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Snowboarding: how bad is the slide?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
So I recently had cause to revert to snowboarding as injury prevented skiing and I was going to try to make the most of it. I've done a fair bit of boarding back in the day so I'm not quite a raw convert.

Some observations

- It is easier once you are moving downhill, you can do it in circumstances where you can't walk or ski properly (apart from scooting)
- One footing feels very vulnerable, took me a while to regain confidence off chairlifts etc
- Flats and particularly slow spring snow remain a PITA
- It's impossible to catch an edge on a new fangled rocker board (& believe me I tried)
- It is more than possible to crush the nose and fall over the front (also done a lot)
- Rocker board lacked a bit of oomph compared to trad camber - if I was getting back into it I can see my equipment choices would be potentially more limited these days
- Pow remains completely intuitive
- Faceshots are easier
- You quickly get confidence to drop into sketchy, narrow poo-poo because you know you can pivot within the length of the board
- When you haven't boarded in a while you forget how big a blindspot the heelside is, I spent far more time looking around than I do on skis
- It was fun
- Skiing is easier in all the adminy bits of skiing like flats, lift mazes, setting off, getting up small rises etc. My faff time probably increased 20-30% & I strap in standing.
- Everyone who wants to be an instructor should have to do some snowboarding as a second discipline if only to gain an appreciation for movement patterns, vulnerability, sightlines, unnaturalness etc.

So don't think it's going away but don't think it'll be my first choice again.


Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 22-03-13 17:59; edited 1 time in total
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
fatbob, very interesting points. Thanks for making those.

I did about 3 to 5 winters - many trips each season - on monoskis in the late 70s and early 80s. They're much mocked but are astonishingly effective in any kind of soft snow and crud because the single platform cuts through it with great assurance. Monoskis are demanding of technique and require an exaggerated traverse posture to keep the uphill edge on track. As with snowboards, riding drag lifts and getting across flats are disadvantages ... but I recommend the thrill to anyone who wants to diversify their fun on the slopes.

Of course, you don't get the 'blind side' problem with a mono. I wouldn't do it now - 30 years later - because I want minimum fall risk.
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