Should i come over to the darkside?

A snowHead

Having just recently returned from a horrendous ski trip in Chile without my skis as these seem to have been misplaced by the mountain guide when he took them with a load of others to be serviced partway through the trip should i take this as a sign to try boarding instead????

And if i should am i best to wait to try it at xmas when i'm in france or start with one of these learn to board in a day classes that the snowdomes run?

Suggestions/advice please

A snowHead

Yes, do it. That is all that needs to be said.... Smile

I'd give it a blast. I think the learn in a day courses tend to be cheaper through the summer (£95 at Tamworth until the end of Sept).

I went to France witout ever strapping in, had 1.5hr lesson and it was great, but I wasted my first week learning the basics when i could have out boarding for real. The instructors out there are good and you have endless terrain but a bit of practise here in the UK will undoubtedly pay off and help you get kroe from your first week..

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

snobunni, you (and your bum) will regret learning to snowboard.

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snobunni,

I do ski and board... Learn to board, it's a great addition to skiing at the very least...I do mostly snowboarding nowadays.

Sorry to hear your south american trip was not up to par..I seem to remember some thread about it when you were looking into it...or maybe I am just confused Toofy Grin

And don't listen to arv, he is only jealous his ar*e can't take it! wink

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Kruisler, to be honest I don't know what this "it" is that you are talking about but this is a snowboarding related thread and would be nice if you could keep it clean. Obviously you can take "it". Each to their own. Toofy Grin

In addition I can also snowboard to a reasonable standard, skiing is far better.

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snobunni, oh. Pants about the skis. What rotten luck. Incidentally did you go to Chile with Snoworks after and if so, what was it like? Who were the instructors that went (apart from Phil Smith obviously)?

I think there is no harm in trying boarding to see if you like it. I have recently become a hybrid (am not giving up skiing for boarding-I will do both) but I did break my wrist last month boarding mind you (after being signed off as recreational standard so it wasn't whilst actually learning) so it might be worth you having a read of the boarding protection threads posted recently Laughing

Why don't you have 1 snowboard lesson for now at a dome rather than going for the full £100 board in a day thing? Then you can decide if you want to pursue it or not. Might cost you a smidgen more that way but at least you won't have forked out £100 only to hate it within an hour and wish you hadn't bothered. On the other hand, you might love it.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Specialman, i'll give Tamworth a look then

arv, i have plenty of padding on my bum so i'm sure i can cope with that aspect

Kruisler, not confused twas me all revved up and excited for my Chile/Argentina ski trip, i just had too many issues when i was there to really enjoy it, in addition to my skis i was robbed twice, including losing my passport so had an absolute nightmare really.

After all it is free

VolklAttivaS5, yes it was snoworks, Phil didnt go it was Gareth and Lee, i didnt really have a great time to be honest, not just due the loss of skis, passport etc

I dont intend to give up skiing for good i'm just taking the fact i didnt get out of the Snoworks trip what i wanted and that my skis are lost somewhere in South America right now as a sign that maybe boardings whats calld for this season . . .

I think i'd rather go for the full day thing if i do try it just to see how far i can get and how much work its going to take to get up to scratch

snobunni, ah I see , thought Phil Smith was going that week but he must be out on the Volcanoes trip the week after.

Sorry to hear that you didn't have a nice time one way or another. Sad

You will probably find, and most people do, that it takes less time to become quite reasonable at boarding than it does the time it takes to become quite reasonable at skiing. So that should give you a bit of encouragement.

I had two 1 hour lessons on a dry slope first (I recommend go to a Snowdome though from scratch which sounds like you are intending to do that anyway) but I didn't get very far on those 2 hour lessons and completely lost my confidence to be honest (although I was obviously familiar with the board and bindings etc) then I started completely over from pretty much scratch with a 2 hour lesson at Tamworth with a girl called Karen. After that 2 hour lesson I was linking turns from the top so in 4 hours lessons total (with 2 shite hours) I was signed off as recreational standard, so it is really doable. I could now go to a resort and board the green and blue piste's reasonably well although it would take a bit of getting used to mind and I'd probably have a fair few body slams-that's the worst thing about boarding by the way-when you fall-you fall pretty damn hard!

Anyway, sounds like it will do you good to have a bit of a change from skiing and try something new. Very Happy

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snobunni, go for it. nothing wrong with trying new things. better to regret doing something than regret NOT doing it eh? Laughing

but the suggested impact shorts are a good idea - your padded bits will appreciate the extra help! you may also wanna borrow a pair of (flexmeter) wrist guards from a boarder you know... enjoy your b-i-a-d and welcome to the club!

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

snobunni, go on give it a go! Nothing to lose is there, at least you won't be wondering what it's like if you don't like it! Welcome to the Darkslide snowHead

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VolklAttivaS5, How's the wrist ?

sherlock235, i have Dakine wrist gaurds that i use skating (with some sliders over the top) these are designed for snowsports so i assume these will be ok? Is that right?

You know it makes sense.

snobunni, I'd have a go (and did !) I doubt I'll ever go over 100% unless the knees give up on me, but I enjoy the board when skiing gets dull. It gives you a another excuse to be out playing.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

snobunni, i also own the dakine ones, but i hardly ever use them now i've learnt to fall properly. i only recommend the flexmeter ones cos they have the best reputation out there. it's difficult cos the fit and comfort of wristguards are so personal and it's also essential to learn to fall properly. but any wrist guard is better than none i'm guessing? it's up there with the "to helmet or not?" discussion Very Happy

A snowHead

snobunni, this is what mine look like. dunno if yours are the same? http://www.dakine.com/snowboard/gloves/wristguards/

A snowHead

sherlock235, i've just looked at the flexmeter ones, they do seem much more hardcore than my Dakine ones, i think for my first go i'll stick with what i've got and maybe upgrade to the flexmeter ones once i've decided i'm sticking with boarding for a while . . . although given my recent run of luck that might be a foolish idea lol

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

snobunni, like everyone else here i'm going to say give it a go. i skied for 20 odd years before seeing the light and embracing the darkside (that's some mixed up metaphore).

what i would say is give it a few goes. if you do two hours, you'll end up able to do a falling leaf thingy, or maybe get a turn or two started. give it only a little more time and suddenly you'll feel quite proficient. one minute you're skidding about the place aimlessly spinning, the next you've got your edges in and 'gracefully carving' (well that's how it felt to me) and suddenly it all feels right.

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sherlock235, yep those are the ones i have, for skating a just wear a pair of gloves with a slider on the top as i just couldnt find a decent skating wrist guards at the time i needed them.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I learnt in La Plagne with UCPA which was great. I had ski's and board. The conditions were really good so i did not want to waste the good snow learning again so i didnt commit to boarding much beyond the lessons.

For the small amount of off piste that i done on baord, I could tell that it would be awesome if i was more confident. I kept the board on for only one full day and managed the reds fairly confidently and struggled down a black too. Attempted a few small jumps which were ok.

I'm confident I know enough to teach myself boarding now, it's just commiting the time as i only get 2/3 weeks a season.

The annoying thing is getting in and out of the bindings, i like to get of a lift and ski off... waiting for my boarder mates is a pain !

With regards to MK Snowdome, I wouldn't bother with the lessons there as they seem to teach in a weird way as the area is small. The just teach you to scratch down backwards and forwards. i dont think the space is sufficient. My GF and my kids tried it and was not good. The teacher had never even been skiing outside of MK Dome !!!

I have decided that I will board for a day each trip this season.

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

snobunni, welcome to the dark side
take a couple of basic lessons at a slope just to get to grips with the basics

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Well just run tamworth snowdome and booked a learn in a day lesson for next week . . . i'll let you all know how i get on . . .assuming i can type after the event . . . .

IncogSkiSno, i've heard nothing but good reports of Snoworks so i probably have just been the exception here, a few days before departure they did send an email out stating that the instruction may take a different style from their usual winter courses obviously by this point though i had paid and was due to leave so not a lot i could do about it by that point, never mind we live and learn.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

snobunni, if you have your own helmet then take it, helmets are compulsory for boarding lessons at Tamworth (and MK for that matter) so you'll have to wear a helmet one way or another. Better to be wearing your own I think from the rental ones I wore having had lots of heads in them before yours. Forgot my own helmet when I went! Laughing

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VolklAttivaS5, Good to hear it's getting better. I did mine a while ago and it was a right pain - literally !

You know it makes sense.

rayscoops, Specialman, Libertine,

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

VolklAttivaS5, yep got my own helmet so was intending to take it, also have some nice Dianesse snow sports knee pads that i use for skating so thought those might be a good idea to have on, as well as the wrist gaurds . . . i'm going to look like a power ranger but i dont care if it prevents the hurts

Re Snoworks when i was looking at the Chile trip i had it down between 2 companies and i must admit i made my decision based upon the instructional element of the Snoworks trip, i think i was just unlucky in that i wanted a technical course and the majority of the group just wanted to ski. The only other 'course' i've done is the Top of the World course with Inghams in Panorama, BC, which was great fun i was in a group. Other than that i usually have a 2hr private lesson every other day when i go away. I havent skied in Europe for years so not sure if maybe my expectations were a little high having only had Canadians teach me in the past, theirs being a service nation?

A snowHead

A snowHead

Libertine, I do think it's more enjoyable to learn to board on real snow in a resort if possible because like you say, space is of a premium within a snowdome and yeah the atmosphere is nothing like being in a resort, course it isn't, the mountains and the air etc is lovely not like being indoors at all, but at the end of the day you're there to learn how to make turns ultimately safely and smoothly from the top of the slope without being a danger to yourself or others, and the snowdome lessons do this. Yeah it would be nice to have a bit more space to practise but it gets the job done for when you go on your holidays to a resort abroad and have the luxury of real soft snow! I am looking forward to boarding on soft snow myself soon enough!

The thing is, you can waste 1 day/2 days/3 days whatever learning in a resort when instead, if you do a day in a dome and learn before you go to the resort, you're boarding hopefully on green/blue/possibly easy red runs from the off, some Snowheads have posted on here before that having learned already, in resort they are managing to board easy red runs during the week, which is great in my opinion. Personally I'd rather learn before I went so I could get maximum recreational boarding time on the trip. Very Happy

I've had a think about these points raised about someone not having been to a resort making someone a worse teacher etc and have reflected on my own experiences of passing my BASI Level 1 course recently (ski) and also learning to board in a dome recently.

I asked myself if, had I never skied on real snow in a resort before, whether or not that would stop me doing a "good job" of teaching someone who had never even put skis on before (the majority of people who go to domes for ski lessons are absolute beginners who have never put skis on before or sometimes even seen them Very Happy

) what the parts of the skis are, how to put them on, how to do their boots up, basic sliding on a very shallow gradient, to eventually teaching them later how to do a snowplough, and then linking snowplough turns together from the top.

The answer to that is "No", because even if I had only ever skied in a dome I would have sufficient enough knowledge on those areas I mentioned to pass on to people learning how to ski from stratch. On the other hand, if it was someone wanting tuition on how to ski bumps, off piste and variable snow, well then yes that would pose a bit of a problem having never experienced any of it, and also more importantly would be outside of the realms of the Level 1 qualification, plus people wouldn't be asking for that kind of tuition in a snowdome (hopefully) Laughing

Now if I asked myself if my resort experience of skiing on piste, off piste, bumps and variable snow plus experience of going to different resorts and therefore appearing knowledgeable and confident to the students, whether that enhances my ability to do a "good job" regarding the above and what I've described then the answer to that would be a definite "Yes". Of course it would. But I don't think it necessarily makes the person a cr*p teacher if they haven't skied in a resort. Personally it wouldn't be something I would broadcast though either because of the assumptions people can make about it (accurately or not)

I think the same would apply to boarding after all you're only teaching the basics, no carving or anything like that so it doesn't necessarily mean the teacher is poor or less effective because they've not been to a resort. In the skiing example it could be that the teacher has raced on dry slopes since a very young age, and perhaps they might only be in their late teens and haven't got the money to be able to ski in a resort eg at college or whatever. That might give them more technical experience that someone who had skied in a resort but had not been skiing for as long for example. Either way, regardless of if they've skied in a resort their technical skiing and teaching levels would have to be at a sufficient enough level to pass the Level 1 to begin with in order that they can teach in a Snowdome, they can't otherwise.

Also-the girl that taught me to board at Tamworth-it wouldn't have made a difference to my end result if she had boarded in a resort or not. She's only teaching side slips and falling leaf plus linking turns and the technique is the same on a piste wherever you board (apart from dry slopes) isn't it?

Re UCPA yeah, have seen them around and heard their trips are cheap. Haven't tried them though, although I've heard their instruction gets mixed reviews. Think there was another thread on that somewhere on here a while back.

Edit:- The technique is the same wherever, piste/dome/dry slope-see clarification from boarder Swirly below and our discussion about it! Very Happy

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Swirly, tell me again why you don't like falling leaf taught too early? Positioning wise it was the same in the lesson sequence on the dry slope with that young lad at Pontypool as it was in the 2 hour boarding lesson starting from scratch at Tamworth? I'm a bit confused by that having only learned to board very recently.

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After all it is free

The falling leaf thing is that people as beginners think of it as a valid method of riding a snowboard. This is what bulldozes the snow off pistes: annoying to skiers and other boarders alike. Although it's a useful skill to have in getting out of a tight spot e.g. narrow icy bumpy areas it's really the equivalent of sideslipping on skis and hence not really riding the board as such.

I just want to find out if i like it before i get to the resort . . . if its not for me i know to take my skis to france this xmas, if i do my day at the snowdome and love it, i'll go back for a few more practices/lessons then board my next trip

i wont know if i like it til i try it

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snobunni, exactly, ignore all the nay sayers and give it a go in the dome. It's the best way to find out for sure Toofy Grin

Help!!

Should i come over to the darkside?

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