Burton/K2 boards question

Hi all. I could use your input!

Buying my first board (well, my first SNOW board that is). I rode last season on a rental board (I know, I know). I'm an intermediate all mountain rider. I don't go into the park (although I may in the future). I mainly ride in a mixture of man-made & natural snow in the northeast. It is often granular and occasionally icy.

In my basic state of semi-cluelessness, I'm considering a Burton Charger package with the Burton step-ins. My understanding of the Charger is that it's a decent entry level board. Any input? I've also considered splurging and buying a Burton Custom. Of course, I don't like to waste money buying a board that is higher performance than I'll take advantage of for a while, since I only plan on snowboarding maybe 6 or 8 days this season. I've also taken a look at K2 boards. Any input on those? All advice/opinions welcomed!

Thanks for your time,

Dave

I won't waste my money on entry level boards. I think buying one of last years top models at close out pricing is a better deal if your on a tight budget. A good board will make you a better rider.

my 2 cents

Dave, If you are unsure what to buy, see if you can rent/demo different boards to see what you like. I purchased the Custom 59 as my first board and have loved every minute of it. You will take advantage of the better board every day. It's lighter, smoother, and cut better for all mountain riding and will be easier to maneuver. But try them out if you are not sure.

Thanks for your help!

I checked the article on snowboarding-online.com out too. It seems good for big guys like my friend who mentioned the GAP. You guys' info helps the friend alot. Again, I appriciate your assistance.

Thank you,

Sure thing, glad to help.

Please don't post to the newsgroup messages that are thanking someone for thanking you. It may be nice and polite in the real world, but just wastes bandwidth here. Netiquette would suggest that if anything, and private mail is the most you should send.

- Dave.

You are talking about me, right?(I couldn't tell because it didn't show specifically which message you wrote) Allright, I see your point. I'll try to limit myself to personal e-mail or nothing at all. Thanks for the suggestion. But also, one thing, you might want to cut down on messages like these, because many people feel like it is THESE messages[as well as mine] that are clogging up the newsgroup. Next time, you could just ignore it, and if it continues to happen, than you can say something about it. I do see your point, though. Thanks,

Peter