Snowboarding

[MikeVic]

Anyone here go snowboarding before? I've rented the board, boots, and bindings, and heading out on Saturday for my first time. Was wondering if anyone had some quick tips for a first time out?

[rkmsuf]

Hope you are better at this than golf.

[MikeVic]

[rkmsuf]

I don't want to see you injure yourself.

[MikeVic]

Thanks for caring.

[Fidatelo]

What hill are you going to?

[thesloppy]

Get used to the fact that you're going to suck, and you're going to spend the majority of the first day eating snow. Although snowboarding is easier to pick up initially than skiing, the first day can still be a frustrating experience spent mostly on your butt, and it's best to come to grips with that beforehand, so it doesn't frustrate you to the point of quitting. You'll get better quickly, but you have to take some lumps first.

Are you not taking a lesson? I'm usually not much for buying expensive and usually useless lessons, but on your first day a lesson can be an invaluable help.

I guess my beginner tips would be:

1> Keep your knees slightly bent and try to keep your weight centered near or over your back leg. Keep your upper body loose and you can use your arms for balance, but swinging your arms and upper body around will cause you more problems than it will solve.

2> Get to know your edges. The edge is what helps you turn, and more importantly when you're beginning, it's what you'll use to slow down, by digging in your edge and letting your board slide to a stop. Your edges can also become a huge handicap for a beginning snowboarder, as beginners are typically scared of speed and will immediately dig in an edge and try to get down a slope through a series of sharp turns. Although this will definitely be the SLOWEST way to get down, it's also the hardest, as it causes you to shift your weight from side to side and edge to edge, and that's one of the hardest things to master on a snowboard. Although it seems counterintuitive, if you keep the nose of your board pointed downhill, stay off your edges and your weight centered slightly to the back of the board you will have a MUCH easier time staying upright....the obvious problem is you'll also eventually be going a lot faster than you want to be, and the trick is figuring out how fast you feel safe going and maintaining a speed just below that, and turning and maneuvering just enough to maintain that speed and comfort level.

Good luck, have fun!

[MikeVic]

I'm going to Holiday Mountain.

Thanks for the tips. I might take lessons when I get there, but might not. We'll see. I'm not booking anything in advance though.

[MacroGuru]

If you are going with people that know how...than by all means, let them teach you...if not...sloppy has some great advice.

[Fidatelo]

Ah cool. I haven't been to Holiday in ages. I went to Frostfire in December for some skiing, but I haven't snowboarded since I was about 12 (and even then it was just down little hills that we'd build jumps near the bottom of, then hit full-speed and wipe out into piles of snow. Not a lot of turning involved).

[MikeVic]

We were supposed to go to Frostfire, but it turned into Holiday Mountain.

I'm going with one friend that's gone before so I'll definitely ask him for advice. But I liked some general tips before going.

[cartman]

I can't wait for them to open the year-round ski mountain in Fort Worth. It is going to be awesome.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Get used to the fact that you're going to suck, and you're going to spend the majority of the first day eating snow. Although snowboarding is easier to pick up initially than skiing, the first day can still be a frustrating experience spent mostly on your butt, and it's best to come to grips with that beforehand, so it doesn't frustrate you to the point of quitting. You'll get better quickly, but you have to take some lumps first.

Are you not taking a lesson? I'm usually not much for buying expensive and usually useless lessons, but on your first day a lesson can be an invaluable help.

I guess my beginner tips would be:

1> Keep your knees slightly bent and try to keep your weight centered near or over your back leg. Keep your upper body loose and you can use your arms for balance, but swinging your arms and upper body around will cause you more problems than it will solve.

2> Get to know your edges. The edge is what helps you turn, and more importantly when you're beginning, it's what you'll use to slow down, by digging in your edge and letting your board slide to a stop. Your edges can also become a huge handicap for a beginning snowboarder, as beginners are typically scared of speed and will immediately dig in an edge and try to get down a slope through a series of sharp turns. Although this will definitely be the SLOWEST way to get down, it's also the hardest, as it causes you to shift your weight from side to side and edge to edge, and that's one of the hardest things to master on a snowboard. Although it seems counterintuitive, if you keep the nose of your board pointed downhill, stay off your edges and your weight centered slightly to the back of the board you will have a MUCH easier time staying upright....the obvious problem is you'll also eventually be going a lot faster than you want to be, and the trick is figuring out how fast you feel safe going and maintaining a speed just below that, and turning and maneuvering just enough to maintain that speed and comfort level.

Good luck, have fun!

+1 to all of the above, but I'd really recommend a lesson. I used to do quite a bit of snowboarding before I hosed my ankle, but I haven't been since. I'm actually going to Salt Lake at the end of the month for 5 days of snowboarding, for literally the first time since I had my ankle fused in 2004. I'm DEFINITELY taking a lesson, even though I know the "skills" involved, I want the chance to get back into the feeling in a more controlled environment.

Also, if you're the type to fall forward rather than backward, kneepads and wristguards might not be a bad idea.

/tk

[Rich1033]

I learned that just because I know how to wakeboard doesnt mean I can snowboard. Also, learn on real snow, not that fake icy crap.

Prepare to spend the first day learning and dont give up. It just takes a bit of time.

[johnnyshaka]

The first time I went to the mountains (Jasper, to be more specific) I tried snowboarding and did not like it one bit. Granted, I don't care for skiing, either, but at least I can get myself down a hill without harming myself or others. Needless to say, I spent the afternoon holding a table in the chalet with ice packs on my knees.

[Fidatelo]

I love skiing but I have very little desire to snowboard. I think the main issue I have with it is the annoyance of having to buckle/un-buckle one foot before and after every run.

Though I have to admit that Snowboarders have way cooler boots, and gear in general. I'm always jealous of that as I walk around in my lame-o 1985 ski boots.

[st.cronin]

Make sure you have excellent medical insurance. Its probably about a 1/4 chance that you'll break a bone in one of your arms.

[Lorena]

Hay, make sure you wear Long Johns buddy.. it's gonna be hella cold!

[Pumpy Tudors]

Make sure you wear sexy long johns.

[Lorena]

Sexy Long John's? Sounds hot

[Groundhog]

DEFINATELY get lessons. At least one day's worth.

I only usually ski, but I tried boarding once. Didn't have any lessons and spent the day on my butt, and switched my board for some skis on the 2nd day.

[14ers]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Get used to the fact that you're going to suck, and you're going to spend the majority of the first day eating snow. Although snowboarding is easier to pick up initially than skiing, the first day can still be a frustrating experience spent mostly on your butt,

your butt,
your butt,
your butt,

The thing I hate most about snowboarding, compared to skiing, is that you spend so much time on the ground.


Make sure you are wearing waterproof pants, not water-resistant, and definately no jeans!

[MikeVic]

Yeah I was going to wear sweats and board pants that I bought. I heard you spend a lot of time on the ground.

[MikeVic]

And enough about my long johns!! Back to the snowboarding topic.

[Pumpy Tudors]

let's hear more about MikeVic's butt

[Fidatelo]

As a skiier, the perception of boarders tends to be that they are always just lying around on the hill. They seem lazy.

The reality is that they are probably either injured or stoned, or possibly both.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by Dodgerchick

Hay, make sure you wear Long Johns buddy.. it's gonna be hella cold!

of course, for you "hella cold" is something like 65F...

FM

[Icy]

I consider myself good enough skying. Then 2 years ago i went to a nice sky station here in Spain with my friends who are also good skying, and some of us decided to try snowboarding for a change of pace... and it was really frustrating for me as i couldn't do anything but to fall down again and again. After like an hour, i managed to go down the hill in the easiest path, feeling more and more comfortable and starting to enjoy it, but then the worst problem came in, to use the thing that pulls you up to go uphill again while standing on the table (how is that named in English?).

With skies, you put that bar in between your legs, looking to the top of the hill, and then just let it pull you uphill. With the showboard table, you can't do that the same way, as to have the table looking uphill, you need to be looking to a side instead of to the front, so as soon as the bar started to pull from me, i felt down again and again, totally unable to go uphill. So i ended returning the showboard table and picking up the skies again to enjoy and get out of the frustration, never tried it again since then.

I guess part of my problem was the lack of patience of starting from zero snowboarding while i could be enjoying with regular skies.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Icy

but then the worst problem came in, to use the thing that pulls you up to go uphill again while standing on the table (how is that named in English?).

We call them ski lifts. It sounds like you were trying to get on the ones that are just a plain bar. Most of the ones here in the US are benches that you sit on. I usually just would stand in front, and wait for the bench to hit me in the back of the legs, and then just sit down.

[Fidatelo]

T-Bar's are a pain in the ass, I'd rather use a tow-rope than a T-Bar.

[johnnyshaka]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

T-Bar's are a pain in the ass, I'd rather use a tow-rope than a T-Bar.

Yup, love it when they have to stop it about 5 times before you can get up the hill because people fall off all over the place...ugh.

[rkmsuf]

You should go skiing instead and use your golf clubs as ski poles.

[MikeVic]

Then how will I golf in the summer!

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Then how will I golf in the summer!

with your skis of course

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

with your skis of course

Hmm that could be the solution to my problems.

[JS19]

Like its already been said, you are gonna suck. First time I went snowboarding I was up, then fell right down. Did that about 30 times over and decided to walk down the mountain. I eventually was able to pick it up just by watching others. I consider myself above average when it comes to snowboarding, but I'm not gonna lie, I don't really know any of the snowboarding lingo, I just go. My advice would be when you are able to stay on your feet and actually go down the mountain, first learn how to use your heal edge to slow down and change direction. I found it, as I'm sure many others, to be much easier than using your toe edge (not sure if thats the proper terminology). When you feel comfortable that you have learned to stay up, and use your heal adge to stop/slow down/change direction, then I would start experimenting with the toe edge.

Also, good luck getting off the lift.

[MikeVic]

Ow.

[Lorena]

Sounds like it didn't go so well eh Mike?

[sterlingice]

Did you go snowboarding again today?

SI

[JonInMiddleGA]

Doesn't the Geneva Convention prohibit snowboarding?

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Ow.

Wait. I just got back from snowboarding in Utah and didn't hurt myself, and you come back and say "ow"?

Hopefully you're not too dissuaded from snowboarding...

/tk

[MikeVic]

This was the first time, as the previous time was too cold.

We got shoddy rental equipment. My board wasn't waxed at all, but it's all I had. So for the first two hours I was hopping and plodding down the very beginning hill. My left calf was so tired after that. The two other rentals had loose bindings. One of them could actually spin all the way around!

I ended up using their's for a bit. On the first run down the very beginning hill, I wasn't used to the speed or control or anything... and I tried to stop since I was heading for a pole. I spun around 360 degrees, and I wouldn't be able to do that again even if I tried. But then I tried falling down to stop myself and my board got stuck in the snow as I was tumbling... twisted my knee and it hurt pretty bad. But I was able to get up and board for the rest of the day... but it's sore now when I try to do anything on it. Not swollen, so I'll let it try to heal itself.

We all decided to get lessons after we fell enough times, nd I got to use the instructor's awesome ass board. So happy he let me use it. We went on a lot steeper hill... still a beginning hill for boarders, but it was steep for me.

I fell on my ass and scrapped my elbows so much the rest of the training though. I'm so sore everywhere. haha. My elbows have dark marks in the pattern of how I skid on them.

But it was still really awesome, and I look forward to going this winter still, as long as my knee heals.

[MikeVic]

Question...

What is that muscle that's on the back of your leg, between the two bones or whatever on your knee? I pressed that today and it hurt, so I'm pretty sure that's what's messed up. Seems like just a pulled muscle?