 Poster: A snowHead
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Good Morning,
I Decided to finely give winter-sports a try. i am 36 very Atlantic gym gore in a very good shape. most of my friends ski so i decided to try and take few ski lesions
I explained to the instructor on the first exercise off the day that my feet naturally point outwards and that i did have concerns that my sticking-out feet are going to make things complicated for me. If I put my feet parallel as they would be on skis, and bend my knees, my knees come together; if I prevent them from doing that (which I understand makes for a better stance) then the outside edge of the balls of my feet come under extra pressure at the expense of other parts of my feet, causing what currently feels like crushing of the outer foot balls.
Due to this situation i could not complete snow plough as a basic stooping exercises and had to leave because i felt so angry. my confidence was totally knocked down.
once i get over myself  i am considering going to try and take snowboard lesson.
i was told that on on a snowboard, my wide duck angles should allows me to bend my knees and have my upper and lower legs remain in line with each other.
I wanted to ask if any of you have seen or have been having this problem ? will snowboard be my way to winter sports or am i just doomed to not enjoy snow session.
Thank you for any help and advice.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@gnave, A friend of mine has a similar problem due to an ankle break. She recently started snowboarding and found it works fine. Go for it you've nothing to lose.
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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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I have "five to two" pingu feet and hypermobile hips and have similar aches and pains.
Snowboarding WILL be a lot easier! Whoever told you that on a snowboard it will be easier to have your legs in line was right, but you may find that you have to do some exercises to build up some muscles in the right places. Otherwise you might find your knees turn inwards anyway. That gets in the way of steering the board properly - personally if I'm being lazy I turn my trailing knee inwards to turn the board which is naughty.
Just a warning, but you'll find the hire snowboard boots still give you sore balls of the feet and the stance on the hire board won't help, but when you go for lessons and collect your kit ask the person behind the counter if they can help adjust the angles on the bindings etc because you have a natural duck stance. If you keep it at the standard angles you might find that you struggle to bend your knees when you're all strapped in or when you do, the outsides of your feet burn like mad. Don't give up! It's just a matter of setting the board up so you're comfortable and that can be hard with hire kit.
It might be worth going to see a physio, ideally a sports physio. It sounds like you have some alignment things going on that might benefit from some exercises that'll make riding a lot easier, less painful and more fun. Especially if you find the foot pain continues, or it's really hard to keep your knees in the correct position.
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@gnave, welcome aboard, don't worry - Snowboarding will be your friend.
As the above says, setting up in a Duck stance is perfectly normal in snowboarding. Theres quite a good introduction guide to working out basic stance and binding setup here.
As you're a gym-guy you might find doing some Bosu-ball squats useful for balance while using the muscle sets you'll use in riding. Try to keep your knees in line with your feet rather than bringing them together and it'll help you get the power down through your legs into your feet and to the edges of the board. Try to always keep your legs 'soft' as this'll give you the suspension you need when riding. If you do try the Bosu stuff, try slowly pressuring your toes and heels too, rocking forwards and backwards in a controlled way while keeping your upper body stable, as its a similar sensation.
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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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@gnave, sounds like you might be most comfortable boarding with a symmetrical "duck" stance, with your feet pointing the way they like to point. Same happened to a nephew of mine, a strong squash player (in top two or three in Western Australia) with mixed dominance. He threw his squash racket from hand to hand, and tried boarding regular, and goofy, and couldn't get on with either. Then he tried "duck" and never looked back.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Having tried almost every permeation of bindings angles, once I tried duck I never looked back ( -15/+15 = the angles of the gods!).
It's so important to be comfortable on your board. The wrong angles will quickly lead to fatigue and pain. Best bet is step onto a board without bindings, feet over the binding holes and observe the angles your feet naturally sit at. Chances are these will be the most comfortable angles to set your bindings at.
Be warned though, even with the right setup it is still bloody hard learning to snowboard. You will fall over a lot and get bruises in places you thought could never be bruised! Persevere though, once it "clicks" it's amazing!
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Don't be afraid to play with your angles/stance either. I find if I have been surfing a lot I prefer a greater forward angle and less of a (rearward) back angle, but If I've been riding a bike (clipped in) I feel more comfortable with a more equal duck stance.
Persevere and have fun 
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Good Morning all,
First i would like to thank each and everyone of you for the time you took to Wright such a detailed replay.
It has been really helpful to read your replays. not just for my confidence levels but also knowing i am not the only one with the problem.
I already started doing some Bosu-ball squats at the gym last night (Thank you Richard_Sideways) and will try and work my balance more.
In addition i will book few snowboarding lesions and hopefully get the grip of things. i may have to give-up my dream of going to the French Alps with my friends this year. but maybe next year i will be ready.
Special thank you for each and everyone of you. i will keep you posted.
Have a great Weekend.
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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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| Quote: |
i may have to give-up my dream of going to the French Alps with my friends this year
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Why?
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@pam_w, i need to feel confident enough to be able to enjoy that kind of trip.
No point paying loads of money if i can go down the slopes.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@gnave, 3 or 4 lessons at a snowdome would probably have you ready to hit the slopes well enough, especially as you sound like a pretty active person. Go for 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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You guys got me really excited about it all
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The best way to prepare to go snowboarding is to go snowboarding. Can't learn to swim without getting in the water, right? Try and yourself to a slope, even a dry-slope, and get a few hours under your belt, but if you can't - don't worry. You'll learn more in a mornings lesson on the mountain than you'll learn in a fridge anyway. Thats no reflection on the UK Indoor slopes, but a mountain bunny slope is, in my opinion, preferable to an indoor slope as they're never as busy, much wider and a whole lot longer so you have more room to work with, without worrying about 40 other people around you to hit. I didn't get my 'click' moment until I got on to an actual mountain (I sucked SOOOO bad on my 'learn to ride' lessons at Tamworth)...
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You know it makes sense.
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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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@gnave, that would be an excellent idea.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Welcome to the dark side, u chose wisely or you could say u voted with your feet 
A lot more fun , a lot more chilled people and u will enjoy it
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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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Friday 8PM 3 hours snowboarding lesson booked Thank you again for all your support.
Wish me luck.
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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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Good luck, and have fun!
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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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@gnave, remember to exercise your laugh muscles 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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So.... as i said i would, i went the slopes on Friday night. did a 3 hours lesson and it was amazing.
I hed so much fun and i was really happy i found something i could actually do well on the snow.
Thank you for all your support.
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@gnave, well done. Welcome to addiction.
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@gnave, brilliant. Glad it all clicked for you. And also glad we've saved you from the two plank plague as well 
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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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Oh poor old Pete
Had sticky out feet
He could hardly board at all
so they gave him, medicinal compound
now he jibs, but never stalls
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@davidof, Don't give up the day job
@gnave, Well done, your life and your wallet will never be the same again.
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FAQ
