What kind of board and bindings for novice. I normally just rent when I go once or twice a year and head straight to the bunny hill!

6 foot 200 lbs

Not looking to spend over $800

Would like those instant snap in bindings which take 2 seconds to lock ur boots into our board. R those worth it?

$800 is a very high budget lol
Bought my 2013 Burton board with Cartels for $600 and it was considered expensive lol
$800 will give you alot of flexibility
If I were to do it all over again I'd get an older board and save some money
Can't really tell any differences being a novice
EST bindings are nice though

Oh good. Thought it would cost as much as a guitar haha. Buying used then. As long as there r no chips or cracks I should be good?

No chips no cracks and then take it to a shop after so they can do their work.
You can tell the condition of a board pretty easily so if it's no good you'll know it's no good
Buy a 2012 one if you can
They should be around 200-250
Value on boards drop quite fast

I would definitely buy last year's model of whatever you go with. When my friend started riding he got a lib tech board with their "magne traction" technology that's suppose to help the edge of the board grab the mountain better. He seemed to like it a lot and said it was easier compared to rental boards. You can't really go wrong buying an all mountain type board since it's designed to do most everything...that being said it doesn't do any one thing on the mountain as good as a specialized board but you can choose that for your next board in the future. If you like easy bindings, you might want to look at "Flow" brand bindings: they're easy strap in but offer the support of traditional bindings.
Here's a link that might help you out:
http://www.the-house.com/portal/how-to-buy-a-snowboard/

E: last bit of advice is to go to a dedicated ski/snowboard shop and get their advice. Don't go to some general sporting goods store unless u know their snow section is reputable. Walk in and tell them your situation and they should help you find the right equipment. I did this when I first started out and took a few notes on the brands and models they suggested and then did further research at home. I ride a Never Summer F1 board.

This post was edited by Thrillhouse on Dec 5 2013 03:21pm

Buy an new board from sport chek or where ever..
First one doesn't Matter you're going to wreck it..
Make sure the board is from your feet to between ur lip and chin...

Beginners binding i recommend rides or burton (avoid plastic). Many wont agree but I swear by it.

Not that I've tried all bindings, but only plastic ones I agree with are burton cartels...

Bottom line is everyone has their own preference.. When you get started gotta find out if you like speed, air, powder, or park.
I ride the boards in my profile
Shorter one is for park and option is my all round and pow board.

Never summer ftw

Refer to my avatar

so expensive but fun