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its been 20 years!!!!!

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
well, as the title suggests it has been practically 20 years since i last boarded, and what follows is a little bit of my boarding history to give you some context, i am a 55 year old male.

when i last boarded, i owned my own board at the time, it was an old style step in binding with boots what sounded like tap shoes whilst walking on pavements. i was taught to board by my then girlfriend, now ex wife, over 25 years ago when we worked together in the 3 valleys. i was a fairly competent boarder, not spectacular, but i could get around the 3v (if i avoided drag lifts on a board that is Toofy Grin Toofy Grin )

anyway, my youngest daughter (15yo) recently learnt to snowboard at Hemel, and is quite hooked on it, though she still likes skiing as well. we are due to go away in feb to les menuires (fingers crossed!!), and i am currently in LM myself. so i decided to give boarding a go again so as we can do a bit of slipping and sliding together. i rented a board for the week with a cheap online deal, along with bringing my skis with me, i thought it would be a bit like riding a bike, but is it Bo!!!!ks!!!

i thought there may be a bit of a slight learning curve, but i struggled to stay up, i could not even slide the board with one foot unclipped, and am unsure what my dominant leg is, i thought i was regular but after struggling, took the board back where the bindings were changed to goofy, still no good.

i managed to slip down to a chair, but fell head over heels getting off at the top

to be honest, i found the whole sitting on my A!!e, faffing around with the bindings a PITA, i know i had step ins last time, but i learnt to board with conventional bindings!!

i am quite disappointed with myself, and don't just want to throw in the towel (boarding that is), as Snowsports is the thing that both me and my daughter have a great deal in common, and would really love to be able to board together.

am wondering about getting a private lesson in feb, where both me and my daughter can use, but will it be beneficial for for both of us, or will i be holding her back (bearing in mind, she has not used a chairlift with a board either)

must admit i am not as fit as i once was, but can still hoon it around the mountains on skis, or should i just give up, and put it down to old age???
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Ok @terrygasson, The oldest person I met who was learning to ride was 82, so no, not old, and you're not a learner you're just rusty. Skiing has, as it always does, corrupted you, made you lazy - but you can be rebuilt. Persevere and it'll come back.
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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?
Very Happy Very Happy @Richard_Sideways,
Quote:

but you can be rebuilt


a bit like the 6 million dollar man????
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@terrygasson, you weren't that competent if you couldn't ride draglifts.... Twisted Evil
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
In reality, more like a 6Euro man. Just make sure you get value for your money. Toofy Grin
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@pam w, couldnt get to grips with them the first couple of times, and never needed to bother with them in the 3v so avoided them like the plague, i did say i wasn't spectacular!!

@brianatab, have you been talking to my ex Toofy Grin Toofy Grin Toofy Grin
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Swallow your pride, get a 1-1 lesson or maybe two and rebuild your confidence from the base that is surely still there. Find the pleasure in riding a different way - maybe less hooning, more pleasure in having the board under control (that's what I aim for... but don't always achieve!)
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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!
pam w wrote:
@terrygasson, you weren't that competent if you couldn't ride draglifts.... Twisted Evil


Have to say, I've got some sympathy with @pam w. I bear the psychological scars of some epic fails to ride drag lifts! I know I'm not all that on my board.
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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.
As a skier, I waited in a queue for a tricky draglift, behind a snowboarder. I did feel a bit nervous in case he fell off. Needn't have been - he sailed up, on his phone the whole time. Round the Espace Diamant, especially the Arly Valley, there's no alternative to drags if you want to get around - and some of them are nasty.
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
Stick with it, it's fun being a grey haired snowboarder Very Happy

Drag lifts are easy once you work them out. Just stay relaxed and look up.

Back when I used to smoke, I could roll a fag on the way up Very Happy
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I think it's 22 years for me since I last tried boarding. I had a decent instructor, learnt with good friends, but it just didn't do it for me.

About 6 years ago my kids insisted they wanted to try so I thought I might get another go at it. Junior concluded that he hated it after about 3 lessons, and then the mushette looked across the slope at the slalom race club and my fate was decided.

P.S. Drag lifts were about the only thing I could do well on a board Toofy Grin
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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.
@terrygasson you need to suck it up and get on with it, your daughter needs you! I first snowboarded in the early 80's. Part of a surfing scene in North East England we hiked up the Cheviots when we actually got snow most of the winter. Inspired by Sims and Burton with our home made our own boards. However when I tried to take it on my first ski holiday to Andorra i was told no way so ended up learning to ski with my GF. I did not really get to try it again until the 90's when the hire shops started stocking boards with those foul hard bindings and my ski boots i kind of 'gave up'. I became a fairly competent skier all slopes moguls and powder until. Then our group trip to Banff was joined by a friend of a friend a one week snowboarder. He kept up with all the time and rode powder at kicking horse better than us! it still took another couple of years of group holidays with snowboarders to say to myself this will not defeat me. I bought some boots (as with skiing one of the most important first purchases) took an extra couple days before the crew arrived to Monterosa with Tim the fella to get me back on track. That was when i was 39 and i have never looked back. i have done the odd day on ski's especially when my kid were learning. I'm now 57@1/2 my son always boards and i am taking my daughter (fingers crossed to Passo Tonale) mid Jan to help her transition from skiing to boarding for the first time. When i was 50 i had my mid life crisis and joined a gap year programme in Canada to do my Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors quals. I don't think i will get on a pair of skis again. I holiday with a few mixed groups of boarders and skiers all great to be with especially the rivalry. Take a lesson or two to make sure you get your technique dialled again and you'll be running up and down those wet tiled stairs to the loo in the mountain restaurants passing all those skiers grimacing and holding the hand rails for fear of their lives!!
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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
cheers for all your replies, i may not give up on the "darkside" just yet. though i will give it a miss this trip, but wait until my feb trip, and see about arranging a private lesson for both myself and my daughter, as it may be good to do it together.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
tomj wrote:
I bear the psychological scars of some epic fails to ride drag lifts! I know I'm not all that on my board.


Thou protesteth too much, I can't recall you looking anything other than completely in control on a board.









Oh, hang on a minute, maybe there was one time Twisted Evil Twisted Evil
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
20 years since I borded too, I was no good at it, did more scraping than anything else, so I returned to skiing
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Quote:

Oh, hang on a minute, maybe there was one time


Embarassed
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I boarded and did a couple of seasons but then switched to skis when it was icy and I had young kids. Now I love both- all mountain skis when it’s icy, snowboarding when it’s nice snow.

T-bar drag lifts? Pommas? Eh oh! as long as you don’t mind inner thigh bruising!
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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?
Just done three days boarding after about 14 years since the last time. That was a week in France. It's like riding a bike, just takes a little longer to get back in the swing of it.

I keep getting creamed by the icy patches but other than that managing reds here in Levi no problem, but much happier on the wide blues.

Was going to book a private lesson to refresh / relearn, but no instructor was available so I spent a few days playing on the green slopes using the free lifts while the kids had their first ski lessons.

It's easy enough to get down the hills comfortably when there is little or no ice.

You will be fine.
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It's been at least 3 years for most of us now Toofy Grin
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@oink, what was happening when you hit the ice?
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@Richard_Sideways, heel side slipping onto my butt every time. Maybe I only hit it heelside, but i don't remember any toeside crashes. \i'm going to google it now. Any advice gratefully received.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Bend your legs.
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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!
@Gainz is probably right - the Ice on the floor is making your over cautious and you're standing up too much - Get lower and bend the knees rather than bending at the waist, and you'll stay in firmer contact with the icy stuff, the straight legs will basically bounce you out.

Plus, it never hurts to make sure your edges are nice and sharp on icy days.
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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.
I'll get the file out so. And get more flexible at the knees.

Thanks all.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
As above, get low and relax on the ice. Don't look for grip, there isn't any. Chill with the edge angle and either side-slip or (preferably) straight line across the icy section, then slow down once you get back to good snow.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Took the last few days off to do family stuff and avoid the -26 temps. Back at it tomorrow, but it's to snow tonight (snowing softly at the moment) so hopefully won't be as icy when I get to the harder front slopes tomorrow afternoon.

I've sharpened the edges to be on the safe side and will spend the morning cruising the way blues with the kids and practicing the bending of the knees. .
Thanks for the advice.
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