 Poster: A snowHead
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Friends of mine have converted from skiing to boarding and absolutely love it (some prefer it) they said it is a lot more fun and easier to get 'good at'.
Give it a go, you may fall in love 
Lottie
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Been skiing for years and decided to try boarding a couple of seasons ago after saying I would try again for ages. Not long after I started skiing I had a lesson or two and wasn't really in to it. Been bugging me ever since so a couple of seasons ago I had 2x 2hr lessons and found I picked it up really quickly this, not sure what the difference was this time. Was cruising blues by the end of the second lesson and had a couple of bumps but really enjoyed it. Want to try it some more. Not sure whether I'll completely switch but we'll see. Highly recommend it if you're thinking about it. Just be prepared to fall over a lot
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Why is this seen as such a big deal? Can you imagine so much angst being spent over "anyone converted from soccer to rugby", or "tennis to netball" or "mountain biking to fell walking"? Seems natural enough to try both, really, maybe spending more time on one than the other, but without so much fuss. Unless you want to be in the absolutely top league, which means specialising, playing a range of sports is surely better than sticking religiously to one?
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I did a few ski holidays, then converted to boarding for ten years. Swapped back to skiing 4 years ago.
Really enjoyed skiing at start but after a practice day at end of one ski hol I became obsessed with boarding. Loved boarding to the extent that wife and I used to go on 4 day self imposed 'boot camps' in Switzerland in dec with a course of private lessons in order to get the most out of our week long ski hols in jan to mar.
Tried skiing 4 years ago on some freestyle twin tip skis (k2 extremes) and absolutely loved skiing all over again. Think new skis have defo altered playing field
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Skied since 1986, boarded since 1996, still do both (as do my children). The ESF encourages children to learn to ski before they board, maybe there is some logic in doing it this way round - but as the ESF is French, maybe there isn't.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Learned skiing age 16 onwards with ESF. I use "learned" in the loosest sense - you are beginner, inter, advanced, and if we don't have at least 5 people, you go in one of the other levels. I consider my skiing has progressed despite rather than because of that "instruction".
One week with some mates, we had the option to swap planks for a day. They all chose boarding as it looked cool, I chose a mono board to see if I could improve my skiing (legs need to be closer together than 2 hip widths I think?). No lessons. My skiing improved, they all hated boarding - spent all day falling over and smashing themselves to bits.
A year or two later, was in a hotel with a bunch of guys who were optimistic about learning boarding. I asked if it was difficult. They said the idea was not to try to pick it up in 2 hours, but to dedicate a week to it. By the end of the week they were all singing its praises.
In my late 20s, due to a good deal at the travel agent, I booked my first 10 days ever in Canada (Banff) and decided to dedicate it to boarding. Group lessons are given in 8 levels, not 3, and if you're the only one turning up - you get the instructor to yourself. And those guys TEACH. Explanations, drills, techniques, etc. Loved boarding for the next trips, though started to get some crappy comments from the ski snobs (eh? I was on skis sometimes too?). Worst was in Vail, where there was a huge "us and them" attitude - went out to use a workbench on the mountain and was snarled at "that's not for boarders". "Bloody boarders push all the snow down the mountain" well the ones who haven't learned how to carve, maybe, but that's probably about the same as the 2x2m planks you're wearing... Nob I was forced to share a chalet with - one of the most unpleasant people I've met - talked loudly about how boarders spoiled everything, had no respect, smoked dope, had forced the removal of the toilet doors etc.. then in the next breath was bragging about the time he and the rugby club had got so drunk they'd trashed a hotel.
So my preference comes from the success of the teaching and the atmosphere, rather than any preference for facing forwards or sideways, or feeling through powder (I'm not good enough for that). The teaching gave me more confidence and made me relaxed, whereas with skiing I feel I'm still catching up. I did do a week there skiing, and yes the teaching was great, but most of it was spent unlearning my bad habits, that I never had when boarding.
I'm now back to skis as my two little ones are learning and I try to teach them things in the afternoons. When I don't have to ski around with them, after a couple more years, I'm sure I'll be back on a board, reliving better memories. Though I tried that once recently at Sierra Nevada, it was icy as hell, and it was a most painful week! Boarding definitely not for when its icy!
In Andorra it seems to be both "breeds" who just sit in the middle of the piste. No need for plankism
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I was a skier from 20 through to my mid-30s and loved it. Then changed to boarding and loved that more. Now at 49 I'm starting to squeeze in the odd day on skis as I see that as a more viable option to take me through the next 15 years, and I figure I'm better off getting my muscle memory back now before it's too late.
In powder big skis can come close to a snowboard, but the board is nearly as good in chop and even slush. Then again hardpack and hard moguls aren't much fun and real ice is for skiers only. Do both though and you get see what the day looks like and choose.
One word of advice for any skier who fancies trying it. Wait for a white out day with a heavy dump and give it a go then. You don't want to be blasting all over the place on a day like that, plus your learner's falls will be into soft snow, and finally you'll get a taste of the pure bliss that is the feel of fresh under a board. That's how I learnt (in fact in a 3 day storm when a lot of lifts were closed) and never looked back.
And finally if you don't like catching edges, ride a Bataleon. 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| kiteman69 wrote: |
| ...Well that is until I see them trying to walk on the flat bits |
Those people are learners - good riders plan further ahead.
..
If you don't like catching edges, you need to learn how to edge the board. Sooner is easier than later - bad habits can be hard to unlearn.
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I decided this season to switch from skiing to snowboard. I managed to get a second hand board and boots. Its very different. At first it felt very strange. I have only managed 1 day away snowboarding in pila earlier in the year. I was very hungover at the time, so wasnt the best  Im finding it a bit of hard conversion but im slowly managing to link my turns. I use kilternan ski club as my slope, hopefully ill get to england at some stage and try it in 1 of the indoor slopes.... Its a work in progress!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Back in my early 20's on summer holidays I learnt to waterski for several years before going on my first ski holiday. Two planks on my feet were a half way natural feeling to me when enjoying outdoor activites like these. Before the time came a few days at a dry slope would give me some additional confidence prior to touching the real snow for when I was ready to go.
Well actually, me on two planks I picked it up very well going straight into an intermediate ski school class on the second day. After several years of snowplank holidays and stuck on a plateau I decided to try snowboarding.
This of course stems from an early stage of my younger youth with skateboards back in the 70's.
Like everyone else, most of my time time was spent falling over but four of us hired a private tutor for one hour and then the next thing was we were cruising red runs!!!
Though that was back in 1992 the K2 snowboard I hired still has ski boots attached to it so it was still very primative but that Xmas holiday of '92 was the last time I ever skied.
Fast forward 23 years and I'm still snowboarding with about 35-40 weeks experience and I love every second of it.
I'm into freeriding, off-piste but not really park and pipe my body needs to stay in one piece. I do admire those who do.
As for planks I would never go back.
My personal advice, wear protection the helmet, padded shorts, wristguards, back brace. I also wear upper body armour.
Have lessons. Regardless. I can not stress this enough.
I still have lessons, though mine are advanced and some tutors like being challenged, I never stop learning plus its fun with other people your level.
Remember, be patience like you were when you first started something new and began to enjoy it.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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After 10+ years on skis, this is my first winter on a board. I've done two trips - a long weekend in Jan, and 3 days now in March. The Jan trip was just a mess of falling and awkwardness, and this trip was a little bit better. After a total of 6 days I can link turns on blue and have finally managed to navigate those awful flats that killed me on my first few days. I'm enjoying it a lot, and it's fun figuring it out. Definitely more to come!
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You know it makes sense.
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I had an injury 2 years ago on skis. Got confident and did a boarder cross track and fell forwards over extending my ACL. Have skiied 2 years since but my confidence is severely dented. Had loads of lessons which I'm fine in but then when I'm on my own I am almost back to snowplough turns. It's no fun and I can't get round the mountain like I used to!
This thread interests me as I am thinking maybe I should take up boarding as there is no chance my knees will go in the wrong direction! Hopefully me fears won't exist on a board?? also powder sounds fun. 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@The White Stuff, There is a very small risk when you are getting off a chair because your back foot is out of its binding. Fit a nice spiky stomp pad for your back foot and you will have no problem.
Go for it. Powder is more than fun ...
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Poster: A snowHead
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Google will quickly show you the different injury profiles for snowboarding versus skiing (eg http://www.ski-injury.com/). Those depend too on the type of snowboarding you do. Piste riders, for example, face little danger from park rails, and the risks for beginners are different from those for experts.
My feeling is that snowboarding stresses the knees less beyond the beginner level, although I ride with many American skiers who have no original knees at all, and it doesn't slow them down.
More generally you can of course ride powder on skis... but you would have to get over "fear of falling" in either discipline.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well after about 50 weeks on skis I started to get a little bored, but not bored with the mountains. I thought I'd give the snowboard a try, it looks so cool when people do it right.
I took about 10 hours tuition at a snowdome and just had 4 days lessons in the resort.
Trying to convert is hard, hard when your face and back hits the hard packed snow and hard when you see you friends and family head of up the mountain when your trying you best to navigate an easy slope.
It's also pretty hard on your body and it can be existing leaving you worn out for the day in a few hours. In in my 40s, but I'm pretty fit.
After four days I'm giving my last days lesson a miss and I've swapped my board for skis. I'm in Meribel right now and instead of hurting myself constantly in the same valley, I can reach any part of the 3 valleys in just under an hour on my skis. To be honest that one rain why the skiing has lost it's challenge.
I really, really wanted to become a boarder, but i think the level of investment in discomfort and not being able to be with my skiing companions may be to much 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Spanglepants, Welcome to SH. Persevere, it will be worth it for those powder days. Then you can select your weapon accordingly. We started boarding at 50 and still going at 60 with no sign of stopping. Rule 5 applies.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Well I went to the last lesson of my trip, yesterday I was all for writing boarding off.
Today, as people often say, I think something clicked. The smoke today is in very good condition at altitude, which helps, but I stopped some shoulder rotation, learned to apply more pressure with the back foot at the second part of the turn.
I got from summit to village with about a third of yesterday's falls, not greet but better.
I went from perfect conditions, through ice, to slush, and coped petty well. I even manged to carvea few turns.
As you say, persist!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Spanglepants, Well done. Two or three trips to a snow dome over the summer to work on your technique and you'll be set for next season.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yes, in going to use the snowdome during the summer. Seriously considering buying a board at the end of season sales, 30% of Burton in many places.
If you are a short man the choice of his boards in resort is shocking, and I had to go through the shops to find a decent one.
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Thanks for the advice... I have order the book/DVD, in addition I've ordered a board! I'm now fully committed.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Spanglepants, Excellent, thanks for the update. Let us know how you get on in the future.
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Well I got the book/DVD, and it's actually pretty good. I bought a 30 day pass at the indoor snow park and I had around 10 hours, I would say I'm not doing too badly. I'm now going to pack the board away until it gets nearer to the next season.
It almost feels like I wasted 20 years on the skis when I could have been boarding.. but I think one of the big attractions is that it's fun learning again.
If you're reading this thread, I would say do it! It's going to be a little hard at first, in more ways than one, but cover yourself in padding, persevere and you'll be glad you did it!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I'd been skiing since a teenager when my wife said she wanted to learn to ski (I suspect she got fed up with me having 2 weeks away with the lads every year). I decided to learn to board so that we were both beginners.
Boarded for 5 years and got quite profficient but once I realised she was getting good I went back to skiing. Learning to board is IMO a bit easier if you've skied only because the concept of sliding down a mountain on a greased plank of wood doesn't seem completely mental.
Still board on occasion and IMO you can't beat a board in deep powder.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I see more out of control skiers than out of control snowboarders,
once skiers thin k they can snow plough they head to blacks and claim they are intermediates
A lot of skiers and snowboarders , claim they are intermediate , once they have about 3 weeks mountain riding under their belts...total dangly bits , takes a lot more time ( and yes some learn faster )
Most at best are advanced beginers , rather than intermediate, just because u got down a black doesn't mean you skied it or rode it with style , speed and on edges and carving properly etc
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I stopped sking, when I tried to do both, back in 1990 and have boarded ever since, doing both Northern & Southern winter trips in most years.
We prefer Hokkaido powder in the trees, although still hit the Pipe and Park occasionally. If I was only skiing pistes I probably would have given it away a long time ago, maybe with an ACL reconstuction 
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You know it makes sense.
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Going away with a group of boarders I thought I'd try it out, the boots seemed nicer and no poles to Faff with and the boards are lighter.
Learning in the dry slope now so hopefully come January when I'm in dues Alps I'll have fun on the board and will have learned properly with instruction
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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From what I have seen in The Alps the last few years, boarding is quickly becoming démodé.
This was very much confirmed last winter when I spotted a youngster (on ski's) pulling his slightly overweight father (on board) on a flat path.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I only learnt to board whilst I was doing seasons, as I had the time to do so and was taught by my wife (then girlfriend), I then bought a second hand board and boots and would go out from time to time with colleague's as it was good to compare the same slopes from different disciplines.
not sure I would have spent the time to learn if I was only having a week away, I have not boarded for several years but am planning to hire a board for a day when we are away for our first family ski trip at half term, as the kids will be in ski school a lot of the time, will just need to avoid any drag lifts, never could use them on a board!!!!!
BTW I am knocking on 50 so not sure how a near geriatric falling over will impress the kids!!!!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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When boarding started to become popular in the 80s-90s it was all the rebellious cool kids riding their boards whilst the parents stuck to thier skis. Rewind to 2015, the cool kids are now responsible parents and some of these 'old' people are boarding. It's no surprise the popularity has waned somewhat because which young person wants to start doing what some of the old gits are doing?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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If fashion is your prime concern then you'd probably not be here at all.
For what it's worth, when I started snowboarding it was very much *not* fashionable.
--
I think you'll probably find that obesity is a fairly general problem in the UK and probably tracks the number of fast food outlets better than the number of snowboarders.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I converted. After my lobotomy.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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tried snowboarding in 1999, haven't put on a pair of skis since. Unless a split board counts as skis. But reckon will have to go back to skiing at some point. Nothing beats riding powder on a board.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Langerzug wrote: |
| From what I have seen in The Alps the last few years, boarding is quickly becoming démodé. |
Good. Sideways boardsports transcend fashion and age. They are a calling. I'll be going sideways as long as I can stand. Skiing is welcome to the baggy/skinny pants and long T brigade - its a much better fit anyhow.
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| Quote: |
But reckon will have to go back to skiing at some point.
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Why? I always kinda thought snowboarding was kinder on the knees?
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I used to take school trips where some would learn to board, some to ski. The boarders always had the toughest first day - face plant then bum plant, but invariably were covering more ground by the end of the week. This was some time ago and, to be fair, I think modern skis have made skiing as easy to learn as snowboarding. Back n the day when ski's were long and straight, and pansies were flowers, boarding was probably the easier option. The think that boarding has suffered over recent years with all the fit powder skis and trick ski on the market. If you wanted 'air' twenty years ago, you were a boarder. Now most kids in the parks seems to be on fat skis that operate as well backwards as they do forwards.
I've never boarded as I've always wanted to make the most of my time on the mountain whilst there and felt time learning a new discipline would be a waste compared to going wherever I wanted to go on skis where I have the skills to go down most slopes. When I look down from a lift on a boarder on virgin powder, I always feel a hint of envy. It does look incredible. Am I too old to learn at 44? I also not particularly cool.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@cameronphillips2000, I learned at about 38, so not too far off. Have tried skis here and there since, but just enjoy boarding more.
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I know people who learned when older than that, and who are now very good boarders.
I think it's an attitude thing: if you are prepared to enjoy learning something new, then you'll do precisely that. If you're not going to be able to cope with the frustration of it all, then you're wasting your time, if you see what I mean. There is a minimum investment to be made, and you need to be prepared to suck that up or you'll just dabble & quit.
Personally I was stuck doing business in a fairly flat and snowy place (Finland) for a season in the 1980s, and I quickly got bored with my skis. As metal edged boards had just arrived, the obvious thing was to use the opportunity to learn to board. I never bothered putting skis on again simply because I'm not yet bored. The whole "cool" thing came along later and I think is fortunately well gone by now.
You may want to think about the type of boarding you want to do though - most adults probably are more interested in riding mountains than skate tricks.
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FAQ
