playful ride. Its got burton's V rocker, is super mellow, probably wont hold up on a serious charge unless you've got some technique learned elsewhere, but will be a blast to muck about with and learn on. 

NON BURTON BOARDS BY SIERRA 

Sierra Team: Based in collaboration with Flow, this is the Flow team with a slightly softer flex apparently. Hey! im reading the same stuff you can read too :) 
If you feel the stunt might be a bit too soft, the reverse crew might be a bit too loose, and the crew might be a bit too aggressive, this could be the board you want. Standard camber so youre getting your fundamentals down, nice and cheap, and soft enough to be forgiving whilst letting you progress as you start tackling the other parts of the mountain. It also comes with a sintered base which i found pretty surprising. Definitely this one sounds like the board of choice for people who want to get their technique down but don't feel a burning need to turn up every day and practice their carves or pop. 

The Sierrascope 

I love this board. You cant buy it because it sold out ages ago. But its a blast. Flat between the bindings and edges that kick up gently giving you an awesome playful ride. Im not sure how id feel for absolute beginners on it, it strikes me more as a board youll really enjoy once you have our fundamentals down and get to really feel the mischief of it. But nevertheless definitely an awesome fun board for anyone that wants to cruise everything the mountain has to offer. :) 

There you go. My recommendations based entirely on my own prejudice in liking you to get your fundamentals down early is in order: 

The team 
The crew 
The reverse crew 
The bluebird 
The stunt 

But in order of having a playful easy time of those early days: 

The stunt 
The team 
The reverse crew 
The crew 
The bluebird 

And in order of long term progression (eep! qualified to mean progression around the mountain - from greens to reds, to blacks, to diamonds, to off piste to the whole bally lot! if its rail progression then this would probably be something else). 

The crew 
The team 
the bluebird (?) 
The reverse crew 
the stunt 

And in terms of cruising and just mucking about: 

The stunt 
the reverse crew 
the team 
the crew 
the bluebird 

And in terms of slashing pow 

the bluebird (ridden longer) 
the reverse crew 
the crew (ridden longer) 
the stunt 
the team 

I am literally pulling all of this out of my ass you understand :) 
You can decide for yourself what you want based on the idea of the boards above :)

 

for the second part, reverse camber has the contact points at the nose/tail raised in the air, which results in maybe slightly inferior edgehold at times, whereas camber has the contact points in the snow, giving it a solid edgehold when initiating into a carve...  something you could also look into is a hybrid camber like c2...  i personally like c2 vs. burtons flying v for example, since c2 has noticeable camber sections under the foot... it makes a noticeable difference when riding, and gives both the benefits of rocker and camber, and i feel there are very minor drawbacks if there are even any at all... also, magnetraction does appear some snowboards, and is in almost every mervin snowboard i believe (i don't think the hammock has magnetraction, but that doesn't matter anyway).  so if you see something that says c2btx, btx, or mtx, then it has magnetraction... magnetraction basically provides 7 bumps along the sidecut to basically serve as extra contact points on the snow... it helps a lot with improving edgehold on non-full camber snowboards, and it is there when you need it to grip onto snow or ice... however, some people feel as if mtx is too grippy and kinda pulls you along the snow, although i do not feel this way... some snowboards also have mellow magnetraction which is only 3 or 5 smaller, much less noticeable bumps... i know that is featured in several if not all of the jones boards. 

The result is really that you have less support on your edge. The faster you go, the more likely youre going to be on a sharper edge (ie carving), so reverse camber boards will have a tendency to just slide out from under you because unlike with camber boards, theres no contacts biting into the snow and keeping you stable. 

Of course, this is all fixed by good technique. :)

And regarding question 1. 

A few effects off the top of my head (but do keep in mind these are pretty much exaggeration for the purpose of observation so to speak. You likely wouldnt notice all that much difference to be honest).

The first is that your weight being sat further back on the board means you are going to be loading and unloading the tail easier. 

2 effects: 1. slightly less snap than the boards capable of. and 2. Easier and more frequent pop. :) 

Sounds weird, but there you go. Basically move yourself a little down the back of the board and youre going to be over the boards sweet spot without too much effort. So you will be popping it easier, you wont be using that full length to get resistance. More a tweek. 

Please understand this point was an exaggeration just to draw out something thats really tiny and almost imperceptible though. :) 

This means slightly poppier turn release as well as slightly easier turn initiation (since the board is going to feel a little looser and more pliable at the front as well). 

Basically you get more control at the back, whilst leaving the front to feel a little less rigid. Its kinda the design philosophy of a lot of directional boards. softer nose, stiffer tail, easy turn initiation, poppier turn release. 

So thats one effect.

The other is of course float. 

The final one is that switch is going to put all those positives and put the board the wrong way around. So you have less control at the back and too much weight at the front making turn initiation clunky. And thats why we all dont ride directional boards (because if snowboarding was all about riding in one direction, they are WAY better designed for the task - its also why lots of people hate directional sidecuts by the way, but thats for another time). 

So thats probably the main effects youre going to have from it. Youll get a directional-lite feel, have a bit more pop with a bit less pop intensity, better float, and a marginally more tricky time in switch (and thus a marginally more beneficial time in the positives because its not really going to make tooooooooo much of a difference - itll feel different of course but not so different that youll think youre on a completely different deck). 

Basically try it out for yourself and see how you like it. I know a couple of people on the forums like riding off-center on their decks. Im probably one of them :) It doesnt feel that big a deal in switch, and just gives you a bit more versatility for the conditions i think, so why the hell not eh? 

As for pdf, ive no idea. Honestly, as ive mentioned before the whole thing needs editing. about every two or three months i make an effort to read the whole thing just to see how my thinking is lining up, but I get really bored at the first hurdle and barely make it to the section on sizing. :)

If i ever get round to editing it (and maybe a couple more seasons of experience under my belt) i might have another crack at it, but ill probably start from scratch. :p

The guide just feels wholly incomplete. (ps, i actually like the idea and would love to try it out). 

Plus no mention of my current go to board, the ride berzerker :) 

As long as you're choosing the appropriate length, I think the R.Crew would be an excellent board to start with.  May not be the "easiest" but the rocker shape will definitely make turning easier.  Great deal on it right now too!  Best of luck.  Make sure you get good quality boots that fit perfectly.  As for bindings, you could pair the R.Crew with the Sierra Rome S90.

As for the last line, what sort of comparisons are you asking for here?  Do you have other boards in mind?