Riding Very Small Boards

Alright, so I have been riding for about 8 years and riding park seriously for 5 years now. I have been riding the Ride Kink 152 and absolutely loved it for jibbing. Im 5'8 150-155 lbs. Now this part is probably going to sound crazy but I just bought a 144 Capita Stairmaster and took it up a couple times to Keystone to ride it. It feels awesome even though its a ridiculously small board. It has tons of feel, still has a lot of pop and its super buttery by nature and also because its tiny. I took it off a couple smaller jumps and it handles fine (its probably not as stable as it should be for larger jumps, but for 30ft and under it seems good and and has awesome spinablity.

I have also taken it around the mountain and it seems to ride a lot better than my 152 kink on the groomers as well.I just couldn't understand how this small of a board could offer a better ride than an appropriate sized board.

Do any of you ride very small boards, and how does your board hold up throughout the season? Im just trying to see if there are any fellow riders out there who ride these kind of boards and I want to hear some comments about it.

Yeah I've strapped into my girlfriend's board before and it's fun to whip it around

I try getting the shortest board i can get my feet onto.

i rode a 139 vavavoom for a while, sidewalls were cut so it rides like a 143....pretty fun for rails...not so fun for kickers

Short boards would definitely be fun for a park board but won't be as fun for riding high speeds.

Wow, thanks for the replies. I havent done the whole forum thing before so please excuse any forum etiquette problems i may encounter haha.

Seems like I am not alone in riding such a small board. The funny thing is that the 144 capita stairmaster happens to be pink, (hot pink base and baby pink designs on the top sheet) so everyone is looking at me like im riding my gf's board which leads to some funny explanations.

I see that a lot of you are saying they are good for jibs which is consistent with what i have experienced so far. It lock onto rails perfect. The narrower maximum stance has also shown me how easy it is to press this thing out. Lets just say that my overall riding style has become much better on this board.

I should be back on the hill tomorrow so I am going to take it off the 35-45ft jumps and see how it works out. So far the only issue i have experienced with larger jumps is when coming out of a spin bigger than a 3, i normally land a little back foot heavy. With such a small board i tend to wash out a lot when i should be landing. Strait airs arnt really an issue considering i land normal. Im going to take it off the bigger ones and see how that works out.

This is also going to sound pretty crazy but.. we just got a bunch of new pow so i will be temped on just taking a couple powder runs with it. I know im going to use this board for a regular powder board, but I am curious about how it will hold up in the event I do decide to shred some pow. Ill just have to prepare myself for a very sore leg from having to manual the dam thing.

Thanks again for the replies, it gives me a lot more confidence taking the "gf's" board out and whipping it around the mtn knowing im not the only one doing so.

Originally posted by ncc719 [QUOTE=ncc719 , it gives me a lot more confidence taking the "gf's" board out and whipping it around the mtn knowing im not the only one doing so.

haha, i think everyone does this, but no one admits to it.

man, makes me wanna take my gf's 145 violenza for a ride. Damn those polka dots!!!

Originally posted by AJD13 Smaller = More control, my buddy does this with his 139, his go to is a 158 but when he feels like doing some stuff that needs to be nimble this is what he hits up probably not a bad move

I think the Stairmaster is cambered also which may be one of the differences you feel...not sure about the Kink

I'm 5'8" 185lbs, and I went with a Rome Artifact 150cm as my jib board for this season. I love the feel on the shorter board, but it has its consequences. I wash out a lot more on the steeper runs and have jammed my ankle because of that. Either way, I love riding the thing.

Downsizing is definitely fun for screwing around or buttering, but for riding at speed or on ice it quickly loses its appeal.

On the plus side, I notice that they do actually improve my carving ability, since you have to concentrate so much more on maintaining an edge.

My normal board is a 152 Hero, but this season I've been riding a 146 Dominant park board, and even taking it on the black groomers, and I'm loving it. Like others have said, it's so fun to just throw it around.

im 5'10 160 and i have a 153 pusher and a 144 saloman something i just mess with and its super fun to just ride around with it. i say if you can ride and you dont have any problems with it. whats stopping you?

haha... I was looking into just this; a 157 wide for throwing around. But all that is left is a 154 wide.  I usually ride 164 and had a 161, 158 and even 156 once. But never this small @ 154!

However, I think I may just pull the trigger on this based on above comments. I have (2) 164's and will be getting either a 160 or 157 Proto CTX next season. So, 154 should fill in fine.

SPECS: 190, 6-2, 11.5

Thnx for OP.

Cheers...