In the past, I have had a (146cm)1996 Santa Cruz, (142.5cm) 1997 Burton Balance, and a (148 cm) 2000 Burton FL. Of course, everyone thinks Burton is the best all around, but from my past experience, what's right for others may not necessarily be the best for you. I have a (143cm)1999 Merlot Series board with Ride Preston LX bindings. It is not the prettiest thing you've ever seen, but, boy, is it fun to ride. I am about 5'3" 105-110 lbs. You may notice I ride a rather short board than what is "recommended" for my height and weight, but, again, only YOU can determine what is right for you. Megan Pischke is a "slopestyle" rider. This is a relatively new style that has just been added to the U.S. Open snowboarding championship. Slopestyle, "a heavily skate-influenced discipline, combines multiple freestyle elements set within a unique course that features a variety of jumps, rails, hips, and other snowboard-specific obstacles, that not only challenge each rider’s skills, but also their creativity." This board is great for riders who are predominantly all-mountain but daring enough to experiment with freestyle riding. All mountain riding basically involves free-riding. It does not encompass pipes, tabletops, rails, or other tricks. Esssentially, it is the style you would see most riders adopting at the local resorts away from the terrain park. Although I have been riding for several years, I developed a fear of "catching my edge and breaking my nose"...courtesy of the advanced boards I used during my novice years. This fear quickly dissipated upon mounting my Lamar. I ride regular with my right foot at 0 degrees and (front) left foot at 15 degrees. I have discovered the board to be very responsive to my every and slightest movement which makes turning and jumping easy and feel very "natural." What helps is the board is also extremely lightweight (even more so than my FL). I have had difficulty riding through trees in powder with the Lamar and often find myself sinking at times. It is difficult to maintain powder-riding weight distribution since this board responds so well. ADVICE ON TUNING: Shops try to get you buy expensive equipment to tune your edges. My advice is go to the local hardware store and purchase a metal, heavy-weight, fine grained file. When filing, do not file the tips! File the sides only so slightly (run the file over the edge about 3 times) that you no longer feel the sharp edge when your fingers across it. Regarding waxing, some feel it's absolutley necessary to wax your board after every trip...not so. To determine whether your board needs waxing, look at the base and run your hands over it. If there is embedded dirt or uneven spots, this would indicate that it's time to wax your board. WARNING RE: BURTION BINDINGS: My Burton Custom bindings will not fit easily over the drill holes in my Lamar. It is Burton's marketing scheme to keep Burton Bindings on Burton boards. KICK THE TIRES: To test the flexbilty of the board, hold one end of the board up almost vertically while leaving the other side on the ground. Then place your foot on the board and push "up and down"...don't worry, it won't break. Also, also pick up the board and hold on to it for a while. If you think it's too heavy to carry, chances are you will not be able to manuever the board as well as you think. BOTTOM LINE: Novice riders, do not be tricked into thinking a board is right for you since the design looks "cool" or strictly by the length of the board. If you are a novice freerider, buy a shorter, flexible board. If you're not sure, rent a board first. The right board should feel "natural" not cumbersome, heavy, or stiff. WHERE TO BUY Fogdog.com (competitive prices), Sportmart in the summer (very cheap~$99)

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