 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm sure this must have been asked before, so sorry about that.
Am thinking about adding snowboarding to my list of "things I am deeply mediocre at", along with skiing, and to that end am considering a 'learn to board in a day' course.
Tamworth and MK both offer such a thing, but MK is a fair bit more pricey. Anyone got any recommendation as to which is the better course? I can't really be bothered to travel any further North than the Midlands, however good Chill Factore might be, confined as I am to the South Coast, so it really is between Tamworth and MK. Or a dry slope. But sod that.
Any advice gratefully appreciated.
--Paul
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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After this weekend I can confirm that the snow is way better at MK, so I'd say there!
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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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VolklAttivaS5, Helmets are compulsory for ALL people involved in lessons of any kind at MK.
paulio, the other consideration is that at MK the beginner lessons are on a separate slope to one side of the main one, serviced by a travelator and/or Poma, but at Tam they take place on the main slope starting at the outside of the bend, serviced by a rope tow.
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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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When i did a learn to ski in a day course at Tamworth I had a class size of approx 15 and I was unlucky enough to have a slow learner who got all the attention. As a result I picked up loads of bad habits which werent corrected so I had to unlearn in the resort in 1:1 lessons!! The course had too many breaks for me but thats personal choice I guess. I didn't want to stop for pastries at 3pm and lose another 45 mins of my expensive £130 lesson. Not awful just expensive! Go in the next week, while its still half price!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Butterfly, yeah I thought they would be compulsory at MK too. Helmets are also compulsory for recreational boarding though too at Tamworth outside of lessons as I had to wear one the night I broke my wrist and was really glad of it too because my head hit the floor hard when I fell back over my heel edge too as well as my arm going kerrack. 
I've never been to MK so didn't know about where they do the lessons, although it is a valid point about the tow and where the lessons are held etc at Tamworth, although paulio wouldn't be expected to use the tow, I was told to unstrap my feet from my board and walk up holding the tow rope carrying the board under my arm until later when I was shown how to use the tow rope properly. I can imagine it being a nightmare there trying to learn when the place is heaving though, when I was having mine there was hardly anyone about, it was lovely and quiet.
The White Stuff, did you go in main season? I had my lesson first week of August when naturally it's a lot quieter, I paid for a group lesson and there was just me and another bloke which great, because it was practically one on one, that's probably why I was up to recreational standard in 2 hours instead of all day. 15 people in a lesson though seems way too many anyway, I thought the maximum class size was 12 when I went there for my BASI shadowing a couple of weeks ago.
paulio, on that note, try and go up in the week if you can, I was there on a Monday night doing something else and they had 3 people in the lesson, the Tues night I had mine and as I said to The White Stuff there was just me and another bloke, plus the lesson was cheaper than main season as well by a long chalk as I recall.
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VolklAttivaS5, Well it was Feb I think. The group was a large one that they split into two and it seemed like 15, maybe it was 12.
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The White Stuff, cor yeah bet it was a nightmare in there that time of year.
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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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Thanks everyone, yeah planning to go midweek - which makes no difference at MK. £150 there vs. £85 at Tam! Then again the £65 difference will get mostly eaten up in extra travelling costs, so they're much of a muchness (not to mention the horrible early start required to get from Brighton to Tamworth for 9am - an extra hour in bed is worth £50 any day)!
Scared by reports of 12+ group sizes. bug that.
The White Stuff, it's the constant breaks and mucking about that is the main put-off for me. I'd rather do a full 8 knackering hours for any money, rather than loads of pointless buddying up in the caf.
Hmm.
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paulio, I'm pretty sure you're indeed better off at MK. IME, and as others have stated above, snow's better at MK - and the hard deck at Tamworth can't be fun when you're learning to board!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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MK always had the edge (so to speak) due to proximity. But now I'm considering the frankly ludicrous alternative of a long weekend loafing around Brussells with a day trip to Landgraaf. 
But will probably end up at MK.
Thanks all.
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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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slikedges, haven't been to MK as I've said but man, yes that surface is hard at Tamworth. I've never experienced anything like it.
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Have lots of friends who live between the 2 and all definitely prefer Tamworth for the quality of teaching, although many would say the snow at MK is better. If you're going to do the board in a day course it is really worthwhile taking a midweek day off work as the classes are loads smaller - if you can get it booked and done before the end of September then it will be significantly chaper too.
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You know it makes sense.
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Dr George, yeah, there is another thread running at the mo http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=41901&highlight=and someone mentioned that their friend did a learn to board in a day last weekend and there was at least a dozen in the group. That's way too many in my view to be able to give everyone enough attention for what they need. Out of the 12 people at least doing the course only 3 of them got to recreational standard, the rest needed further lessons. At £95 currently that's a lot of money to have more lessons.
During Nov-Mar it's £165!
paulio, I think you should have the first one hour lesson (that's knackering enough just strapping and unstrapping the board loads of times and walking up the slope time after time) and then see if you like it, then go back for a 2 hour lesson-you might be making turns from the top at that point and potentially save yourself a few quid instead of doing the all dayer.
See the thread I have linked to with more info/feedback on the Learn to Board in Day Course-a couple of them dropped out during the day cos it was too much.
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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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Dr George, I'm know little of the quality of teaching at Tamworth but I've only ever heard good things about the quality of board teaching at MK.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I've only ever heard good things about the quality of board teaching at MK.
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Yes, I found it good, and there were four of us I think, maybe 5. I went mid-week on the basis that there'd be fewer kids. It is knackering though if you're young and/or fit you'll probably be less knackered than I was. There wasn't much "mucking around". In fact when the lesson ended and we had a chance to do "one last run" on our own, I opted out, being so tired I thought the chances of injuring myself quite high. I live far too far from MK to have gone up for a series of shorter lessons but I do agree that that would be a better formula if you can manage it.
I don't remember walking up at all, though. At first we used the beginner slope, which has a magic carpet, then after that we were taught how to use the drag lift. One thing I remember was absolutely rubbish straps on my bindings - they kept coming undone and the instructor told me in the end to go and get a different board. The boots were ghastly too. If you had a snowboarding friend you could borrow some from, even if they are less than perfect fit, I'd recommend doing so.
All in all you would probably learn more, more enjoyably, in three 1.5 hour private lessons in a resort.
You are going to tell us all about it, aren't you? 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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paulio, that sounds great. Tell us about it.... promise!
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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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Promise
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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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Unless my wrists are so shattered that I can't type.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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If only I'd known there was going to be 20cm of fresh over the Alps this weekend!
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Landgraaf is awesome, and so are we. I might elaborate later. 
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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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I did board in a day at Tamworth last year during the Summer. I also shadow/teach skiing there sometimes. The regular boarding instructors are nice guys and I think try very hard, but the problem with Tamworth is group size - you could get 4 or 5, but you could also get 15 to 20. It is inevitable in the larger groups that the instructor focuses on the one or two slow learners, and possibly the fast learners, with the result that people who are average get very little attention. I was in this group. I DID manage linked turns top to bottom by the end of the day and did one run without falling over, but I didn't feel recreational standard by the end of the lesson, although was told I was.
Plus it is very hard if you fall over, and you will....lots. I did wear wrist guards (skateboarding ones - yes I know I'm 50 but I'm still a kid at heart).
I have only been to MK once, so can't comment except that when I went the snow was terrible, but it does have the advantage of the nursery slope, which I'd find very reassuring.
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I did the learn to board in a day late Feb last year @ MK. There was about 10 of us on the course. We used the side piste with the travelator, which was extremly useful. Personally I found it a very good course and got me to recreational level by the end of the day. I boarded for the full week 2 weeks later. Yes you will be required to wear a helmet. What I wuold suggest is you do the early start rather than the later start as the later course crashes into std. recreational skiers for an evening.
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FAQ
). By the way, helmets are compulsory at Tamworth for boarding lessons (don't know about MK as haven't been there but I expect so) so take your own unless you don't mind wearing a rental helmet-they absolutely stink as you can imagine. 
