 Poster: A snowHead
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My 14 year old son is now a very good skier but has always fancied giving snowboarding a go. A days lessons at a snow dome didn’t put him off, unfortunately! This ski season it’ll just be him and I skiing as my daughter will be travelling and my wife has decided to hang her ski boots up. We’ve just booked to go to Cervinia 6 - 13 April.
Sweetly he’s decided it might not work too well if there’s just the two of us and he’s starting out boarding so at the moment is planning to ski. Any suggestions how we could make this work? I don’t want to board but equally want to support him to give it a proper go. How realistic would it be if he says does two all day lessons at the start, with the hope he can then get around most of the ski area from day 3. He’s skied since he was 5, surfs and is very fit so I’m anticipating rapid progress.
Any suggestions welcome. Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@7ncj, strangely enough, I've direct related experience doing this, at Cervinia 
I went with a family member (next gen down from me ) to learn, both of us.
Me a skier, he from long board/mountain board but no snow.
Accomplished at skiing, I took just my boots in case of literally falling flat on my face. Then spent the whole week on a board, by the third day could access anywhere red rated in Cervinia. It was a particularly good experience.
Your son sounds far more equipped than me,, also with considerable youth in his favour too.
We took lessons in group with Italian ski school for the whole week covering every morning. Their method, delivery, good humour was absolutely perfect in our experience. I found it technically very good in how they taught and explained, then practiced with observation. Quite alot of falling initially (some others opted out in first few days as not for them) no injuries, brilliant experience. It brings another complete dimension to your own balance that's just not appreciated when on skis too.
I think he'll know quite quickly if he's able to get around with you when on a board, certainly day three is realistic for understanding that. We practiced all and every afternoon to deploy what we'd been taught in the morning.
Thoroughly worthwhile.
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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, thank you. That’s reassuring. I’m hoping the ski rental place would allow him to switch to skis if he really didn’t take to it, but I think it’s more likely his progress will be frustratingly quick.
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It depends on the individual, but that looks like the sort of athletic background which should make it simple.
With me it took a half day to transition, then I was able to ride anywhere, albeit without much grace.
Cervinia is a lot of relatively easy piste from what I recall of days over there, so likely a good choice for progression..
I'm sure any rental place will be flexible; well they would be in Canada at least. Maybe mention what your fall back plan needs to be when you negotiate the rental?
It gets easier and easier, but you have to stick at it even though you can ski faster for quite a while. I could ride a resort pretty quickly, but it still took me two or three seasons before I was as competent on a board as I'd previously been on skis.
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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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| Quote: |
stick at it even though you can ski faster for quite a while
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This. Both my two boys have snowboarded, but alas only one has seen the enlightened path to the One True Edge. The other was beckoned back to the unspeakable practices of the skiers when he wanted to hoon it along with his friends.
I fear for the other one, as he is off on a school ski trip next year and will have to go back to skiing as the Way of Righteousness way is not sanctioned. He must be strong in the face of adversity and turn his back on sliding down the hill face first.
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If you can get another couple of outings to a dome in I'd imagine he'll be fine on Blues etc from day one.
I learnt as an unfit 40 year old having never ski'd or boarded before and did about a week of practice indoors after a couple of lessons to teach me the basics. I got round Les Arcs the following year absolutely fine. I wasn't about to hit black runs and stuff but easy enough to get about (and keep up enough with my 70 year old dad on skis that I didn't disrupt his enjoyment).
If he's years of skiing experience then he'll be fine I reckon.
The biggest challenge I found was understanding the terrain (you don't get rises in a dome where you've got to carry speed etc). He shouldn't have any of that if he's already a decent skier.
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@phil_w, thank you. Odds on he will love it and will there for stick with it. Unfortunately  .
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@paulhinch, we will try and get another dome trip in, but we’re in South Devon so it’s not much less faff than getting to the Alps! He was very nearly linking turns after his first lesson so another should get him in a good place.
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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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@7ncj, had a bit of experience with this, with two kids that have dabbled with boarding. One, eldest boy, more than the other.
We started with them doing it for a couple of hours later in the day, then maybe an afternoon and then maybe a day. It helped that there was and my wife. As one could go with him/her while the other two carried on. Eventually, it got to doing a full day.
At that age I would expect progression to be very quick. I reckon a small number of lessons by 3/4 it will fine.
He will probably fall more often and you have to wait at the time of lifts for them to strap in and get stuck on the odd flat. So a bit of patience required.
I enjoyed being with my son he got up to speed. At one point he was doing more boarding than skiing but last couple of years he's just skied. My daughter has never taken to it as much as he did.
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One of my sons does both. The other started learning at the same time but couldn't cope with being a beginner again (as opposed to the ski God he thought himself.....). Boarder son will ski on a day of hard thin snow and patches of ice,or if accompanying his kids, just learning to ski. Would always board in new snow, especially off piste, if given the chance. I think being able to both ski and board is ideal and I fail to understand why skiers think it's some kind of disaster if their kids turn to boarding. Or indeed, vice versa.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| 7ncj wrote: |
| @paulhinch, we will try and get another dome trip in, but we’re in South Devon so it’s not much less faff than getting to the Alps! He was very nearly linking turns after his first lesson so another should get him in a good place. |
Dry slope in Plymouth (never been, just driven past it).....that'd get him to not fall over at least 
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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 was going round the mountain on Day 3 after 2 days of boarding lessons in Canada (after years of intermittent ski lessons). As above, sounds feasible.
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Thanks all, sounds workable/ worth a try. I’m very happy for him to give it a good go. Many of my friends board, I just don’t fancy it.
@paulhinch, unless they’ve updated the surface again at Plymouth it’s horrendous these days unfortunately. If he could stay standing and put in turns there he’d be practically black run ready
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You know it makes sense.
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Sorry if the following is a bit blunt but bare with me.
I really dislike the term 'Give it a go' - it implies a lack of commitment, and he will need to commit to doing this; and I'm afraid that you are going to have to commit to supporting him in doing it too. You are going to be compromising your time on the mountain to ski with him during this phase, you ARE going to have to deal with the frustration; the waiting; the "faff" factors while he learns a new skill. The moment when he is ready to give it up and go back to rent skis is the time you have to persuade him to keep going, like I assume you did when he learning to ski.
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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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get him wrists guards as a minimum. Catching an edge is very common and there's a reason wrists get broken so often, especially for beginners.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@UtahGetMeTwo, will do. cheers.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Richard_Sideways, really ?!
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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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He’ll prob pick it up quite quickly.
Think when you first learn. Its not only skiing you are learning. Its being confident in your surroundings. Used to be on the mountains, etc. Awareness of who/what is around you. Reading the slope ahead, having confidence in your own ability, etc.
He has that already from skiing, so boarding is just learning the boarding technique.
Will probably be boarding all mountain after 2 days, as so much he can take from skiing already.
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If he can actually proper surf and is athletic there's no reason 2 solid days of lessons from a proper snowboard school can't get him properly set up. Best beginner snowboarder I ever rode with was a guy from Hawaii who was dropping black chutes his first week.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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We are going this Xmas to Cervinia with 4 kids aged 11-14 who are all good skiers but will be learning to snowboard. We booked 4 full days with a private instructor through a local school. The last three days they can choose to either continue to snowboard or ski with us… will get a couple of lessons for them in the snow dome before going…this is the plan at least, will see if they love it or hate it
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Thanks all. We’ve got lessons booked for the first two days. Thanks for the suggestions re:kit as well, all on his Christmas list now!
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Beat him gently around the head until he comes to his senses 
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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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| Gordyjh wrote: |
| Beat him gently around the head until he comes to his senses |
Ha, I’ve tried that for several years, but he is still really keen to give it a go. He’s kept his side of the bargain (being able to ski black runs to a high standard first), so it’s only fair he now gets to try the other side.
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