Any recommendations on the best snowboard rack setup for our X's?
 

Im in the market for a setup but theres so much to choose from. I know some are garbage and not worth buying and others are good but way to expensive and than you have the ones that are good and reasonably priced. Would like to get some insight from all who have a setup and what brand and where to buy? Thanks in advance.

I bought the OEM Roof rack system with the ski/board combo insert and it served very well at high speeds for a 600+ mile trip.

No complains to speak of.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31glNtOJ71L.jpg

I have the Rola crossbars. I've been happy with them. They don't stick out past the factory rails and don't seem to add wind noise. They also sit lower than the factory crossbars, which seem visually ungainly to me.

I have a Yakima setup. It works just as you would expect. I have contemplated getting the whisper bar versions as it looks pretty slick.

I have the same cross bars on my X. I use it in conjunction with Thule accessories such as a cargo box which we use for skis and snowboards and life preservers in the summer when we're towing the jet boat or jet ski.

I also have Thule bike roof racks for the kids bikes and a Saris ride on bike rack for the tow hitch.

i too am sporting yakima crossbars. I have the Thule Universal Pull Top 92726. found that the pull out feature works great since i do not have to climb onto the X to load the boards.

If you buy the original BMW cross bar, I have a pair of BMW ski/snowboard holder that would slip onto the crossbars. They are left over from my days of owning a E34 Touring.

+1 No complaints on these!

Yes on all this. The Rola's look like they fit the package. The BMW ones do not.
After many years of skiing/snowboarding, I've found my favorite solution to be a rocket box, which fits fine on these Rola bars. The rocketbox is easier to load (just throw everything in there) and you can leave it locked while parked and potential thieves do not know if it is empty or loaded.

Or if you don't like climbing your roof, then install a tow hitch and get one of these: THULE 9033 Tram Hitch Carrier - Eastern Mountain Sports

Helped my friend install his tow hitch (not too difficult) and he got one of these. So easy to load and unload. Also easy to remove when not in use. This route is a bit more pricey though...

I have OEM crossbars with a Thule box for the winter. The bars are relatively quiet when using the vent mode on the panoramic sunroof. The bars are also very sturdy. I've carried a bunch of lumber on the roof when doing projects on my house. I don't have that confidence in the Thule/Yakima bars that I've seen on the market.

I know not everyone has the ability for the added height requirements of a box (e.g. home garage, car port, parking garages, etc.) but a box is really the best option for your gear in my opinion. I was up riding at my local hill and the guy parked next to me left his pow board on his rack while he was riding in the park. He came out at lunch to find someone had relieved him of his bindings (this is less likely to happen if you put your boards facing down). Also, a box protects your bases and bindings from all the nasty gritty road debris. Have you seen the back window of your X after driving to the mountain and back? Imagine what that does to your gear when it's on the hitch mounted rack referenced above, not to mention your gear is destroyed when that moron texting on his phone behind you doesn't notice your brake lights...

... nobody even mentioned that the rear seat in some X5's has a "ski bag" built in, and that will hold 2 (or three in a pinch) snowboards. And nobody sees them on the outside of the vehicle when youre parked. ( of course, out here we have had no snow on the local mountains , Vancouver BC, to speak of! season is a wash.
No offence to my eastern friends, who seem to have snow in abundance this year!

Hey all thanks for the replies and sorry for the late responses. So Ive took the consideration and started looking around and ended up pulling the trigger on a set of OEM crossbars. I couldn't pass up the price and condition on it! I haven't installed it yet but Im still needing the snowboard carriers for it. Does anyone know if there is an aftermarket set that will fit or do I have to go oem?

Please show me how you fit 3 snowboards in the pass through. Here is a single 159 snowboard. As you can see, the tip only fits diagonally and only up to the binding, leaving the rest of the board hanging out of the back.

http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/v...psj1hsakat.jpg

LMAO! :rofl:

You got a point I wasn't even thinking about the bindings! Its probably made more for ski's Im sure!

If you remove the rubber strip at the top of the rack you can use a Thule ski/snowboard rack with the t-slot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15cJbA5nHS0

I looked at the BMW rack that I have and it's just for skis. The later rack can hold ski or boards.