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The Snowboarding Thread v. No skiers allowed

blissfulMenace

blissfulMenace

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Mar 7, 2005
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so this spring break im going snowboarding for my first time. i did everything i could to try to avoid spring break as the time to go but with full time work and school it has to be done, and i really wanna go, so im just doing it

any tips for the first time boarder? what do i need to bring, what can you usually rent at the resorts. How much money should i bring for lift tickets and such. answer any questions you think i may have because chances are i do
 
TALLY said:
All I have to say is dont be afraid to fall, because it is going to happen A LOT!
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Yep.

Learn how to fall first and dont go doing any big hills when your friend trys to drag you out because he's bored...it hurts a whole lot. Bunny hills are for a reason.
 
lol and what, roll down the hills?

im well aware of the falling and such, but im more worried about, what kind of pants should i use? do they need waterproof bottoms?

things of that nature.
 
blissfulMenace said:
im well aware of the falling and such, but im more worried about, what kind of pants should i use? do they need waterproof bottoms?
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you need to dress for the conditions but i would recommend always wearing waterproof pants as you will be falling.

wear one pair of thin socks and get boots which fit correctly. if you need two pairs of socks, your boots are not fitting correctly. a little extra time spent beforehand fitting your boots will save you hours of misery on the hill.

if it's cold you'll need long john or chilis under your snowboard pants. do not expect to rent pants at the resort. a lot of resorts don't rent clothes. aftermarket places - ski shops in town - may well rent clothes. if you think you're going to get into this, a good pair of pants is a good investment. i have pants made by 'descente' (sometimes known as 'dna'). love them and can not recommend them highly enough. there are loads of great brands.

for your upper half, wear a wicking first layer (the layer nearest your body). do not wear cotton. after that dress in layers according to the conditions. take a spare layer - you can always leave it off but, if it gets colder, you can't wear it if you don't have it.

for a jacket, if required, choose something waterproof and windproof. again, if you think you'll get into this, a quality jacket is a godsend. get one with a good powder skirt for those epic powder days.

you'll need a decent pair of waterproof gloves as you'll probably be pushing yourself up a fair bit.

you must have sunglasses or goggles. do not be tempted to go out without eye protection even on a dull day - you will damage your eyes. if the weather is nice the day you are learning, you'll be fine in sunglasses. once you get going, you'll definitely need goggles (because sunglasses don't help with the wind).

consider wearing a helmet. i always wear a helmet when i'm riding. when i used to instruct snowboarding, i would always wear my helmet - even when teaching a first-timers lesson, as an example. out on the mountain people occasionally die needlessly when they could have survived wearing a helmet.

if it's really bad weather, you'll be glad you brought a gator (for round your neck).

finally, wear sunblock - even on a dull day you can get sunburned.

finally, finally, have fun!

alasdair
 
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Have some tylenol for the next day! You will def be sore in places you didnt know could hurt. I started snowboarding last year and Im totally still a beginner. Yesterday I only did about 10 runs and my arms are killing me from having to push myself back up after falling. My lower back/butt hurt since I land there the most lol.

Also, the part I find hardest when learning is how to get off the lift! IT IS HARD. Especially if you are on a mountain with a faster lift than a mountain you are used to with a slower one.

I also think that learning on the bunny hill is good for very basic stuff but thats it. Last year all I did was the bunny hills and it was sucky because by the time I was able to push off and get going I would fall so many times that I would be at the bottom and have to walk back up. So once you get the hang of your edges, how to stand up without falling, your heel & toe control...move up to a bigger hill. Also around here in New England there are some mountains known as "learner mountains" and you will see on the blue trails a lot of people still falling etc. You just get so much more room to get going before falling.
 
Snowboarding is a huge workout for your quads in my experience, so those will hurt for a while afterwards. Just dont forget to dress warm, get some goggles too. You should be able to rent boots and the board, and falling is something the instructer teaches so dont be discouraged when you do.
 
Don't let a friend try to teach you. Get real lessons. I wasted two seasons 'learning' how to ride before I took a lesson and got rid of most of my bad habits.
 
awesome, im real excited about this.

im going to wolf creek in colorado, its supposed to be around 27 degrees.. im from texas so the cold weather is going to be a shocker im sure. the low is 4, ive never even been in temps that cold.. ever..

thanks for all the advice, anyone know of any reading on how-tos and tips as to how to snowboard? i figure if i at least get some sort of idea before i head out there then it might be a little easier on me than if i get out there and waste an hour designing my own idea on how to stand up
 
I think one thing to do at home might be to try bending your knees and leaning forward on your toes and then backwards on your heels and holding the position. Are you renting a snowboard or borrowing a friends?

Last year I tried reading up on stuff but it didnt help to learn anything until I got to the mountain and actually tried doing stuff.
 
DG said:
Also, the part I find hardest when learning is how to get off the lift! IT IS HARD. Especially if you are on a mountain with a faster lift than a mountain you are used to with a slower one.
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few people know that at most mountains, as you approach the top station, get the attention of the lift attendant with a downward hand gesture and they'll slow the chair for you. if you're on a chair which serves tougher terrain, they may not do it - as you probably should not be on that chair in the first place - but most places have friendly, responsive, safety-minded lifties.

in my experience, problems getting of the chair are mostly mental - as you approach the unload, telling yourself you're going to fall will most likely result in a fall. there's one golden rule: keep your head up. if you have to look down at your board to plant your back foot, you're not ready to ride a chair.

if so, find a flat piece of ground and practice skating - push off and plant your back foot (preferably on a stomp-pad - it will be easier) without looking down. this needs to be second nature. our bodies tend to go where we're looking - if you unload a chair looking down, that's where you'll go.

blissfulmenace, regarding reading ahead of time, i wouldn't bother. for one thing, if you're a visual or kinesthetic learner, it won't really help. also, the one thing which is going to pay off the most when learning is getting muscle-memory dialed in for fundamental positions and movements. iterating these things is how you teach your muscles to 'remember' how to do it and you can't learn that reading a book. if you want to do something in the off-season to prepare, make sure you're in good shape and practice stretching. that will pay off better than anything you can read.

finally - and you can file this under well-he-would-say-that-wouldn't-he - if you like but, i echo dave's comment about being taught by friends. don't do it (unless your friend is aasi-certified). i'm a reasonably competent snowboarder. when i did my training to become an aasi-certified instructor i was blown away by how little i knew about snowboarding and teaching snowboarding. it's very easy easy to teach snowboarding poorly - any snowboarder can do that. if you want to be taught solid fundamentals and know for sure that your instructor understands movement analysis, the correct teaching model, movement concepts and board performance concepts, etc., ask at the ski school if your instructor will be aasi-certified. there are three levels of certification (one, two and three) and even a level-one certified instructor will do a significantly better job of teaching you than your gnarliest, park-rat, riding buddy.

have fun and be safe.

alasdair
 
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alasdairm said:
few people know that at most mountains, as you approach the top station, get the attention of the lift attendant with a downward hand gesture and they'll slow the chair for you. if you're on a chair which serves tougher terrain, they may not do it - as you probably should not be on that chair in the first place - but most places have friendly, responsive, safety-minded lifties.

in my experience, problems getting of the chair are mostly mental - as you approach the unload, telling yourself you're going to fall will most likely result in a fall. there's one golden rule: keep your head up. if you have to look down at your board to plant your back foot, you're not ready to ride a chair.

if so, find a flat piece of ground and practice skating - push off and plant your back foot (preferably on a stomp-pad - it will be easier) without looking down. this needs to be second nature. our bodies tend to go where we're looking - if you unload a chair looking down, that's where you'll go.
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I can skate at the bottom and put my foot on the stomp pad. I tell myself while going up "You arent going to fall" but as soon as I go to get off the lift I panic and instantly get so much anxiety and I fall. I feel like it happens so fast and I cant not look at my foot. Its so scary to me.

Its good to know about doing the hand thing. I will have to try it :)

How many mountains have a super skinny mini hill for you get off the lift? I felt like it was such a small space for 3 people to be getting off a lift at the place I was at yesterday.
 
any mountain worth its salt should have a beginner lift, off to the side somewhere where it will operate more slowly and the unload ramp will be gentle and they'll slow it down almost to a stop if you indicate to them.

if you can't not look at your foot, try picking a point in the distance (like the top of a specific tree) and keep staring at it as you unload. if you can't not look at your foot, you're still not quite doing it automatically (see above: muscle memory) and you need to get back to the flat and practice it a little more. it wil come with practice.

alasdair
 
as an aside, safety is, as on bluelight, a core concern at a ski resort. anybody who skis or rides should know (from memory) and execute the skiers responsibility code:

1. Always stay in control.

2. People ahead of you have the right of way.

3. Stop in a safe place for you and others.

4. Whenever starting downhill or merging, look uphill and yield.

5. Use devices to help prevent runaway equipment.

6. Observe signs and warnings, and keep off closed trails.

7. Know how to use the lifts safely.

a lot of people don't seem to grasp #2...

alasdair
 
I've been snowboarding twice, and every single time I stood up I fell right back down haha. Hopefully it won't be as much of a painful experience for you as it was for me ;) . Good luck!
 
Aladasdairm (or however it is spelled), has highlighted most of the main ideas. He knows what he is talking about... However, I feel as if he has left one thing out.

Socks. Socks are really important. It might seem like a stupid thing, but honestly, your feet are vital on the mountain. There are two important things to watch out for:

1) You don't want cotton socks. If your feet get wet, from either snow getting in your boots or from sweating, your feet will get cold and uncomfortable. Wet cotton is just miserable. Try to get a pair of wool socks, like smartwool, ski/snowboard ultra light.

2) You want thin socks. Thick socks cause your boots to not fit as well, and can cause you blisters and other problems. (that is why I recommend ultra thin).

When getting your rentals, wear the same socks you will be wearing at the mountain. It will make a huge difference.

Also, remember, pull up your socks when getting in your boots. If your socks are all bunched it will cause pressure spots and bruises which will just cause pain.

Also, you may want wrist guards on your first day, as you will be falling a lot and usually when people fall, they put down your hands. Another way to do this is remember, if you are falling over, get your hands out of the way and fall on your butt. There is a lot more cushioning there.

Also, one heads up. You are going to want to stay on an edge at all times. If you start flatriding on your board too much, you start catching edges unintensionally, which can cause really bad falls. You will see what I mean when you start riding.

Also, when you get your pants/jacket, make sure that they are rated to 10,000 waterproofing and 10,000 breathability. It will have the ratings on the tag.

And I second the opinion on lessons. Lessons are great! Furthermore, the instructors tend to be really awesome people and are really fun to hang out with.
 
SynAmnesia said:
However, I feel as if he has left one thing out.

Socks. Socks are really important.
...

2) You want thin socks.
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alasdairm (in his second post in the thread) said:
wear one pair of thin socks and get boots which fit correctly. if you need two pairs of socks, your boots are not fitting correctly. a little extra time spent beforehand fitting your boots will save you hours of misery on the hill.
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:)

alasdair
 
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