Iv been skiing for 4 years now, but tomorrow me and a few pals are moving to the darkside to see what all the hype is about.
Has anyone any tips for learning? Whats the first thing we should be mastering? I've been watching youtube videos for some tips etc.
I reckon I'll be hopeless!
Cheers in advance!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
First thing you'll learn is side slipping on heel edge and toe edge. Keep your legs bent and your weight low.
This'll move into "Falling Leaf" where you're holding the board on an edge letting it slide forwards and backwards across the snow in a zig-zag pattern, a bit like a leaf falling to the ground from a tree.
If theres any strength left in your thighs at this point you'll probably be introduced to turns, quite probably using upper body rotation (which works but is a coten considered a bit 'bad form').
You will also learn.
1. the joy of comfortable footware
2. why snowboarders sit down all the time.
3. that your calves and thighs are actually made of a highly combustable material and will catch fire.
4. a new appreciation as to why poma lifts should be sold for scrap
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?
nick911e wrote:
Has anyone any tips for learning?
It'll either be a piece of cake, or the most soul destroying thing you'll probably ever try to do.
If it's the latter, it'll be all too easy to go back to skiing, so don't give up.
Once you've taken in the basics, progressing is 90% confidence and bottle. The only 'tip' is if in doubt try to stay on an edge, preferably the right one.
top tip - get some padded shorts, or make some or anything - because you will fall on you arris and it hurts after a while!!
Expect to fall over a lot, it's normal, don't get disheartened by it - and if you don't that's a bonus.
To help get your sideslipping smooth imagine there's a piece of soft fruit under your board, you want to squeeze the juice out of it rather than splat it in to the snow.
Definitely invest in padded shorts and wrist guards (wrist guards are more important than the pants for a learner snowboarder).
When you start doing turns stay at 90 degrees to the slope, don't try and stay vertical as you will pull the nose of the board out and make it really difficult to initiate the next turn.
Bend your knees as much as you think you need to, then bend them a bit more.
Cheers folks. Think im even more intimidated now than I was before!
Thinking of ways to make padded shorts as I type! Also think I'll leave my ski's at home to make sure I persevere, and not change over after an hour!
I'l let you know how badly I get on!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
nick911e wrote:
Cheers folks. Think im even more intimidated now than I was before!
Hey thats what we're here for...
Quote:
Thinking of ways to make padded shorts as I type!
Wedge a folded up teeshirt or a magazine down the back of your pants. Will also help with the enevetable 'personal' chilling that comes from sitting in snow... Actually I never really suffered from not wearing padded shorts when I learned, but the wrist guards were a big help - too thick to remember to fall properly y'see, and bruised both thumbs. Bit late for you to get some now but may be a useful investment for future lessons, if you decide to embrace the darkside
After all it is free
After all it is free
wrist guards, and padded shorts. Go buy some. Then go and have a great day.
Don't forget to keep the trousers baggy. fartbags are for skiers.
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.
take the "how to fall over" part seriously. The natural reaction is to put you hands down and that can lead to broken wrists - Try to use the whole forearm to spread the load.
Stick at it, it is well worth it. After 25 years skiing, I dipped my toe into the darkside and now have the choice of board or ski, depending on conditions/company and if there's some powder about it much easier for an intermediate boarder to enjoy than an inter skiier.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ignore the tears. Fight the pain and humiliation. At some point you will start to enjoy it, then love it, then possibly never put two planks on your feet ever again.
Oh and watch this for everything you ever need to know.
Have you got an old mouse mat or even better an old camping bedroll? Cut out a 'pair of buttocks/upper thighs'. wear two pairs of stretchy boxers and slip pad in between. Let the sweating commence!!!
My tip is "Don't give up'.
It will take a little while (for some it happens on day one, for some day three or four) one minute it's all a bit hard work and you're thinking about it and trying real hard, the next you're gliding down the slope linking turns thinking "this is easy, I should go faster".
Then one day it snows heaps and suddenly you know why you dumped the planks
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.
Quote:
Then one day it snows heaps and suddenly you know why you dumped the planks
Oh yes.
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
rogg wrote:
... the next you're gliding down the slope linking turns thinking "this is easy, I should go faster".
...which is about 10 seconds before you'll first meet your lifelong boarding buddy, Mr EdgeCatch. Oh what a prankster he is, hiding where you least expent it, waiting to pop out and surprise you, a bit like Kato in the Pink Panther movies... Oh the laughs you'll have!
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Richard_Sideways wrote:
rogg wrote:
... the next you're gliding down the slope linking turns thinking "this is easy, I should go faster".
...which is about 10 seconds before you'll first meet your lifelong boarding buddy, Mr EdgeCatch. Oh what a prankster he is, hiding where you least expent it, waiting to pop out and surprise you, a bit like Kato in the Pink Panther movies... Oh the laughs you'll have!
oh how true that was/is.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Well guys.... Today was a success!
All your tips worked great. Three of us headed up Glenshee, and spent the first hour and a half practising the "floating leaf" on the beginners slope. Then we decided we were ready for something more challenging and head over to claebockies. The slope didnt intimidate us much...but the poma certainly did! Thankfully, we all made it up first time...just! A few times running with the loose foot to regain control!
Claebockies was much better. We had the whole slope to ourselves for around 2 hours. Each time just pushing the floating leaf that wee bit further. We finished the day off with the trip up the butcharts access poma. Two of us made it to the top, but the journey down wasnt that nice. Really narrow and icey. Still coped resonably well.
We ended the day early, around 3pm totally exhausted! Wrists in agony, thighs burnings, and a slight sore bum. Thought I had ripped myself a new back bottom at one point!
We also seemed to have progressed quicker than a few of the beginners who had one on one tuition in the morning. Think the skiing expierence may have helped a fair bit.
I'm now away to search gumtree for a cheap second hand board and boots!
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