Boarding lessons

A snowHead

Help please. My daughter is moving to Boarding from being a proficient Skier. What lessons ? type and frequency. Also advice on protection from people who have done this. Padding, Helmets in particular. I am trying to persuade her to wear a helmet, - noises from the right quarters would be useful. Also any specific recommendations fo lessons in La Thuile would be appreciated.

A snowHead

My two definites would be helmet and wrist guards. As a complete beginner she will spend a lot of time on her knees/bum, so would consider padding both of them.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

twoodwar, Helmet, bum (inc. hip) and wrist are the basics, add knees as you wish. Note of caution on the wrist guards, there are two basic types, the first are very stiff and have a tendency in bad falls to transfer forces to the forearm. The other are more like splint supports and have some degree of flexibility. There are fans and detractors for both. It's better to try to learn to fall in the crossed arm gymnastic fashion that keeps extremities close to the body and not free to be wrenched, dislocated or broken.
It is surprising how just a tiny bit of lateral movement can turn a simple drop onto yer butt into a crunchy wrist. Lastly, if you are going to stick your hands out, close your fists, fingers love to play catch with any rigid piece of crud in the snow.

I wouldn't panic too much, she knows what an edge feels like and she should be confident in keeping her weight forward, as long as she doesn't try to push it too fast before she gets consistent turning and control skills she shouldn't spend much time eating snow.

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thanks to Elizabeth and Masque so far. Any La Thuile or lesson recommendations would be most welcome

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Went to La Rosiere 3 years ago. Nice linked resort , bit flat over the link between France and Italy. One side always gets more snow than the other , and it differs year on year. The lifts arnt the best at La Rosiere. Drags and chairs, a touch slow. But it is a cheaper lift pass, Cant recall too much about the lifts on La Thuille side. The mountain food and drinks were slightly cheaper and of better quality on the Italian side tho. as were the ladeees Cool

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Get some padded undershorts (with lower back protector). They were the best thing I ever bought, until I took a tumble in Jasper two weeks ago. They're still just as good but that accolade know goes to the helmet I bought a week before out there. I would have needed hospital treatment without it.

Wrist guards are a VERY touchy subject. A girl who duffed her wrist up (suspected break, turned out to be a sprain) in Canada asked the doctor if wrist guards would've prevented it. The reply was probably...............she'd probably have broken her arm instead. It can transfer the injury up the arm. By all means buy them, but they are not as proven as the previously mentioned items.

When she gets more adventurous, think about a full back protector, or possibly, armoured undershirt. My next purchase.

As regards being a proficient skier, this can be a good and bad thing. I've seen good skiers make poor boarders and mediocre skiers make flying machines. The one undeniable bad aspect is that on, say, the third day learning, when she's wet, cold, sore and downright fed up with the whole bl**dy lot of it, she may be lured back from the Darkside with the thought of all the fun the other skiers are having.

Boarding is very much more so (as compared to skiing) a state of mind. I still have bad days and the relative comfort and relaxation promised by a pair of skis is very tempting, though lately I've found the strength to resist.

As regards LaThuile, it was where I spent my first real days boarding (3 of them). It's ok for boarding. No more. The lessons were very mediocre. I didn't have any, but my sister/bro-in-lo/friends did. They didn't teach basics, just wanted to see how quick they could get the more gifted to link some turns, at the expense of the others. This was seven years ago and it may be different now. If you have time before you go, get the young lady over to the nearest dry slope and get the basics; edges, weight transfer etc, sorted before you go. It's the ONLY thing I'd recommend a dry slope for.

Sorry about the sermon, but hope it helps. Above all, persevere. It IS worth it.

John.

p.s. DO NOT be tempted to try the traverse over to LaRosiere as a beginner. It's a VERY long walk if you get it wrong, and nigh on impossible if there's been a modicum of snow.

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twoodwar, I am a fairly recent addition to the boarding community (although my main focus is skiing still).

On my first time I was lent a pair of padded shorts by a friend and the difference between me and my fellow boarding virgin the following morning at breakfast was dramatic - I ate sitting down and he ate standing up!

As a skier your daughter will not only understand the principles of travelling on snow but will not have the same level of fear that most of those new to snowsports feel. So she should make rapid progress.

I was already a helmet wearer on skis so right from the word go wore one boarding. In the first few days it is difficult when riding flat sections to keep on the edge you intend to be on. If you unexpectedly transfer to the heel from the toe edge on the flat then .... you land on the back of your head!!

So I feel a helmet is essential.

After all it is free

Stab,

sorry to disagree mate, but that's not always true. You can ride flat(ish) on softish snow and untracked snow, but to do so on well tracked firm snow is a recipe for disaster, and one of the most common mistakes less experienced boarders make. Even on a slight edge the board, like skis, and skiers will be familiar with the sensation, will try to follow existing tracks, even with the nose detuned, and the resulting wiggle'll concentrate the mind. Flat, it'll have you off

On piste/trails it pays to stay on an edge at ALL times. Even a slight edge will do. When looking down from the lifts at quicker boarders they often appear riding flat, but if you look at the trail behind them you'll see they're not.

But BOOthy, as we've all found out (myself included, on may occasions), it does pay to be on the right edge................................... Shocked

A board will only "castor" behind the leading foot when there are no other tracks to influence it's direction. Which for most people is seldom.

Board safely, and remeber to shout "whoop" when you land one.

John.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

I disagree back Smile

if I gun it straight the board is flat. I do agree though that at all other times the board is slightly on one edge though.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

actually, rethinking, I'm going to study this tomorrow, it maybe you're right. I shall experiment tomorrow.

snow reports

Well, Stab, take care with that. If you have enough inertia I'm sure you'd be able to run flat through most things. Just don't get busting yourself up proving me wrong.

John.

I'll be ok, learnt my lesson in catching edges a long time ago, taken far too many high speed heel/toe edges to do it again.

Just the more I think about it the more I cant remember how I do it, flat or flat with slight edge pressure. Tomorrow will tell. If I don't come back then you were right Laughing

You know it makes sense.

I ride with a VERY slight/subtle edge. Though when you're progressing it's perhaps not recommended. And there's no wrong or right, whatever works for you.

Sounds like you're on the snow. Europe if you're talking not riding. Enjoy it. I'm just back but go out again in six weeks, for a week. And then there's a chance I'll go back to Canada two weeks after that, for a couple of weeks, work permitting.

Ride safe.

John.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Helmet essential. No question. I always use wrist guards, bum protection and knee pads too, but then I am old and rickety. A teenager could probably do without the bum and knee protection (my daughter didn't bother with either). Rather than mediocre lessons (instructors here tend to teach people to turn by flinging their arms around, which I don't think is quite kosher) you could buy "Go Snowboard" by Neil McNab, available from Amazon, which has a DVD with it. From what very little I know about snowboarding, it seems good, though if you ride regular the fact that all the pics and the demos are of goofy riders is slightly confusing to start with. The "Boarding Skool" video is also useful even if the jokey format is tiresome. That can be bought from SCGB and sometimes Snow and Rock. Other people may have different opinions of these learning tools, I'd be interested to hear any comments.

A snowHead

Learn how to board from a DVD? Shocked

Get some decent private lessons, I'd say.

A snowHead

I had 3 one-to-ones from very good riders (not instructors though) and they were terrific so if the lessons are from a decent instructor I would have thought it was your best bet.

Not so sure about a class of 10 newbies that I saw a couple of days ago though

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Agree entirely, BOOthy. If you're lucky enough to know one (several), AND they can convey the subtleties of what you're trying to achieve, that's by far the best way.

All the kids I've spoken to lately (I'm an old man now, they talk to me. I think they see it as some kind of care in the community...........) regarding boarding lessons out in resort, seem less than impressed, including the young lady who bust her wrist. She'd had a couple of days learning with her chap, previous to having a lesson (one on one), in Jasper. Said the lesson was a waste of money, and learnt nothing.

Can only go back to when I learned the basics of boarding, at Telford dry slope some years back. The instructor actually taught you the basics, as they should be taught, edges, balance and weight. Best instruction and money spent, regarding snow sports, I've ever come across. Other than that, dry slope boarding is a waste of time.

John.

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I learned the basics at Sheffield Ski Village, and thought their instruction was good. Max group size = 6, so lots of individual attention.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

twoodwar, i would reccommend a couple of mornings of private lessons. as a proficient skiier chances are she'll pick it up quicker than a load of snow virgins and will progress faster than the rest of the group -which can tend to go at the pace of the slowest learner. last year i was away and one of my group decided to switch from skiing to learn boarding. he had two mornings of private one on one lessons and by the end of the week was better than his older brother who was on his fourth week boarding! (much to his brothers annoyance!)

as has been mentioned above the hardest part for her will be around day 3 - she'll be hurting and aching and looking at the rest of the mountain thinking "i could be coming down there instead of being on this green slope hurting my butt again!"

also - helmet is a must. ive been riding in one for a couple years and now wouldnt even contemplate going on the slopes with out it - it would be like driving a car with out a seat belt on. as a learner shes highly likely to catch her heel edge when facing up the slope which can be quite nasty. you go backwards past the horizontal and your head whips back on to the snow (or ice!) you dont have to be going fast (or even moving!) for it to really hurt.

After all it is free

Lizzard, wrote

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Boarding lessons

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