china, sorry dudemi_canuck: well that blows...

Hey dude. I've rode a K2 Zeppelin for 6 years, it's an 03 model. Best all around board made. Great in the mountains and powder but fine in the midwest on the not so gnar as well. I'll probably buy this years model in the next couple months on closeout. That's all I got.

Cris:I am your size exactly. I ride a Burton 166 Frontier for the hardpack and a Supermodel 168 for the rare fluffy day (New England). I am a crusier and stay directional with 42 deg stance forward and 21 rear. No toe/heal hang with those angles and nice carving.I was looking at the Zep to check sidecut. Looking for more aggressive in/out of the turns. And stiffer than Frontier.Only recommendation - either hardpack or soft - at our size, don't get too flexible a deck. If you cruise at speeds - stiff is better. Later - Tom

http://www.k2snowboarding.com/files/K2Snowboard0809_SMU_archive.pdf

I would say yes just because of how stiff it is. They have added carbon and titanium to parts of this board and it makes for quite a stiff setup that for the fairly new rider it will feel like the board is riding them more than they are riding it. I would suggest a softer more forgiving board than this.

Boot sizes are decided by how big your feet are, not how big your baord is. The thresh hold for deciding if you need a wide or not is around 12. if you have noticed your toes draggin in the past, get a wide.

Riding hard means you don't just stay on the white fluffy stuff. You're out boarding multiple times a week, hitting rails, ramps, pipes, logs, and the occasional pain in the butt rock that's sticking up through through the snow. It's like driving your car like grandma, or driving it like a street racer. Grandma's car is going to hold up longer.

No, not at all. If you ride really hard, you will develop pressure cracks, lose edge, and get core shots.

This is not a rockered board.