Snowboarding? How hard?

D

darthsoaker

Joined
May 2, 2006
Messages
1,273
Hi dudes.

I'm posting this here because you guys are verryyyyy nice compared to most other forums. Even in W&C.

I'm going to Colorado next week, for five days. I've yet to decide with if I should go skiing, or snowboarding. Any guys here snowboard? How long is the learning curve? I've already ski'd several time's so I still debating which to do.

Thanks, guys.
 
Do you skateboard? Snowboarding is like skateboarding without wheels. It took me 2 trips down the mountain to learn how to snowboard. I still can't ski for beans.
 
Snowboarding is generally considered easier to learn than skiing because there are less edges to keep track of. I don't know which was easier for me to learn, as it was very long ago when I started.
With the advent of the new "shaped skis" a few years ago, I think skiing has become much easier to learn. I think they are about equal in difficulty these days.
 
my wife grew up skiing and is a great skier. i am not.

i used to dread ski trips because i get terrible altitude sickness and fell down way to much...especially when i tried the bigger runs with my wife

the advent of of parabolic skis has made things much better. i also recommend ski school if you are new to snowboarding or skiing.

most of the western resorts have good ski schools and are worth the money. i am going to utah in a few months and plan on spending at least a day in ski school to get reacclimated.

i have never tried to snowboard but i may try it this year as one of my daughters really wants to try it
 
Most healthy adults can learn to snowboard in 3-4 outings. I specialize in teaching adults to snowboard at my local hill- adults learn different from kids.

The key to success in learning how to snowboard is to pick a learner friendly day to take your first lesson- a powder dump of 4-8 inches the night before- a wide but shallow angle slope, a slow chairlift, and good instructors are the keys to success. Avoid icy/hail conditions- it SUCKS to learn on those types of days.

Most hills out West offer a Learn to Ride package that offers equipment rental, instruction and lift ticket.
You'll learn faster as an adult with a one to one lesson from an instructor, but learning in a group offers the solidarity of everyone learning to get slammed on their ass at the same time.

You will fall down A LOT during the first two days- that's why having the soft powder base is so important. I offer all of my adult students a shot of IBUPROFEN before their first lesson, most take me up on it and thank me later - the feeling of being mugged your first day isn't so bad then.
 
crucible said:
You will fall down A LOT during the first two days- that's why having the soft powder base is so important.
Click to expand...

Yep. Your wrists and tailbone will take a beating while you learn. But once you do, you'll love it.

Just remember to keep your leading edge up and don't let it bite into the snow.

Took me about 3 trips before I got it.
 
I think that its considerably harder than skiing (skis you have both feet and poles connected to hands = 4 points of contact... with the board you don't have that independent feet freedom, or hands). That aside, its a blast! I suck, but always have fun. You should be moving right along by your second day, but if you're like me and my buddies, you'll bust your head a lot! Watch out for that downhill edge of your board - you catch that and you'll plant yourself!
 
Thanks, I think I'll go snowboarding. After all its just me and my dad, so we can practice a lot.

Thanks again for all the help.
 
It is definatly learnable, it took me a while to unlearn skiing, but I am a pretty good skier, if you dont mind falling pretty frequently for the first couple of days you'll pick it up pretty fast, just be patient
 
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