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First lesson - Pain

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi All

Finally had my first snowboarding lesson last night and loved it! Did it at the Chillfactore in Manchester Smile

I have never done anything like this before and I was amazed at how quickly it went from being the strangest sensation in the world to the most natural. Managed to get onto doing toe and heel slideslips which I am told isn't too bad for a first attempt Very Happy

The only problem I had was a growing pain in my trailing foot / leg. The one I was pushing myself along with. I did a two hour lesson and with 30 mins to go I was in a lot of pain. Even sat down or stood still on the travelator going up the hill hurt. I was just wondering if this is me just getting used to snowboarding or was it down to badly fitted gear. I used the rental stuff. The pain was so bad I REALLY struggled to drive home afterwards. My other foot was fine, byside a little cramping style pain from working muscles I probably have never worked before.

Here is picture of where the pain is. Its not a photo of my foot Smile It feels like I have been kicked really hard. Or something has been crushed into me. There is no bruising and the pain is going away and I am getting mobility back.



Thanks for any feedback. I am up for buying properly fitted boots if you think that would help!


Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 9-05-14 9:49; edited 1 time in total
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Sorry not sure how to resize the image!

EDIT - fixed
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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?
It's hard to say without seeing what you're doing. Snowboard boots are notoriously hard to fit, and what may seem right "in the shop" may well not be when you use it. Most people working at shops or rental outlets aren't boot fitters.

You may be over-tightening the things, or other wise doing something weird with your leg. Ask your instructor about that - he/she isn't trying to sell you toys, and they saw you ride, so they have a better chance of giving you objective advice.

There's no particular guarantee that any pair of boots you buy is going to be better or worse than any you rent. At least with rentals you can try different things until you find something that works. I once shared a lift with a lady who'd had more than 30 pairs of snowboard boots - all of which she hated. That's an expensive hobby.
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Personal opinion would be that you're right when you say you're using new and different muscles too. When you're learning you're either braced for impact or focussing so hard on staying up that your weight isn't balanced in the right place, your toes and feet are screwed up and tense, and there's lots of weird things happening.

philwig has a point about the boots. It's a pain in the butt to find a snowboard boot fitter who knows their ranges to the extent that the ski boot fitters do, and a set of boots that will help you feel comfortable. Also I second the bit about about asking your instructor too whether there's anything they can see that could be causing it. Further down the line when you decide it's a sport you want to commit to (whem not if Wink) and you get your own board you'll have a lot more scope to mess about with your stance angles and distances and find a decent balance.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
oafc0000, It's impossible to point to any specific cause. I may be a boot issue, though I kinda(sic) doubt it. It may be that your stance and angle set-up is creating a stress pint in your leg. It may be just that you've strained/torn a little muscle in your leg at that location through inducing a lateral force that it's never had to deal with before . . . OR all of the above plus more that I can't think of off hand.

When we start any new activity we are really tasking our bodies beyond their comfortable limits . . . they don't like it and will loudly complain Toofy Grin or wait till you're older and it gets seriously grumpy Evil or Very Mad

Look to getting your basic neutral stance position right, boots that fit well and your body more used to the forces placed on it with boarding and you should not have any discomfort. Falling on your ass, face, shoulders etc. not indemnified by this posting Twisted Evil
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Cheers for the feedback! I guess a bad workmen will always blame his tools Very Happy

I guess I just need to knuckle down and work through the pain for now Smile
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I found it a bit of a help, at least in the head, to take ibuprofen and paracetamol before hitting the slope (literally, fml) when I started learning. And relax! It could hurt so much more! You could be learning on a dry slope Wink
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Quote:
It could hurt so much more! You could be learning on a dry slope Wink


Oh yes. Very Happy
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
I reckon that philwig is on the money with an overtight boot. It's very easy to overtighten the top of the boot when you're trying to make sure you don't get any heel lift and make the cuff dig in. I've had pain in that area before, particularly with my old lace-up Northwaves, and its usually down to incorrectly tightened boots.
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What they said.

Lots of medics I know use Ibuprofen at the start of the season as a prophylactic for general slope unfitness. A couple of days of that gets many people past early season muscle aches and the risk is very low. Even if you don't use it that way, carrying some with you in case you crash hard isn't a bad idea.

If you have a specific issue ("shin bang" or some such) then Ibuprofen gel is good for that, although you need to understand what the issue is before you mask it, if you see what I mean.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
If snowboarding isn't hurting the first few days you're doing something wrong. No idea what your specific issue is but it'll be something from trapped/pinched nerve, muscle not ordinarily used or a bruise. Chances are it won't recurr or you'll sort it with different boots.
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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.
philwig wrote:
I once shared a lift with a lady who'd had more than 30 pairs of snowboard boots - all of which she hated. That's an expensive hobby.


or a primadonna
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Dave of the Marmottes, friend of mine has freakishly small and boney feet and is on her 7th or 8th pair of boots - most with only a week of wear on them as she can't find any that fit her foot/bones/calf combo without causing massive pain and cramping. CH02 promised to have a go at fitting her if we're ever going through Chamonix...
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Richard_Sideways, would have thought that's the answer - mix 'n match on a liner and shell with a good footbed made by someone sympathetic to snowboard ROM.

Don't get me wrong most snowboard soft boots are irredeemable fashion shoite with the longevity of wet cardboard. I get killer toe pain in my 3rd and 4th toe of my lead foot at the end of a hard day due to liner packing and nerve compression. I'd be giving it up long before the 30 pairs level.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Don't dispute it, but have you tried getting someone to do that in the UK - if it doesn't come in a box with the size and colour printed on it, fergeddaboutit.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
My instructor made a comment that I had a poor choice of socks on before we started and said I should get proper snowsport socks. I spoke to him today about the pain etc and he said it could quite possibly had been the socks crumbling up. So will try some of them as the ones I had on anyway where next to usual regardless of the pain issue Smile
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
oafc0000, Smartwool minimal padding - your legs and feet will thank you for ever.
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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?
oafc0000

take a look at www.circleofshred.co.uk its a forum purely for people who snowboard in chillfactore. go log in. you will find a couple of chillfactore instructors on that forum. maybe even the one you have had.
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Hi Everyone

Just thought I would update this thread.

I went for my second lesson last night and no pain! Well besides what you could expect from snowboarding. The intense crippling pain I got last time didn't reappear. I bought some Smart Wool snowboarding socks and also the boots I was given felt a lot better from the moment I put them on feet.

I also got up to the minimum standard to start using the main slope on my own Very Happy Loving Snowboarding Very Happy

Now looking at buying my own boots and board Very Happy
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
oafc0000, buy your boots first. Go to a store with a big selection, try on loads and loads. allow a couple of hours at least. Obviously buy the most comfortable. I'm sure there's a lot of 'How snowboard boots should fit" type threads. Some people will tell you your toes should touch the end of the boot when you're just standing upright, then as you drop into your riding position (flexed ankles and knees) your toes will be pulled back in the boot. My personal experience of this type of fit is that your toes will end up banging off the end of the boot on heel side turns and three days of my first holiday were spent in pain. Just my personal experience.
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Cheers!
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Good to hear you're having a better time of it, and you've found your snowboarding legs. As rogg said, if you're buying kit, look for your boots first.
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