I've purchased my board already and now I'm ready for boots and bindings, I want to buy flow NXT bindings, and DC super park boots. The NXT bindings can be either AT or FS, which I assume to mean all-mountain or freestyle. The boots are obviously park boots. My question is, as a beginner buying my first setup, which style would be worse to learn on? I'm more interested in park riding than downhill thrashing so it would make sense to go ahead and buy stuff related to it, but from what I can tell the park stuff is designed with more flexibility in mind for sharper turns, etc. Would it be better to buy cheaper more generic stuff the first go-round and then upgrade to park specific stuff later? Or just lay down the cash and buy the good stuff now? I just don't want to waste money on a step that's not needed if the good stuff won't hurt me to learn on anyway. I've been out about 3 times now and I know I'm gonna stay into the sport, my skill level is far from confident but I can handle blue runs without killing myself. Any help would be appreciated.
Great question! You are right in assuming that Freestyle specific gear is designed more with flexibility in mind. All mountain gear will be designed with a balance of support and maneuverability. If you know that freestyle interests you more than all-mountain riding, then go ahead and get the freestyle stuff. How much different all-mountain vs freestyle is differs a lot between brand and model. Overall though there is usually not TOO much difference. I know a lot of great riders who rule all-mountain and use freestyle gear.
Conversely, if you are a heavier/stronger person or someone who can appreciate the increased support (to protect weak ankle for example) then you may want to side with the all-mountain stuff. Also, It is OK to mix and match types of board, boots, and bindings too
« Last Edit: April 07, 2008, 05:31:37 PM by Frosty »
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