Learning to snowboard, how hard?
Discussion
OP here, thought i would re-vive the thread as its getting close to my second snowboard adventure! This time im going to Park City in Salt Lake City, at the start of March. Starting to get Excited.
Ive also just bought myself my own board this time, a "Yes Basic" which all the reviews say is very good for beginners, as its nice and flexible. And got Union Flite Pro Bindings for it:
Ive also booked myself for some lessons level 2 + 3 at the Snow dome next Thursday, but not sure on how i should set the bindings?
Or should i just use a hire board for the lessons?
From what i can see online, some say +15 front and 0 rear, but others say to go +15 front and -15 rear (duckfoot). So not really sure.
What is the standard for hire shops?
However i have discovered a problem from last time. ive been using right foot forward which i thought was standard, so was asking for the board to be setup in standard, whilst i should be Goofy. Which may have made things more difficult?
So anyone any suggestions for binding angles? or am i best of using the hire board for lessons?
Ive also just bought myself my own board this time, a "Yes Basic" which all the reviews say is very good for beginners, as its nice and flexible. And got Union Flite Pro Bindings for it:
Ive also booked myself for some lessons level 2 + 3 at the Snow dome next Thursday, but not sure on how i should set the bindings?
Or should i just use a hire board for the lessons?
From what i can see online, some say +15 front and 0 rear, but others say to go +15 front and -15 rear (duckfoot). So not really sure.
What is the standard for hire shops?
However i have discovered a problem from last time. ive been using right foot forward which i thought was standard, so was asking for the board to be setup in standard, whilst i should be Goofy. Which may have made things more difficult?
So anyone any suggestions for binding angles? or am i best of using the hire board for lessons?
If you don't really know which is your favoured foot, then setting the bindings equal /duck is a good start. You'll probably want a slight forward bias once you know, but nothing wrong with staying duck - makes switch riding easier 
Width wise, there should be a standard setting marked on the board - start there & see how it feels.
It's pretty easy to change and try out a few different options.
Width wise, there should be a standard setting marked on the board - start there & see how it feels.
It's pretty easy to change and try out a few different options.
Yes there is an X to mark the central set of nuts, which feels good while standing on it.
As for footing i am definitely Right foreward (goofy), as my right foot is my stronger foot. Ive hurt my left a few times
In fact i twisted it badly after a MTB off a month ago, and just starting to get back to strength.
+15/0 does feel ok while standing on the board.
As for footing i am definitely Right foreward (goofy), as my right foot is my stronger foot. Ive hurt my left a few times
In fact i twisted it badly after a MTB off a month ago, and just starting to get back to strength.
+15/0 does feel ok while standing on the board.
Thought I'd tell you how I learnt to board :-) it's a lesson in how not to do it !
Late 20s (33 years ago) booked skiing hol in Serre Chevelier
Keen roller skater so have some confidence
Hour or so outside chalet in an field , mate teaching me the basics. Skiing. Got it!
Went up first button and it started snowing . Snowing HARD. Was trying to see where the piste was. Wasn't ready to ski, let alone powder ski. It was comin in that fast. Called it a day.
Next morning snow above the ground floor windows and still no signs of easing up. No way can i learn to ski in waist high snow. French ski shop guy gives me a board and says try this. Perfect for powder!
Almost all the mountain is closed. One button lift up, that was it.
I spent a whole DAY getting to the top of that lift! Learning to snowboard, from scratch, on a button. A button the guy never slowed down for us even though it was just me, my mate, and maybe two others. A button that made you airborn when it hooked up.
At one stage I got 2/3rd the way up (yay!) , Fell off, and stupidly chose to ride off the wrong side. My mate gave up waiting for me. Took me over an hour to hike back up. The whole area was 100% chest high power. Only easy to spot trail was the bottom lift line!
Over the next week I simply pointed it down hill, leant back, and crashed a lot. Anyone who knows deep powder will tell you you lose all sense of speed and direction in anything other than good light. One crash I was going so fast, caught my front edge, put my hands out, cracked my ribs with my elbows. I remember to this day gasping for air.
However, trial and error slowly paid off and I started to link BIG sweeping turns in untouched powder. It was like that all week. It blew my mind, the sensation of powder riding. Me and my mate would race each other through woodland, laughing so much when the other wiped out it would make you crash too , through laughing. I had t hold my ribs in agony when laughing, and at the bar in the evenings , I was so worn out, to cross my legs sitting down I'd have to pick one up and swing it over by hand!
I had the best time I've ever had.
I gave up my career the following year and went to work in ski resorts in North america :-)
Still wish I'd had lessons, not bad now, but lots to learn but getting too fragile !
May advice? Ride slow on piste and fast off. Piste is where your u get hurt. I'm still respectful of my speed on piste, I just know how much it can hurt. Skiing is far more gentle on the falls. Oh, and don't rush linking turns all the time to check your speed, do longer traverses and swoopier turns. You'll end up going faster but with less turns and more control, at last that works for me. More relaxed piste carving than frantic chopping.
The stuff you see on YouTube ? 180s, 360s? Just don't, not until you can ride ok, or, there is deep powder to play in. One thing that took me years to realise was that as soon as you are airborne, instinct tells you to slow down (as you'll have straight lined as fast as you ever had to launch off the jump) - that instinct to slow down will make you turn your board to "stop" i.e. sideways! I did it for ages in powder until I realised what I was doing.
There is nothing quite like leaning back into a fast smooth powder turn :-)
Late 20s (33 years ago) booked skiing hol in Serre Chevelier
Keen roller skater so have some confidence
Hour or so outside chalet in an field , mate teaching me the basics. Skiing. Got it!
Went up first button and it started snowing . Snowing HARD. Was trying to see where the piste was. Wasn't ready to ski, let alone powder ski. It was comin in that fast. Called it a day.
Next morning snow above the ground floor windows and still no signs of easing up. No way can i learn to ski in waist high snow. French ski shop guy gives me a board and says try this. Perfect for powder!
Almost all the mountain is closed. One button lift up, that was it.
I spent a whole DAY getting to the top of that lift! Learning to snowboard, from scratch, on a button. A button the guy never slowed down for us even though it was just me, my mate, and maybe two others. A button that made you airborn when it hooked up.
At one stage I got 2/3rd the way up (yay!) , Fell off, and stupidly chose to ride off the wrong side. My mate gave up waiting for me. Took me over an hour to hike back up. The whole area was 100% chest high power. Only easy to spot trail was the bottom lift line!
Over the next week I simply pointed it down hill, leant back, and crashed a lot. Anyone who knows deep powder will tell you you lose all sense of speed and direction in anything other than good light. One crash I was going so fast, caught my front edge, put my hands out, cracked my ribs with my elbows. I remember to this day gasping for air.
However, trial and error slowly paid off and I started to link BIG sweeping turns in untouched powder. It was like that all week. It blew my mind, the sensation of powder riding. Me and my mate would race each other through woodland, laughing so much when the other wiped out it would make you crash too , through laughing. I had t hold my ribs in agony when laughing, and at the bar in the evenings , I was so worn out, to cross my legs sitting down I'd have to pick one up and swing it over by hand!
I had the best time I've ever had.
I gave up my career the following year and went to work in ski resorts in North america :-)
Still wish I'd had lessons, not bad now, but lots to learn but getting too fragile !
May advice? Ride slow on piste and fast off. Piste is where your u get hurt. I'm still respectful of my speed on piste, I just know how much it can hurt. Skiing is far more gentle on the falls. Oh, and don't rush linking turns all the time to check your speed, do longer traverses and swoopier turns. You'll end up going faster but with less turns and more control, at last that works for me. More relaxed piste carving than frantic chopping.
The stuff you see on YouTube ? 180s, 360s? Just don't, not until you can ride ok, or, there is deep powder to play in. One thing that took me years to realise was that as soon as you are airborne, instinct tells you to slow down (as you'll have straight lined as fast as you ever had to launch off the jump) - that instinct to slow down will make you turn your board to "stop" i.e. sideways! I did it for ages in powder until I realised what I was doing.
There is nothing quite like leaning back into a fast smooth powder turn :-)
Edited by Griffith4ever on Friday 23 December 08:49
Edited by Griffith4ever on Friday 23 December 08:53
A few years ago we were in Serre Chevalier
My mate had previously done seasons basically broke down the door, slapped me awake and shouted “powder day”
I could ride on piste, and cock about off the sides a little. I am was not (and am not) a powder hound.
Top of the second lift, my man goes left off the side. I followed him. The first 200m were sketch, the first 3 turns were garbage. The 4th, at rather higher speed because it got steep, I had to lean back or bury the nose. And the knackered old snowboard floated on a sea of fluffy snow and went round like it was nailed there.
That was a good day out.
My mate had previously done seasons basically broke down the door, slapped me awake and shouted “powder day”
I could ride on piste, and cock about off the sides a little. I am was not (and am not) a powder hound.
Top of the second lift, my man goes left off the side. I followed him. The first 200m were sketch, the first 3 turns were garbage. The 4th, at rather higher speed because it got steep, I had to lean back or bury the nose. And the knackered old snowboard floated on a sea of fluffy snow and went round like it was nailed there.
That was a good day out.
Fluffsri said:
Just finished my first week on snow. All the dry slope lessons got me started and I arrived ready to go, scared but ready. My mate took me half way up tue mountain on to a blue run that led into a few reds and then back to blue. It took me over an hour to get to the bottom, battered and knackered. Un strapped and went straight to ski school for a day of lessons. Lessons done, day 1 run repeated with a lot more confidence and less falling over. Yesterday I repeated the run and was down in just over 15 mins.
I highly recommend some lessons on the snow if its your first time.
I forgot about this thread. Finally, managed to get back to the slopes in Jan this year. Before that though I went to Hemel for a couple of refreshers and a lesson. Day 1 and the vis was shocking, I strapped in just after the lift and set off...straight into the only sheet of ice. to end up on my arse loosing eveyone. I managed to get up and head off to the rendezvous, met my boarding mate and we headed off down a very quiet piste. It was brilliant! We arrived at the lift to find it closed, we located a red touring route and headed down that, it was about thigh deep powder and we were the first down it. What was meant to be a blue run day to settle in ended up with a blue, red powder, short black and back into a red. Only one tumble in the powder, my confidence was far greater than the last time we went so I was very grateful that I went to Hemel for the practice runs. I highly recommend some lessons on the snow if its your first time.
A good way to check your footing is to stand still with your eyes closed, and get someone to stand behind you and push you forwards. You'll naturally step forwards with your leading foot.
I started off very duck footed and have ended up 15 and 3. It'll take a while before you figure out what works for you.
I started off very duck footed and have ended up 15 and 3. It'll take a while before you figure out what works for you.
My brother and I taught ourselves to snowboard in a morning, we could already ski.
Just hired the kit and went to the top of La Plagne. Fell down the mountain on the first attempt but were linking turns by the end of the second run and falling over jumps by the end of the third run.
Hardest bit was mastering a drag lift that we'd accidentally boarded into and there was no other option to get out, we fall off numerous times.
Did it for 2 days but got bored of clipping in and out, sitting down a lot and kit getting wet, having to walk flat bits and avoiding terrain that would be no problem on skis.
Cool Starry Bra I know but I reckon we progressed more in 2 days than a month of taking lessons.
Never had an inclination to go back.
Just hired the kit and went to the top of La Plagne. Fell down the mountain on the first attempt but were linking turns by the end of the second run and falling over jumps by the end of the third run.
Hardest bit was mastering a drag lift that we'd accidentally boarded into and there was no other option to get out, we fall off numerous times.
Did it for 2 days but got bored of clipping in and out, sitting down a lot and kit getting wet, having to walk flat bits and avoiding terrain that would be no problem on skis.
Cool Starry Bra I know but I reckon we progressed more in 2 days than a month of taking lessons.
Never had an inclination to go back.
V8 Stang said:
OP here, thought i would re-vive the thread as its getting close to my second snowboard adventure! This time im going to Park City in Salt Lake City, at the start of March. Starting to get Excited.
Ive also just bought myself my own board this time, a "Yes Basic" which all the reviews say is very good for beginners, as its nice and flexible. And got Union Flite Pro Bindings for it:
Ive also booked myself for some lessons level 2 + 3 at the Snow dome next Thursday, but not sure on how i should set the bindings?
Or should i just use a hire board for the lessons?
From what i can see online, some say +15 front and 0 rear, but others say to go +15 front and -15 rear (duckfoot). So not really sure.
What is the standard for hire shops?
However i have discovered a problem from last time. ive been using right foot forward which i thought was standard, so was asking for the board to be setup in standard, whilst i should be Goofy. Which may have made things more difficult?
So anyone any suggestions for binding angles? or am i best of using the hire board for lessons?
Lucky bugger - not done the Us but done lots around Canada. Ive also just bought myself my own board this time, a "Yes Basic" which all the reviews say is very good for beginners, as its nice and flexible. And got Union Flite Pro Bindings for it:
Ive also booked myself for some lessons level 2 + 3 at the Snow dome next Thursday, but not sure on how i should set the bindings?
Or should i just use a hire board for the lessons?
From what i can see online, some say +15 front and 0 rear, but others say to go +15 front and -15 rear (duckfoot). So not really sure.
What is the standard for hire shops?
However i have discovered a problem from last time. ive been using right foot forward which i thought was standard, so was asking for the board to be setup in standard, whilst i should be Goofy. Which may have made things more difficult?
So anyone any suggestions for binding angles? or am i best of using the hire board for lessons?
Stance - your coach will quickly tell you if your a reg or goofy. I am a freak and I tend to flit between t he two, but I am left handed so I guess it is a case of my brain having compensated to living in a right handed world and able to switch (no pun intended).
In terms of foot placement. I run 15/0 on resorts with longer runs, maybe a little more powder, trees runs etc - gives me better toe edge.
If it is more a park, with hard piste, jumps etc, I run duck - I find that easier to spin the board up, especially if I am running a shorter board.
It is a case of trial and error and what works for you. I may even run 30/10 on my longest board, that's flouro pants and swallowtail stuff
Well i had 2, 2H lessons on Thursday at the Snowdome, and firstly it was Very busy which made things even harder.
However my first lesson i was fairly pleased my 1st few runs i didn't even fall over! My balance on the heel edge came straight back, but not so much on the toe. And was starting to go heel to toe edge on a hit or miss basis.
Now on the 2nd lesson things got a lot better. Partly because it was at 4PM there were less people, and there was only 2 of us to the instructor, so it was almost a private lesson!
He got me doing "S's" while switching from heel to toe pretty consistently.
Then took us to the top, and did about 5 runs from top to bottom which was great fun.
However as i got faster, i did keep catching an edge during the transition resulting in a few face slams into the snow!!
But was pleased with the progress. And he said i am now at recreational standard.
I did notice all the hire boards were set up at 15/-15 (rather than my 15,0), and when i spoke to the coach's they both suggest i try "duck footed" next time.
I have just changed the bindings to 15/-15 and stood on the board with my boots, and it actually feels much more comfortable, maybe as it brings my knee's at a more natural angle, as they did feel a little stretched before. And find it easier to bend my knee's foreward on the toe edge.
So im thinking of booking a 3 hour lift pass next Sunday evening, which they told me will be the quietest time outside of a working day hours.
And having another go!
Hopefully my body will have recovered by then, pretty much every muscle in my body was aching yesterday!
However my first lesson i was fairly pleased my 1st few runs i didn't even fall over! My balance on the heel edge came straight back, but not so much on the toe. And was starting to go heel to toe edge on a hit or miss basis.
Now on the 2nd lesson things got a lot better. Partly because it was at 4PM there were less people, and there was only 2 of us to the instructor, so it was almost a private lesson!
He got me doing "S's" while switching from heel to toe pretty consistently.
Then took us to the top, and did about 5 runs from top to bottom which was great fun.
However as i got faster, i did keep catching an edge during the transition resulting in a few face slams into the snow!!
But was pleased with the progress. And he said i am now at recreational standard.
I did notice all the hire boards were set up at 15/-15 (rather than my 15,0), and when i spoke to the coach's they both suggest i try "duck footed" next time.
I have just changed the bindings to 15/-15 and stood on the board with my boots, and it actually feels much more comfortable, maybe as it brings my knee's at a more natural angle, as they did feel a little stretched before. And find it easier to bend my knee's foreward on the toe edge.
So im thinking of booking a 3 hour lift pass next Sunday evening, which they told me will be the quietest time outside of a working day hours.
And having another go!
Hopefully my body will have recovered by then, pretty much every muscle in my body was aching yesterday!
V8 Stang said:
Well i had 2, 2H lessons on Thursday at the Snowdome, and firstly it was Very busy which made things even harder.
However my first lesson i was fairly pleased my 1st few runs i didn't even fall over! My balance on the heel edge came straight back, but not so much on the toe. And was starting to go heel to toe edge on a hit or miss basis.
Now on the 2nd lesson things got a lot better. Partly because it was at 4PM there were less people, and there was only 2 of us to the instructor, so it was almost a private lesson!
He got me doing "S's" while switching from heel to toe pretty consistently.
Then took us to the top, and did about 5 runs from top to bottom which was great fun.
However as i got faster, i did keep catching an edge during the transition resulting in a few face slams into the snow!!
But was pleased with the progress. And he said i am now at recreational standard.
I did notice all the hire boards were set up at 15/-15 (rather than my 15,0), and when i spoke to the coach's they both suggest i try "duck footed" next time.
I have just changed the bindings to 15/-15 and stood on the board with my boots, and it actually feels much more comfortable, maybe as it brings my knee's at a more natural angle, as they did feel a little stretched before. And find it easier to bend my knee's foreward on the toe edge.
So im thinking of booking a 3 hour lift pass next Sunday evening, which they told me will be the quietest time outside of a working day hours.
And having another go!
Hopefully my body will have recovered by then, pretty much every muscle in my body was aching yesterday!
The catching an edge thing was my struggle, I found that I was leaning too far fwd all the time. I struggle on my toe edge as well, I find heel edge so much better. Last time I relaxed more and leant back more. Didn't have so many edges and stayed upright a lot more, also managed to ride the flat stuff instead of walking. However my first lesson i was fairly pleased my 1st few runs i didn't even fall over! My balance on the heel edge came straight back, but not so much on the toe. And was starting to go heel to toe edge on a hit or miss basis.
Now on the 2nd lesson things got a lot better. Partly because it was at 4PM there were less people, and there was only 2 of us to the instructor, so it was almost a private lesson!
He got me doing "S's" while switching from heel to toe pretty consistently.
Then took us to the top, and did about 5 runs from top to bottom which was great fun.
However as i got faster, i did keep catching an edge during the transition resulting in a few face slams into the snow!!
But was pleased with the progress. And he said i am now at recreational standard.
I did notice all the hire boards were set up at 15/-15 (rather than my 15,0), and when i spoke to the coach's they both suggest i try "duck footed" next time.
I have just changed the bindings to 15/-15 and stood on the board with my boots, and it actually feels much more comfortable, maybe as it brings my knee's at a more natural angle, as they did feel a little stretched before. And find it easier to bend my knee's foreward on the toe edge.
So im thinking of booking a 3 hour lift pass next Sunday evening, which they told me will be the quietest time outside of a working day hours.
And having another go!
Hopefully my body will have recovered by then, pretty much every muscle in my body was aching yesterday!
Catching an edge (the one thing you always want to avoid like the plague)...
Ride on your toes or your heels always. Not on the flat of the board. Even if your arches ache, or your thighs shakes stay on an edge, and make it clearly defined. Always on an edge. The second you flatten your board - boom! It's not a ski and isn't designed to be ridden flat unless:
You are in powder
You need maximum momentum to make it across a flat /hill.
The moment you flatten your board on piste it "locks" and you have no control. You'll also get thrown off.
It's all about flicking / flipping from one edge to the other.
When you get smoother. You'll end up with a flat board when transitioning from heel to toe, but for me, that's never for long.
As you get better, you can start to get more and more cocky with straightening your legs (and thus flattening the board) when riding your heels. This puts you much closer to the edge of catching an .... edge, but this more relaxed and looks like the guys in the video games. But - you can get caught out very quickly. Standing up straight is more of a powder thing for me.
Ride on your toes or your heels always. Not on the flat of the board. Even if your arches ache, or your thighs shakes stay on an edge, and make it clearly defined. Always on an edge. The second you flatten your board - boom! It's not a ski and isn't designed to be ridden flat unless:
You are in powder
You need maximum momentum to make it across a flat /hill.
The moment you flatten your board on piste it "locks" and you have no control. You'll also get thrown off.
It's all about flicking / flipping from one edge to the other.
When you get smoother. You'll end up with a flat board when transitioning from heel to toe, but for me, that's never for long.
As you get better, you can start to get more and more cocky with straightening your legs (and thus flattening the board) when riding your heels. This puts you much closer to the edge of catching an .... edge, but this more relaxed and looks like the guys in the video games. But - you can get caught out very quickly. Standing up straight is more of a powder thing for me.
Competent snowboarder here but remember that first week 20 yrs ago and the pain…black and blue bum , wrists and neck aching…falling on icy parts pure agony! Still once you get to a decent level it’s an awesome feeling. Problem for most people is that a ski holiday is usually a once a yr thing and then life and having a family etc will get in the way further curtailing progress. In hindsight I probably should have done a season in my early 20’s as that’s a sure fire way too make massive progress in a shorter period of time. Went last yr for first time in 5 yrs and pleased to say it was like riding a bike, not without some hiccups tho caught an edge at speed on day one and got absolutely slammed into the piste …a bit winded and neck was sore afterwards but nothing more v thankful I was wearing a helmet …an absolute necessity! Enjoy !
All of what you said is true apart from the helmet bit. We've been hitting the deck hard for decades without a helmet. There is no reason it's suddenly a "necessity". Other than your understandable assumption you'd have knocked your head in a bad way otherwise.
It amazing how well we protect ourselves in a fall.
53 years old, boarded since mid 20s including full seasons working. Big jumps, big crashes, lots of hard edge catches, lots of off piste. Cracked ribs at worst.
Don't let society tell you what's dangerous ( that wasn't somehow previously - we didn't have tonnes of head injuries before).
Not caught an edge since my 30s.
Bit of a rant but I despair at our race to wrap ourselves in layers of mostly unnecessary protection because we falsely assume the worst. One of my good mates boards with MX body armour....
I tell you what is an "absolute necessity". Snow, a board, a hill, and you ;-)
It amazing how well we protect ourselves in a fall.
53 years old, boarded since mid 20s including full seasons working. Big jumps, big crashes, lots of hard edge catches, lots of off piste. Cracked ribs at worst.
Don't let society tell you what's dangerous ( that wasn't somehow previously - we didn't have tonnes of head injuries before).
Not caught an edge since my 30s.
Bit of a rant but I despair at our race to wrap ourselves in layers of mostly unnecessary protection because we falsely assume the worst. One of my good mates boards with MX body armour....
I tell you what is an "absolute necessity". Snow, a board, a hill, and you ;-)
Edited by Griffith4ever on Sunday 1st January 10:55
I wear a lid for a couple of reasons, but the main one is that I get 6 (expensive) days a year, and I don’t much fancy hitting my head and having to sit out a couple of them.
I’d be wearing a hat anyway, so I figure the helmet gives me somewhere to put to put the goggles where they won’t steam up.
I’d be wearing a hat anyway, so I figure the helmet gives me somewhere to put to put the goggles where they won’t steam up.
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff