I am a first time buying a snowboard what size should?

Spend the first few days of next season demoing boards. Not renting, but go to the demo shop. It’ll cost you just a few dollars more, but you will be riding on high-end boards that have been used once or twice before you, tops. And, if you don’t like the board you got in the morning, come back in after a couple of runs and change to a different board – it’s free, and the demo shops never have a line, it takes two minutes. They will also gladly help you adjust bindings, make recommendations, etcetera. The most knowledgeable people at any ski resort generally work at the demo shop, and they are generally really nice too.

I recommend trying two to three boards a day, and even after 2-3 days of doing this, you will already have a favorite board from that bunch and you will know which boards you don’t like. You will know yourself when the time is right to make a decision – if you keep thinking back to this one board you rode, and you can’t seem to replicate or improve on that feeling with other boards, that’s a pretty good sign.

One thing to keep in mind: boards are made for specific purposes. Some are best suited for parks; other boards are for going super fast down steep icy terrain; some are all-around; and then there are powder boards. The same manufacturer (Burton, Lib Tech, whoever) will make models in each category. You need to narrow down what you like to do when you ride, and then investigate boards in that category.

Another thing to keep in mind: you probably want a wide board if your stance is more or less perpendicular to the board, because with size 13 your toes and heels are going to dig in on tight turns; however, if you ride duck, especially exaggerated duck, you probably don’t want a wide board even with size 13 shoes, it will be harder to transition from one edge to the other.

I would get a Wide Snowboard that is about 161-163.

Look for Lib Tech Horsepower boards