any snowboarders on here?

[pidsy]

Ive been ski-ing for years but finally took the plunge and had my first snowboarding lesson at Hemel snow centre last night -

and i loved it!

going again next week to hopefully finish the basics and be allowed on the big slope.

is it worth getting a pair of boots for myself even if i'm only going to be a recreational boarder?
it makes sense but the hire boots seemed fit for purpose.

also, should i consider getting a board and bindings - presumably the hire boards/bindings are set up for a broader stance etc rather than having my own kit which could be fitted properly to me ('i'm short so need them closer together).

ebay has lots of kit for reasonable money and snow and rock has vastly more expensive kit.


any pointers or advice would be greatly recieved.

think i may have found me a new hobby!

[Greenie]

If I was new to snowboarding the first thing I would buy is boots.

Rental boards and bindings are fine esp when you are learning. The rental shop will adjust your bindings to suit your stature anyway.

This is a good site for boarding kit aas well http://www.absolute-snow.co.uk/SnowDepartment.aspx

Have fun.

[pidsy]

cheers greenie!

i'll be buying some boots. is there a way to pick the right size?

the snow centre only had half sizes so i went with 7.5 as its the closest to my shoe size (7)- i didnt really allow for thick socks so they felt very tight. i couldnt really move my feet in them at all. is that the point?

[mattnunn]

I snow boarded for some time in my 20s, it's great fun until you break your wrists, ankles, nose, legs and fingers. (or a combination of any/all) It's a young 'uns thing though, I went back to skiing (before having children and being skint)

Spend money on the bindings, they're more important than the board for beginners.

Usual mantra of buy cheap buy twice applies, assuming you go more than once that is.

[pidsy]

mattnunn said:

I snow boarded for some time in my 20s, it's great fun until you break your wrists, ankles, nose, legs and fingers. (or a combination of any/all) It's a young 'uns thing though, I went back to skiing (before having children and being skint)

Spend money on the bindings, they're more important than the board for beginners.

Usual mantra of buy cheap buy twice applies, assuming you go more than once that is.

exactly. i ski pretty much every other year, boots are all i personally own. wasnt sure if boarding was any different in that respect.

cheers.

[Melchett]

I have just started myself, I did the 3 lessons at the MK snowdome and have had two sessions on the main slope on my own. Not afraid of falling over anymore but I have already picked up some bad habits.

The first thing I would consider buying is a helmet. The smell of those hire ones is shocking!

[Melchett]

mattnunn said:

Spend money on the bindings, they're more important than the board for beginners.

I know this may be an amateurish question, but are the step in bindings any good? It does my head messing around with the straps/ratchets all the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOPrhA3BYpU

(sorry, dont mean to hijack the thread)

[Raify]

pidsy said:

cheers greenie!

i'll be buying some boots. is there a way to pick the right size?

the snow centre only had half sizes so i went with 7.5 as its the closest to my shoe size (7)- i didnt really allow for thick socks so they felt very tight. i couldnt really move my feet in them at all. is that the point?

I rented boots for about 3/4 holidays before buying my own. Boots should be the first thing you get, but you don't have to buy straight away.

Spend a long time, and as much as you can afford, finding the right boots. They can ruin / make your snowboarding experience. Everyone has different shape feet, and different brands of boots suit some and not others.

If you want to buy, take some snowboarding socks with you and spend ages and ages trying all the models you can.

When fitted right, you should be snug, comfortable but not overtight. Toes should have enough room to wiggle, and your heel shouldn't lift much from the boot surface when you lift your weight up on your toes. Your aknle joint should not flex, so that movement in your legs / upper body transmits directly into movement of the sole of the boot.

[pidsy]

Melchett said:

I have just started myself, I did the 3 lessons at the MK snowdome and have had two sessions on the main slope on my own. Not afraid of falling over anymore but I have already picked up some bad habits.

The first thing I would consider buying is a helmet. The smell of those hire ones is shocking!

god! the first thing i did when i got home was spend ages washing the smell of someone elses sweat out of my hair.

[Raify]

Melchett said:

mattnunn said:

Spend money on the bindings, they're more important than the board for beginners.

I know this may be an amateurish question, but are the step in bindings any good? It does my head messing around with the straps/ratchets all the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOPrhA3BYpU

(sorry, dont mean to hijack the thread)

That's an interesting setup, but I'm not convinced. After skating with that binding, you're going to have to scrape a load of snow out of the bottom of the binding before it will engage properly with the base. The same problem that plagues the step-in system with hard boots. And I just wouldn't trust that binding to be stong enough.

I've tried Flows and a hybrid ratchet style and to be honest the classic bindings are best. They work in all circumstances, and they're not that hard to get into.

[mattnunn]

Melchett said:

mattnunn said:

Spend money on the bindings, they're more important than the board for beginners.

I know this may be an amateurish question, but are the step in bindings any good? It does my head messing around with the straps/ratchets all the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOPrhA3BYpU

(sorry, dont mean to hijack the thread)

I've never used them or know anyone that did, I know instructors use them a lot because their constantly on and off the board when teaching, I guess they save your ankle in a fall, but the rigidity of the binding is what gives you the control of the board, I suspect they're not quite as good in this factor and also the boots you wear with them aren't as good for walking in. You're right snow boarders do spend a lot of time sitting around playing with their bindings, it's part of the scene!

[anonymous-user]

This is quite interesting, because I'm similar to the OP, and I too fancy trying a bit of boarding.

I have been skiing pretty much every year for 20 years (started when I was 12), and I'm would consider myself fairly competent now. I'm comfortable on red runs and whilst pissed...

Despite wanting to have a go at boarding, I'm a bit reluctant to be reset back to being a beginner again as I would probably find it a bit frustrating I suppose.

Anyone been a long-time skier and made the switch to boarding? How did you get on with it?

[pidsy]

NinjaPower said:

This is quite interesting, because I'm similar to the OP, and I too fancy trying a bit of boarding.

I have been skiing pretty much every year for 20 years (started when I was 12), and I'm would consider myself fairly competent now. I'm comfortable on red runs and whilst pissed...

Despite wanting to have a go at boarding, I'm a bit reluctant to be reset back to being a beginner again as I would probably find it a bit frustrating I suppose.

Anyone been a long-time skier and made the switch to boarding? How did you get on with it?

we had a 90 minute lesson (there were 4 of us). the snow centre works on a 4 level scale. 1 being a complete novice on a board, 4 being ready to go onto the main slope.

we managed to get from level 1 to the beginning of level 3 in the 90 mins. our instructor said he has had some people that have picked it up and done it all in an hour (skateboarders) and those who have given up after 3 hours stuck at level 1.

its a very different feeling to skiing, it took me a while to stop hating the fact my feet were fixed.

booked up for sunday evening to (hopefully) finish levels 3 & 4 then ready for the solo boarding assessment.

[mattnunn]

NinjaPower said:

Anyone been a long-time skier and made the switch to boarding? How did you get on with it?

It's what I did and i went back to skiing, boarding is fun to learn and fun to do, but...

When you fall you fall bigger and in more painfull ways, and even if you're a decent snowboarder you have to be aware the whole time whilst going at speed that if you catch that front edge you can face plant within milliseconds and there is really nothing you can do about it. For this reason I could just never relax and enjoy the snow board in the same way I can on skis.

[Justin Cyder]

That is true, however & I know this may sound a touch arrogant which is not the intention, but there comes a point when you get good enough not to be at risk of a painful face plant. I think boarders will generally know what I'm on about, but my experience is it's definitely a point you pass.

However, you do have to get there & getting there may well involve ambulances, insurance companies, helicopter flights and so on.

[pidsy]

thanks for all the input guys.

i'm not going to buy boots online, i want to try out in store and find the right pair.

[Raify]

pidsy said:

thanks for all the input guys.

i'm not going to buy boots online, i want to try out in store and find the right pair.

Good call, and don't be shy about taking your time / trying loads on. Apart from the shop under the Hemel snow centre, there's:

The Snowboard Asylum in Southampton st, Covent Garden (between the Strand and the market)
Snow and Rock Mercer st, off Longacre Covent Garden

[swd]

Just buy protection. Everything else can and should be hired.

Yes helmet, but also wrist, knee and bum protectors. The cheaper the better first time - you just need something, anything. The main reason for bum/knee is you'll be sitting in the snow/ice and kneeling a lot during the lessons so they'll keep you comfortable. They also reduce the pain when you fall

I'm very surprised so many many people are saying boots. Personal boots are essential for skiing but not for boarding. You don't need anything near the levels of fitting and control as you do on skis. You'll love snow board boots after skis - they're like Uggs. Not that've ever worn those...

Hang back, see if you're gonna get really into your boarding. Then invest in boots+bindings+board that you can grow into.

(15yr skiing and 5yr boarding experience)

[swd]

mattnunn said:

[...]When you fall you fall bigger and in more painfull ways, and even if you're a decent snowboarder you have to be aware the whole time whilst going at speed that if you catch that front edge you can face plant within milliseconds and there is really nothing you can do about it.[...]

Sudden and unexpected face plants would not fall under my definition of 'decent' snowboarding! That's poor technique, over confidence or tiredness.

Edited by swd on Wednesday 3rd October 16:22

[Silver993tt]

NinjaPower said:

Anyone been a long-time skier and made the switch to boarding? How did you get on with it?

Yes. I skied each year for 15 years and then switched to boarding 12 years ago. Never been on skis since then! Much prefer it, much prefer the comfortable and very light boots (new ones last season). After 5 years I converted to Flow bindings and now have a new set (quite high range) which are fabulous, they give total control and take only a few seconds to clip in. Also, there's very little chance of damaging your knees as with skiing. I've had a few big crashes but nothing that stopped me very much.