learn me Snowboarding

I skied quite a bit as a kid, then didn't ski at all for 18 years. Last year I took my 2 boys skiing on two different weekends (their first time ever, in NC.. and a "can we go again?!?" trip in April) they loved it and we all skied six days total so far. Great times. Boys are competent for beginners on skis, improving every day. I'm still pretty decent - like riding a bike except the equipment is so much better than it was 20 years ago. Wife doesn't ski.

We're going to take a trip in March and the boys want to try snowboarding instead of skiing. I'm thinking about joining them. I tried snowboarding in my teens, in Ohio, on snow that can best be described as glare ice. No helmet, painful as berkeley. I didn't have a lesson, and I was intoxicated. So that experience doesn't really count. But I recall the few times I stayed up and connected a couple turns being pleasant.

Last year's ski boot experience also brought back bad memories. (We rented gear, and we will rent gear again). TBH, I'm interested in snowboarding for the more comfortable boots as much as anything. The reduced likelihood of knee ligament damage is another reason.

So we're going to Park City, UT. I looked into daily private lessons and they're an eye popping $565 per person, per day. berkeley that. So that's not happening. Small group lessons are expensive but hopefully worth it. I know my boys will pick it up immediately - they both skateboard a bit and can ride those "ripstick" (pivot caster wheel death machines) fluidly and without fear. I'm a former soccer player who exercises now mostly by walking 4-5 miles 2x per week and sitting at a desk - not particularly fit or flexible but I did fine last year. Not worried about the physical aspect.

My curiosity is this.. If I'm a pretty good skier - fine on most any terrain. Should I sacrifice some good days skiing to learn snowboarding? Does the fact that I'm 6'-5" and 215 pounds handicap me in any particular way for snowboarding? Because physics, for example) Should I try to take lessons with the kids or separately?

Lastly - renting snowboard gear for 3 days seems to cost nearly as much as buying gear. For the kids, I'm 97% sure they'll want to continue snowboarding. Seems like buying boots and boards for them might make sense. Opinions on that would be helpful. We're not filthy rich but can afford a trip and some gear.

Thanks in advance.

I haven't skied in 8 years, but had about 35 years of experience before that. I tried snowboarding once. It was painful.

My uncle, also a very veteran skier, has been snowboarding for ~15 years. His comparison between skiing and snowboarding is, "Skiing is easy to learn, hard to master. Snowboarding is hard to learn, easy to master."

Once you get the basics of starting, slowing and stopping, on skis, you can make it down the hill all day long, and have a pretty good time, without a too much time on your ass or pain and suffering. It can take a few years to get to crashing gates, bumping moguls, and floating powder.

On a snowboard, though, you'll spend your first few days mostly on your ass or face. By the end of the season, you'll be doing spins, jumps and other stuff, without even a second thought.

I didn't have the patience, to get past that first painful few attempts, and preferred to stay on two boards, instead of one. Besides, that was around the dawn of shaped skis, and I was having way too much fun with those.

Grew up in Colorado, spent tons of time on the mountain.

My general rule of thumb is that snowboarding will beat the absolute crap out of you for two days, and then you will start to get it. Faster learning curve than skiing after that. Kids have a similar 2 day deal, though they might get through a touch quicker. Make sure they are self driven to board though (sounds like they are) because otherwise they will lose patients quickly.

Gear for kids is tough because they grow so fast. Buying gear big also sucks because it handicaps you in the present. Benefit of buying is you can resell stuff. Some places have own and trade up programs for kids, might be worth a look.

If you want to board, take the lesson for sure (see if you can join the class with your kids?)

If you ski, you may get a day to yourself while the kids are in the lesson. Some people love to ski solo, I don't really care for it, and it tends to be a much harder day on you physically because you don't stop to wait for anyone during runs. just a heads up on that.

Make sure your kids wear helmets, and consider wrist guards as much as they suck.

Finally, at the higher levels of both sports, some people are naturally sideways and others are naturally forward. (Have a run and slide on a hardwood floor in socks and see how you naturally set your feet). I boarded for 8 years then decided to go back to skiing because I finally admitted to myself I just prefer it. I'm still pretty good at both but find I tire quickly now.

Opinion: If you are over 35, stick with what you know. I want to learn to ski rather than board, but for the 3 days I'm on a mountain every 5 years, I'd rather try to remember than learn. I have never skied.

If you want to try snowboarding, here are some tips from a season ticket having, slow learning, CO boarding, yard sale having fella.

Like Robbie said, slide across a wooden floor, and find out if you are goofy or not-goofy being you put your dominant foot forward.

Then rent the gear. Get step in bindings if you can.(probably can't renting). Set them up with each foot canted out about 10 degrees from perpendicular to start. Adjust to "whee your feet naturally fall" from there.

Proceed to the kiddie slope, and get the feel. Weight the front of the board to turn, lean back to haul ass. This does not come naturally. Try to put your head and shoulders downhill. For now, weight the front. Speed will come later. Watch your edges, particularly the back edge, as when it digs in, it whips you to the ground-not just a fall. This is why thick, loose powder is preferrable-not only are the inevitable falls softer, but the hard stuff catches the edge very suddenly and unexpectedly. Do your best to not catch yourself with your wrists. Concentrate on hitting the ground well, because you will hit a lot.

Transisions are rough. Maybe better to just walk. Otherwise, keep font foot strapped in, and kick.

Have fun!

The first time I went boarding, I bought a two-day lift ticket, and a two-day board rental. I strapped the board on, and got on the chair lift, figuring I would learn it on the way down.

Two words: Take lessons.

You can thank me later.

I would definitely take lessons. I have heard the anecdote about snowboarding being harder to start/learn vs master, before.

Biggest question marks are effects of flexibility (not real good) and height (not quite manute bol). I'm 44 and I have seen a surprising number of older people riding snowboards.

Having a day (or more) to ski freely by myself while kids learn to board does sound kinda nice...

Great banter. Thanks

wheelsmithy wrote: Opinion: If you are over 35, stick with what you know. I want to learn to ski rather than board, but for the 3 days I'm on a mountain every 5 years, I'd rather try to remember than learn. I have never skied.

x2 Stick with what you know. I skateboarded for 20 something years and I figured I could just hop on a snowboard and go. Well, you cant pivot as your feet are attached and I just hated it. Because it was so similar yet so different I just didn't jive with it. I hopped on skis which were something completely different but I didn't have any bad habits and I learned at a much faster rate.

I've been skiing for years, monoskiied for a while and took my first snowboard run in about 1986. Kept doing it for a while. I found snowboarding pretty easy if you have something to lean against. Trying to get down a bunny slope with no pitch is brutal, leaning into the slope of a blue is a lot easier, especially if you're used to a sliding sport.

And yeah, the boots are comfy.

I've still got a snowboard, but I just don't use it anymore. Skiing is more fun for me. As for gear, I get mine at the local ski swap day - you can get last year's rental gear for a song. Doesn't help now, though.

Just got back from a trip to the slopes 30 min ago. I skied from age 6 till 14 then swapped to snowboarding. Taught several folks to board and can do both well. It's unlike skating or surfing maybe closest to wake boarding but all and all a different game.

Most folks are lucky to make it down the bunny slope without falling by the end of day 3 or so. The first run, you'll fall getting on the lift, getting off, and about every 50-100 feet till ya get to the bottom. It'll knock ya around till something clicks and then you'll be good but those first days are knee (you'll just land on your knee caps time to time)/ass/wrist/head breakers. Get a helmet for yourself and kids. As said before those edges will bite hard and whip you to the ground as opposed to a casual fall you know is coming. If you know someone with a board, just try it on on the carpet somewhere and strap your feet in. You'll just get an idea of what you're working with. Have someone there to catch you too LOL.

It's great fun and you may pick it up quickly but just be prepared to be smacked around a bit. I think height, weight, and all are mostly a non issue, if you'd feel good skiing this would be the same for actual athletic ability required just a bit more getting knocked to the ground.

I was in my 40s when I started, it works better for me than skiing. I took a 1/2 day lesson once and then they turned me loose on the public. I don't fall as much as when I skied. I would suggest however, some wrist protectors. Breaking a wrist could be a possibility, but try this: stand up straight and fall forward catching yourself with your hands. Wrist protectors really help, once you get tired it's a rapid spiral to the lodge.

Don't look at your feet, look up.

Have fun.

Dan

http://www.xsportsprotective.com/collections/snowboard-wrist-guards

OHSCrifle wrote: I'm 44 and I have seen a surprising number of older people riding snowboards.

My previously mentioned uncle turns 65 next week. He's been skiing/boarding since he was a teen.

As someone who has skied on and off since he was a teen, I tried the snowboard about 20 years ago. Having grown up on skateboards, I thought it would be a doodle.

Not so much. By the end of the lesson I was ready to use the board to beat the instructor to death. I was the kids first paying customer.

I usually tell people you need to commit 3 solid days to learning to snowboard. Don't give up. If you are reasonably athletic by the end of 3 days you can go down the hill. Its easier to do on blues than on the flat bunny hills. Still, every time you stop, you have two feet tied to the board so there is lots of falling. Chairlifts are more difficult until you have it down. Flat transfer runs are a real pain without poles.

I've got a rebuilt knee and I feel safer on the board than on skis. But I can be way more aggressive and do harder runs on skis, so I tend to trade back and forth. I think the risk of upper body injury is greater on the board, since most of my ski falls are just hitting an ice patch and sliding down the mountain. Snowboard falls tend to be much more awkward.

In your spot I'd be tempted to ski. The kids learn quick, and don't hurt as much when they fall. You can always ski along with them boarding. Never been to park city but at a few resorts I've seen group lesson / lift ticket combos that weren't much more than the tickets alone.

914Driver wrote: Don't look at your feet, look up.

Quoted for serious truth. Same as a car, you go where you are looking.

I learned when I was 40.

I had skied as a teen and tried boarding once with a friend teaching me, but that was just painful.

When I tried to learn again three years ago I set the kids in the all day lessons/camp, my wife took skiing lessons and I took a board rental/lesson package.

I find it more enjoyable than skiing, I think it may be because I find it more of a challenge than skiing to make it down the trail cleanly.

The biggest adjustment I initially found was the need to carry more speed in the turns to link a nice series together. On skis you can go slower and still have good control both down and across the slope, but if you go too slow when boarding you tend to slide or stop rather than turn across the slope. As you gain edge control and start carving with the board that is less of an issue, but the turns in the beginning are more like drifting than following a nice clean line.

The tips I can offer from my experience are take a lesson, wear a helmet, keep your hands in a fist when you fall (and land on your forearms), and lead into the turns with your downhill hip.

You will fall a lot, but once you get the hang of it, it is a blast. The learning curve is fast if you stick with it.

Not to mention the fun of learning something new with the kids. You'll get to laugh at each other as you learn together.

Besides the time spent riding the lift together and sitting at the top of the run strapping in to your boards, you'll get to bond over a common learning experience rather than as the more common student/teacher relationship when they learn a skill you already have mastered.

In reply to jstand:

Great response. Thanks

I tried to teach my wife to snowboard. She didn't believe me when I told her it would be easier if she went faster. I think she believes it's a general philosophy of mine that can be ignored...

Keith Tanner wrote: I think she believes it's a general philosophy of mine that can be ignored...

She may be right. It just so happens that you were also right (this time.)