Buying secondhand snowboard gear is an effective way to obtain all the snowboard kit you need if you are wanting to get into snowboarding on the cheap. But you must be careful with what you buy and so try to take someone experienced with you who knows what to look for if you are new to the sport.

How To Buy Secondhand Snowboard Gear:

Buying secondhand snowboard boots
Do not even consider buying secondhand snowboard boots. If they have only been warn a couple of times you may get away with it but how are you going to be sure they have only been worn a couple of times unless you are buying them off a trust worthy mate. To be honest, even then I would not recommend buying a secondhand pair of snowboard boots. Besides the previous users lovely foot-rot and the rancid smell(!), secondhand snowboard boots that have been worn heavily will have moulded to the shape of the previous users feet and will therefore have lost a lot of their support.

Buying secondhand snowboard bindings
Considering that snowboard bindings are pretty cheap to start with buying secondhand snowboard bindings is fairly pointless. Never the less, if you manage to find a good bargain here are a few things to look out for:

• Tears or splits in the plastic straps, especially around the attaching bolt.
• Torn padding on the heal-strap.
• Broken springs on the ratchet clips.
• Badly worn or chewed teeth. These can usually be replaced quite easily but sometimes it can be a pain finding the right fit.
• Cracks in the baseplate or disc.

Buying a secondhand snowboard
Again snowboard prices are constantly coming down all the time and there are some great board & bindings combo deals around so you should try to look at new snowboards in the deals sections as well. Plus your snowboard kit will be under warranty. If you are still adamant about buying a secondhand snowboard then be sure to follow this advice:

• Look for gaps down the rails between the steel edges and the p-tex, or the sidewall and the topsheet. Water can enter through these gaps causing irreversible damage to the core.
• Examine around the nose and tail for obvious prangs.
• Check the base for any light patches that may suggest p-tex delamination.
• Stand the snowboard up straight and look down the rails (edges) for any kinks, lumps or bends.
• Flex the whole length of the snowboard to check for any cracks.
• Remove the bindings or any stickers to see if they are covering up any cracks or damaged areas.

Most snowboarders shouldn’t try to rip you off but as always when buying secondhand snowboard gear or anything secondhand for that matter, always always be super thorough.