Im a bit of a newbie to this shenaingans with only one season experience. I barely got beyond a few basic ground tricks last year, and more than anything loved just riding on my own down some nice empty mountains. Sorry for the preface, but i like to set the scene

Ive just found a nice cute shop down the road from me and they have these two boards for sale.

http://page10.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/m44969285?u=nagano_olympic_sports
http://page7.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g67356353?u=nagano_olympic_sports

one is the Artec 2.3 and the other is the Burton Blunt. Theyre both the right size so that isnt the issue, but i just cant make a decision.

Ideally ive got about 1 or 2 more seasons before i return to the uk, so im just looking for a board that'll carry me through beginner--->solid intermediate. Ideally im looking for a jack of all trades, and naturally will be trying out a fair bit of park riding this year. Ill also hopefully be running some good back country with a few more experienced people taking me through it babysteps style

Right now im looking at the burton partly because its the only one of the two i can get any solid info about (the info is mixed though which makes me a bit hesitant :)) and also because it seems like a good board to get some grounding on technique. Im just worried it seems like it might not be as fun outside of the park. My big problem though is that the artec, (from what tiny info ive managed to glean), sounds perfect for just riding down a mountain. What i really want to know is if its durable to take the invariable beating from me clattering into everything and smashing it up in my first year in the park falling on my ass?

Anyone with info, i would love to hear it! (particularly on the artec) And sorry if this seems a little off-topic, i was going to post it in the gear section but i couldnt for the life of me find a new post button

Anyway, Artec 2.3 or burton blunt for two years max of all round beginner--->intermediate shenanigans with a bit of a hopeful emphasis on freeriding (but knowing full well ill be splattering all over myoko/nozawa)

This is not really going to help you much with your question, but as you are a beginner, I wouldn't even start thinking about backcountry riding until you have reached the "solid intermediate" stage you are aiming for.

Although I'm not a snowboarder, I have many friends I ski with who are, and even the more capable boarders understand the challenges and potential risks. Backcountry will be no fun at all (for you or your companions) unless you have reached a certain level of ability.

Stick on the piste - or small tree areas between pistes - until you reach a level of ability that an expert boarder agrees will enable you to start backcountry. My guess is that it may take more than the time you have remaining in Japan.

HTH

SdS

thats solid advice. Of course ill be avoiding back country as long as i can not only for myself, but also for the poor people down mountain who may get caught up in a blunder by me. Id rather not risk it in truth. So lets assume i stay on piste and just happily glide down mountains in a massive powder drop on suginohara all hippy like, anyone know anything on the artect 2.3? I know someone out there must have bought the blunt though. Any info about its all round capabilities, or is it really just a park board overall?

ARTEC 2.3
Combining Elan Snowboards’ patented Omega Sidecut with a brand new mid-wide shape, the 2.3 is the state of the art backcountry freestyle deck. Complex transitions and lofty cliff drops won’t pose a problem for this all-mountain freestyle deck. A natural evolution of the riding revolution.

Style: All terrain freestyler
Sizes: 154, 158, 162, 168
Construction: Transfer Woodcore, G60 laminates, mid-wide directional shape, stone ground Warp
Speed 8 Nano base, V2 sidewalls, 4x2 inserts

Now in its second year, the ARTEC Project by Elan stands more than ever for revolution designing boards from the outside in. Everything about the ARTEC boards – their shapes, design and performance - are molded by riding experience alone. The ARTEC Project combines simple ideas with clear visions. Riding driven, innovative shapes are born. Function defines form.

original price is 7man compared to the burton which is 4 man

Looks to me like the Elan is a decent all mountain board ie does everything while the burton is a low end park board.
Since you said you were looking for a jack of all trades I would go with the Elan since it does it all, plus you'll be able to grow into it as you progress. By the way, Elan is one of the largest snowboarding manufacturers in the world. So they are a reputable company.

cheers man! thats nice info. Though there aint much info on the 2.3, theres a fair bit on the 3.3 and if i understand right, the 3.3 is a tweaked up 2. The 3.3 sounds just about perfect.

As for the company itself, (although i aint exactly knowledgeable on the matter), just from reading around on user reviews of their other gear its pretty clear that they have a definitely loyal and effusive fan base. So that definitely isnt a problem for me I definitely like the idea of growing into it though, so thats almost sold it for me. Cheers!

i assume you went through the elan snowboard forums?

yeah, didnt see much there. But got a few hits on the 3.3 and people were pretty happy with it.

nice. let us know how it rides during the season then

cheers man, and thanks for basically confirming my gut instinct on it. I think i just needed someone with a lot more knowledge than me, to say that