Need advice on new snowboard

[sfrgrl]

I am a 43 yr old women who has been boarding for 3 years. I'm 5'5" and 120 pounds with an athletic build. I bought a Sims Citrine 144 to start out and feel that I have become too advanced for it. I can do all trails, 10 ft table top jumps, and can go both goofy and regular. I am working on 180's now. I have no interest in rails or other tricks. My current board seems too unstable at the speeds I go now. Also, I mostly board on the east coast where it's nice and icy at times. I am in search of a new board. I have researched boards and have narrowed it down to Rome Blue, K2 Mix, and Rossignol Diva (147/148). I would greatly appreciate any advice you could give me or recommendations on boards. I also checked out some of the GNU boards but they are pretty pricey. There are so many brands and types of boards, it can be confusing. Thanks!

[MARK]

You can find some sweet deals on the Palmer women's models on Ebay right now.

[Boardrigger]

Brand doesn't matter & don't believe the hype about Women specific boards. They're slightly lighter in weight (construction) & tend to get soft & mushy (bad for ice!) sooner than Men's boards. Not something I'd recommend to any Women except the lightest ones who lack skill. Look for a board as tall as your mouth (at the shortest) & as long as the top of your head. I'm 6' 3" 195 lbs. & I ride 198, 194 & 188 cm boards Lib Tech Doughboys, Grocer & a Radair Tanker & never had problems turning tight chutes, trees etc. & people always assume I can't or don't ride it here there everywhere. You can.
Go Big, Stable & Secure. Don't limit yourself if you don't go in the pipe & park.
just my 2 cents, good luck.

[Boardrigger]

Country of manufacture has more to do with the quality of a boards construction than brand.
European "Brands" have always offered a better valued product in terms of design, construction, materials & longevity. It's part of the culture to build better tools for glisse. They've been making skis for centuries in Europe. Every Ski/Board technician recognizes this. European equipment suffers in this country because it's expensive to import & market it against the large US/Chinese corporations churning out generally crap gear which doesn't hold up at all against quality made European gear. Only a small number of US manufacturers consign European board makers to build higher end performance & race boards for them. This just goes to prove Euros make better boards than all others, especially when it comes to Quality, Performance & Longevity. Palmer snowboards are constructed in Switzerland & are highly recommended!
Just trying to help you to make a wise, educated decision as I have 30 + years experience working as a ski/board/bike tech all over the world for many different shops & ski teams.

Cheers