Snowboarding for the first time

Craig-R · Wakeboarder.Commie Joined: 19 Dec 2008 Posts: 1676

going snowboarding for the first time in Breckenridge, CO from March 16th-22nd... any tips? i'm the ultimate n00b Puppy Eyes

(i feel like drumma asking for advice)

Aubs · Motorboat Queen Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9167

u planning on taking a lesson?

tonality · Soul Rider Joined: 20 Aug 2004 Posts: 435 City: DFW

Wrist guards and knee pads, ESPECIALLY knee pads if you ride toeside, but a blessing to have either way.

ky1e · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 2693

blitzentrapped, best advice- goto a different mountain Laughing

Nah Breck is perfect to learn how to snowboard, real flat mountain. The only advice I have for you is your first morning is going to such really really really badly no matter what so just go with it. After lunch, you will be much better and the next day you won't understand how you sucked so bad the first morning. You will be in pain though. I recommend bringing an extra pair of gloves but put them inside one of your jacket pockets in a sealed bag so they don't get wet. Nothing is worse than cold hands.
And along with your wrist guards and knee pads, bring some tampons too.

Just man up and deal with the hell that is the first day of snowboarding like the rest of us. You will catch on fast. IT IS ALL FRONT FOOT... repeat after me....IT IS ALL FRONT FOOT. Once you figure this out, it is simple. Another recommendation is if you can, goto a SNOWBOARD SHOP and demo a good board and a GOOD SET OF BINDINGS and good boots as well. Good bindings in snowboarding are just as important as good bindings in wakeboarding. The bindings they may rent you in the giant rental place will be the equivalent to sandal bindings on a wakeboard. So even though you are learning, i think it is important to have the best control you possibly can with your feet. Also they are going to set your stance up super narrow and they angle both feet forward. Because you wakeboard this is going to really throw you off so have the guy at the snowboard shop set you up with your bindings about shoulder width apart with a little duck, little more on the front foot. It is important to duck them because in the beginning you will find that it is comfortable edging heelside and then switching and edging switch heelside. If you goto a real snowboard shop though (which i think is the most important thing) tell them you are a wakeboarder but that this is your first time. Our learning curve is really fast. You will be in the park in 3 days. What is funny is that the price to demo a nice setup at the snowboard shop will most likely be cheaper than demoing your gear at "Alpine Ski" or "Mountain Gear" or whatever cheesy name they have.

ky1e · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 2693

blitzentrapped, i also really recommend a lesson for the first half day, and if you can afford private, it is the way to go.

Dragonlady8 · Black Widow Joined: 27 Aug 2004 Posts: 9198

Butt pad. A lot of people hurt their tailbone when snowboarding 1st started.

I'd say a helmet too.

JeffR · Addict Joined: 07 Apr 2006 Posts: 608 City: Victoria, BC

blitzentrapped, go with someone who wakeboards.
I went with my wakeboarding buddies the first time I went snowboarding, and they were able to relate everything back to wakeboarding which really helped my mindset.

and like ilubronix said, its all front foot, screwed me up so bad the first couple of runs

LakeIolaLuke · Posted: Mar 04, 2009 7:30 pm Post subject:

basically you have to butterslide, or what would be a butterslide on a wakeboard, to turn at all.

TP83 · Addict Joined: 31 May 2006 Posts: 739 City: Woodside

demo some flows bindings so the next day when your sore as heck you don't have to sit down and strap in.

midwestrider30 · Newbie Joined: 29 Aug 2008 Posts: 47 City: north korea

Definitely recommend a helmet. Plus it will keep your head warm

scooter · Addict Joined: 15 Jul 2003 Posts: 633

I have only snowboarded once and I sucked. The only advice I have is stay over the board. Do not lean back like wakeboarding. Have your weight centered above the board. Anyone disagree?
________
Mercedes-benz w123

ky1e · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 2693

Nooga678 · Posted: Mar 05, 2009 6:43 am Post subject:

second on the buttpad

Rhawn · Posted: Mar 05, 2009 6:56 am Post subject:

Zach2orJack · Soul Rider Joined: 14 Aug 2008 Posts: 255 City: Haleyville

Get ready to have wet clothes from the snow when you catch that downhill edge. Like they said just suck it up for the first half of the day and you'll be fine.

Seth Martin · Moderator Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 891 City: Orlando

TP83 · Addict Joined: 31 May 2006 Posts: 739 City: Woodside

finkle · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 22 Sep 2003 Posts: 4067

I was 16 when I first taught myself to snowboard and I had a few wakeboarding seasons under me. I went to the bunny hill and had it down by my third lap. It took all of about 20 minutes before I was ready to tackle the mountain.

With your level of wake riding, you should pick it up as fast as I did. I would recommend getting up after a fall on your toeside. You will be facing up the mountain. It is much easier for beginners and being on a flat slope to get up this way. I also recommend pushing off from the ground in either position with your fist vs. your palm. You will spend enough time on the ground that your wrists can get sore just from pushing off open handed.

Riding with your weight on your front foot is crucial in learning but by the third day you should learn how to roll from edge to edge with your weight evenly balanced. Riding pow is the opposite but I imagine you won't be doing that this trip.

Stopping both heel and toeside is exactly like doing a butterslide. Put all your weight on your front foot and allow your back foot to come up and then put even weight on both heels or toes.

You'll pick it up quick I have no doubt. Don't worry about pads; those are basically for total noobs who will spend more time on their ass and/or face than upright. You won't need a helmet but if want one, they are cheap to rent.

As for preparation, if you start doing squats now, you will be much less fatigued from getting up from a seated position.

DCdave56 · Posted: Mar 05, 2009 9:06 am Post subject:

Get ready for the pain my brotha!

And it's backasswards, you're a toeside pimp on the moutain instead of a heelside pimp on the water, at least I am....

churchy · Posted: Mar 05, 2009 2:31 pm Post subject:

After reading this thread, I realize why it is not necessarily a good idea to ask for iAdvice.

hanssapo · Soul Rider Joined: 11 Aug 2003 Posts: 450 City: Mexico

Just get ready to receive a massive amount of pain when catching any of your edges (and you will).
Nah, just kidding, only if you're going really fast and catch one, then it will HURT.
Best advice to avoid this: when you're turning toeside or heelside, either way, just try to stay over your toes/heels depending on the case until the board is alligned with the direction you're trying to go to. THEN you can distribute weight equally over your feet.

Craig-R · Wakeboarder.Commie Joined: 19 Dec 2008 Posts: 1676

churchy, enlighten me? Sad

tonality · Soul Rider Joined: 20 Aug 2004 Posts: 435 City: DFW

ty540 · Addict Joined: 14 Feb 2003 Posts: 603

DRAGON88 · Posted: Mar 08, 2009 2:53 pm Post subject:

Craig-R · Wakeboarder.Commie Joined: 19 Dec 2008 Posts: 1676

so what is not false? Puppy Eyes

thanks for all the replies guys

ty540 · Addict Joined: 14 Feb 2003 Posts: 603

blitzentrapped,

It's rather difficult to give a snowboarding lesson over the internet, but here are some things to keep in mind. Snowboarding feels a lot like wakeboarding when you're going fast or when you're in deep snow. But when you're learning, it won't feel much like wakeboarding at all. As a few people have pointed out, you'll need to put more weight on your front foot. There are a number of ways to initiate turns, but when learning at slow speeds you basically have to do so by rotating your body (and especially your hips) in the direction that you want to go. So if you want to turn on your toeside edge, you'll look uphill with your whole body. When you're going a bit faster, you can utilize the same sort of edge control that you have on a wakeboard, where you initiate turns by rolling the edge over using pressure from your knees down (instead of turning from side to side with your upper body). I do not recommend trying to turn by breaking the tail of the board loose (like you're doing a partial butterslide on a wakeboard). This can create bad habits. You only want to slide (as opposed to carve) when you're checking your speed.

I hope this helps. Good luck.

LakeIolaLuke · Posted: Mar 09, 2009 6:23 pm Post subject:

I'm not saying that carving is the wrong way to turn, But when you're trying to carry your wakeboard skills over to a snowboard, It's going to feel like you are sliding sideways more than it would on your wakeboard. On a wakeboard, you pretty much go right where the nose is pointing. On a snowboard, you have to lift the downhill edge and scrape to make the turn, doing that motion on a wakeboard would cause you to butterslide.

senorbueno · Addict Joined: 04 Mar 2005 Posts: 775

Don't be cheap your first time out. Get a lesson, you'll pick up the basics really quickly and be charging the mountain in no time.

ohsix · Posted: Mar 09, 2009 7:32 pm Post subject:

I've been twice and used some hockey type hip/butt/tailbone padded shorts under my pants the 2nd time. My first time, I took quite a few hits to the tailbone. However, I learned to not bend at the waist when you catch your backside edge. If you take the fall on your shoulders and butt it doesn't hurt as bad. However, at higher speeds it knocks the breath out of you. The learning curve is very steep. You'll be amazed at how much you improve in a few days. My 2nd time, I found that I had more stability and control at higher speeds like on blues or groomed blacks.

Oh yeah, getting off the lift will be your biggest challenge at first. Try to sit on on the end of the chair, not between 2 people.

Craig-R · Wakeboarder.Commie Joined: 19 Dec 2008 Posts: 1676

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

TnR6Rida · Posted: Mar 19, 2009 9:27 am Post subject:

Fun huh.

Damon · Posted: Mar 19, 2009 9:39 am Post subject:

J_DOGG · Posted: Mar 19, 2009 9:50 am Post subject:

BSBell · Outlaw Joined: 20 Apr 2008 Posts: 237 City: Memphis

My family just got back from there.