Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all!!
I'm quite an experienced skier, and quite fancy turning my hand to a bit of boarding. I have tried once before, but only paid for a days taster session whilst on a weeks skiing holiday. My question is, what is the easiest way to get into it and start learning how to board? I don't particularly want to pay for a whole weeks holiday, to spend most of it sat on my bum whilst I'm still learning!
Has anyone had any experience using dry slopes/snow slopes in the UK whilst learning? Are they any good? Is it worth paying for their tutoring to learn the very basics?
Any advice or previous experienced would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
Heather
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@hmilton, Welcome to Snowheads. We use Tamworth snowdome for our boarding fix when not in the mountains. Have a look at their board in a day courses. You would probably be able to link turns after a day from what we have seen beginners achieve.
Or your nearest snowdome of course.
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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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@hmilton, I have literally just been through this process. I did a day introduction at the ChillFactore and then hired boards for four days of a ten day trip over the New Year. My two daughters and I had morning lessons for three of the four days we had boards and made amazing progress. Linking long and short turns down fairly easy slopes. My one warning and you read about this everywhere, is get some impact protection before you go. Impact shorts were very useful as were wrist guards although there are mixed views about the benefits of the later apparently. You will get quite battered and bruised in those first two or three lessons until you find your confidence. Speed on the board adds stability and as a skier we are not freaked by moving at some speed over the snow.
I thoroughly enjoyed boarding and will definitely keep at it until I am confident on all the pistes and may be even try some off-piste as well.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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It's a really hard one isn't it! Maybe the best thing to do is to go to the snow dome a few times to build some confidence, and then incorporate a bit of boarding into a skiing holiday.
Very frustrating that there are no snow centres in the South West! I believe the nearest one for me is Tamworth, but still a 2 hour drive away. Would you say it's worth the long journey? I'll have to do a bit more research into the courses they offer etc
I will look into impact protection - thank you for that advice!!
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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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@hmilton, Takes us 1 3/4 hour to get to Tamworth. Definitely worth it to give boarding a try.
+1 on impact shorts and wrist guards.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Has anyone tried a dry slope? There is one close (ish) to me, which may be easier to get to on a regular basis.
I've heard mixed reviews about them so just wondered what others thoughts were
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I appreciate that it may not suit everyone's view on how to start but in the same position as you regarding ski skills I opted to just go for a weeks morning lessons and got stuck into it.
I just took my ski boots in case I was awful and had to bail out of it, didn't touch skis all week. Went with my nephew who was experienced in mountain boarding but no snow skills and we advanced in broadly parallel level into boarding.
I found it useful to have those lessons each day and complete the full day on piste as a means of building skills quickly but realise it may not suit some. We had about a fifty percent drop out from our group during the first three days, but all the rest were fine.
Two things that really helped us were the great instruction we had from Ecole ski Italy in Cervinia, coupled with soft snow. I don't think I'd have liked it with very hard conditions as we used no padding / armour. The board is just much more progressive on soft snow also, giving you much more leeway during the time you are learning so much.
It was a great week, real sense of achievement, gives you a far better perspective of how different skis and boards are and facilitates for me a better more aware view when doing either.
I'd not hesitate to go and learn.
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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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Dryslopes are cool. So much cheaper than domes!
It is "harder" to learn on a dryslope but it also really rewards good technique (you can get away with murder on real snow) and therefore makes you a better rider in the long run.
With the more modern surfaces, it's a bit less viscious to fall on too.
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@hmilton, We actually learned on Gloucester dry slope. It is pretty close to us but I would never board there again. That dendix surface is scary if you fall over. Dislocated thumbs and fingers are very common.
Much better to go to Tamworth.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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hmilton wrote: |
Has anyone tried a dry slope?... I've heard mixed reviews about them so just wondered what others thoughts were |
I refined my own technique there.
It's the same as with Skiing: plastic is more challenging/ less forgiving, but you will end up a stronger rider because of it. Probably not a good idea if you're not really serious, or if you can't competently ski there already. On the other hand if you have actually decided to learn (as opposed to deciding to dabble a bit), then it's a great place to do it. Most decent UK riders will have some plastic in their history.
Injuries? Well skiers will know how to fall without sticking their fingers in the holes or banging their heads. Sure, you'll get bruised a bit. No pain, no gain. From what I remember the dangerous fall is the "trip over the toe edge" thing which is easy to avoid with a little practice.
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I did a course of boarding lessons at Hillingdon ages ago. It obviously finished them off and I've never been of a board since either
As said above, a dry slope is a better examination of your technique than snow. Very good for learning & brushing up.
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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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hmilton wrote: |
Has anyone tried a dry slope? There is one close (ish) to me, which may be easier to get to on a regular basis.
I've heard mixed reviews about them so just wondered what others thoughts were |
Dendix is a real scary surface on a board, I'd possible suggest going just to get side slipping on both edges. But even as an experienced Snowboarder I really have to commit to turns which beginners can struggle with.
Other surfaces (snowflex and permasnow) are also difficult to ride on but are more forgiving on your body and perfect your skills for real snow.
My partner is has had a couple of refresher lessons on permasnow and although she's found it hard going we've booked an hour at Chill Factore and I'm confident she's going to find it fairly easy after the dryslope and give her the confidence boost she needs.
As for Tamworth, it's my local slope and learnt there 20 years ago, it's the hardest (by that I mean solid packed snow) of all the indoor slopes and would prob suggest MK or Hemmel for slightly less painful falls. I wouldn't have thought there's a lot of time difference (unless your already north of the M4)
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Poster: A snowHead
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@hmilton,
Take an Easter trip as the afternoon slush is perfect for learning to board in + & you can get you ski fix in the morning before the snow turns to porridge.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I did a day in Whistler and decided to give it a go for a week. Bought a board, bindings and boots off eBay for £50 and off to Sauze (probably not the best beginner area!). Spent a lot of time on my back bottom but gradually got the hang of it and have been hooked ever since. In hindsight I should definitely have had lessons at the outset.
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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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ski3 wrote: |
I appreciate that it may not suit everyone's view on how to start but in the same position as you regarding ski skills I opted to just go for a weeks morning lessons and got stuck into it. ... didn't touch skis all week. |
This. Met a bunch of English guys in Vail, asked how they were finding it as an earlier taster without lessons had been a disaster for some of my friends. They said to dedicate a week and on day 3 you'd be riding happily. Next holiday I did exactly that.
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