zach, if you only go two or three times a year, buy the board and bindings used. Try craigslist. There probably isn't a ton on there before the season starts, but will be more once the season gets going. And I bet being in OKC, you could probably find some used stuff that didn't get much use. And the technology doesn't change that much. Anything made in the last 3-4 years, IMO, will be just as good as anything brand new. I would buy used over buying really low end equipment. In my opinion, you don't need top of the line equipment, but you will notice when riding equipment below a certain threshold. This may be hard to explain, but the edges of the better boards are a different style than on cheaper boards. I don't even know how to explain it. If you go to a shop and compare, you will see what I am talking about. That said, you don't need a board that retails for 800. Any board that retails for 300 will probably be okay for you. Same is true with bindings. The cheaper bindings don't disperse the pressure put on your feet so when you are hauling balls down the mountain, your feet will hurt if it is just a thin plastic strap as opposed to something thicker and padded. This isn't the best explanation but you probably get my drift.
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