So I tried snowboarding

[Cam]

And it kicked my ***. I just couldn't get the hang of the edges at all. At the end of the lesson I traded in the board for skis. If we ever get to the point where we are able to go more than once a year I'll give it another shot.

I had no problems getting up or getting speed. It was the whole controlling speed thang that screwed me. I am glad I was wearing a helmet though. once time I was got turned around and was going down the hill backwards, caught my front edge, and went backwards like a slingshot.

Oh well, I tried it and didn't do too well at it. I'll just stick to the skis for now.

[BOOMERBRADLEY]

I tried over Christmas break. I bruised my tailbone really bad too so I might try skis next time

[GottaHavePride]

Funny, they usually say snowboarding is easier to get the hang of than skiing.

[Frozen Sooner]

I grew up skiing. I skied from the time I was 4 until I was 17. I have never once gotten on one of them things.

And yes, Lil, snow had been invented when I was a kid.

[proud gonzo]

i've never done either, so I wou ldn't know.

[Cam]

Funny, they usually say snowboarding is easier to get the hang of than skiing.

I didn't start skiing until 7 years ago. Picked it up in less than a day and doing some pretty fast blues by the end of the first week.

I would've broken a few bones if I'd have stayed with the board. That, or cracked my head open.

[C&CDean]

Snowboarding is one of those things you pick up when you're very young. If you try to learn it after learning to ski, and after - say 30 or so - you're gonna get hurt. BAD. I'm a decent skier. I am a suck snowboarder. I can have a ball skiing fairly rugged terrain, but put me on a snowboard over the same terrain and you may as well get it over with and call 911 when you see me board the lift.

[Boarder]

The key is all in grasping the concept of edging. If you don't wake or skateboard I can see where it can be tough.

I didn't start until I was over 30, but I never skiied.

The helmet is a grand idea when learning.

I'm starting the boys out super young on it.

[Cam]

I haven't skateboarded in over 20 years. My center of gravity has shifted just ever so slightly over that time.

[SoonerStud615]

I've skied since I was 4 (16 now) and last Spring Break I tried Snowboarding and actually picked it up relatively quickly. I think this is because of 2 things. 1) I've been skiing forever 2) I unicycle, which I firmly believe helped my balance on the board.

[Mongo]

I've skied since I was 4 (16 now) and last Spring Break I tried Snowboarding and actually picked it up relatively quickly. I think this is because of 2 things. 1) I've been skiing forever 2) I unicycle, which I firmly believe helped my balance on the board.

An I bet your folks are not ashamed to see this

[Boarder]

It's not so much the balance as it is understanding how to control with edges. Actually standing up and riding is not a problem, usually. It's turning, stopping, etc.

[TopDawg]

You people absolutely suck.

I'm leaving on Wednesday to hit the slopes for 3 days, but BlindCajun and I are going to try snowboarding on Thursday. We're taking lessons and all. We're really excited about it, even though we've heard it sucks on the first day.

But now I'm hearing all of this.

I tried over Christmas break. I bruised my tailbone really bad too so I might try skis next time

Oh great! This is the one thing I'm worried about. My tailbone has been kinda sore lately and I don't wanna suffer the long ride back with a bruised one.

I didn't start skiing until 7 years ago. Picked it up in less than a day and doing some pretty fast blues by the end of the first week.

I would've broken a few bones if I'd have stayed with the board. That, or cracked my head open.

Oh great! This is pretty much my same story (the skiing part).

Snowboarding is one of those things you pick up when you're very young. If you try to learn it after learning to ski, and after - say 30 or so - you're gonna get hurt. BAD.

Oh great! I JUST turned 30.

The key is all in grasping the concept of edging. If you don't wake or skateboard I can see where it can be tough.

Oh great! I don't wake or skateboard.

How much do helmets cost? Do they sell tailbone pads?

[Boarder]

I do have some padding you can borrow if you want. You can rent helmets where you rent the boards.

[TopDawg]

I do have some padding you can borrow if you want. You can rent helmets where you rent the boards.

Charmin?

About how much does a helmet rental run?

[Boarder]

I don't know, I bought one. It has built in headphones. It's niiice! I like!

I slipped off the end of a fun box last time out and it helped a bunch. It also helps that I learned how to crash from wakeboarding.


So, here's today's encouragement: Learn how to crash and wear lots of padding. ENJOY!

[TopDawg]

The art of crashing is important.

As cool as it sounds, I think I'll pass on the helmet with headphones. If I'm going to break a bone, I want to hear it.

[TopDawg]

So here's how it went.

Me and BlindCajun decided that we wanted to try snowboarding. Our idea was that we had 3 days on the slopes so if we just couldn't get it after the first day, we'd still have two days of skiing. On the other hand, if we were starting to get the hang of it, we'd go ahead and finish out the weekend on the boards.

So, we had snowboarding lessons set to start at 10 a.m. on Thursday. We got to the rental place at 8 because the rest of our group (4 other guys) wanted to hit the slopes when the lifts opened (8:30). So we had about an hour to kill and thought we'd just put the boards on and get a feel for them. We were not at all encouraged by the amount of difficulty we had getting around on them.

There were 8 people in our class. BC was the first to really get the hang of it. I made it down ther learners hill (heel side, straight down, all slow like) without falling the first time. Thing is, the instructor helped us all up on the first time. Second time we were on our own and I couldn't get up. I slid down the slope about 3 feet at a time each time I tried to get up. I was about ready to trade it in there.

After I got back to the top, he showed me the trick (hold the front edge, etc.) and I got the hang of it. By lunchtime, BC and I were head of the class along with one other guy we met. When we broke for lunch we had learned how to go down side-to-side on the heel side and the toe side. We were feeling pretty good. And, hell, getting up on your toe side is about the easiest thing you can do on a slope (besides fall).

When we met back up after lunch, we continued to practice the back and forth stuff for a while. When the instructor was satisfied that we all had that down, he took us to the bunny slope and then taught us the next step...the "S" turn where you keep your front foot forward all the way down.

That **** rocked my world. It took me several runs to even have hope that I might get it. The other stuff (all heel or all toe) was easy. Going back and forth was not. BC picked it up a little easier than I did, but we both struggled with it. By the time we had done our last run on the bunny slope, though, we were able to make it down without too much trouble...one or two falls each and in a respectable amount of time. BC is in much better shape than I, so I called it quits at about 3:30 and he went for one more run down a bonafide green.

His experience on the green was what did us in. We both left the bunny slope thinking "okay, good day. We're almost there." But the challenge he faced on the green made us reconsider. This was going to be a steeper learning curve than we thought. It wasn't that we didn't enjoy it, and it wasn't that we didn't think we could do it...it was that we didn't enjoy it as much as skiing and we didn't want to waste the rest of our trip struggling down greens by ourselves on boards instead of flying down blues with our friends on skis.

If I went skiing more than once per year, I might've stuck with it a little longer. I'm sure with practice that crucial turn and shifting of the weight comes easier, but I just missed skiing too much.

I must've fallen 50 or more times during our lessons. I only fell once on skis. But it was that one fall on skis that has left me with the only nagging injury. My left thumb is killing me.

Also, it was our first time in Steamboat. The conditions weren't great until Saturday...but we had a great day of skiing that day. Really weird weather, but a great day.

[Boarder]

Man, I forgot to tell you, always get up on your toe side. Just flip over and you stnd right up. I never get up from sitting down. I'd pop a gut if I tried that too many times. I have no idea why they try to teach it that way. Unless you're a tiny kid, it's harder than heck.


Glad you had fun. Sounds like you were getting it down. Once you do, it's a lot of fun.

[TopDawg]

So learning to snowboard after 30 probably is tougher than it is at a younger age, but recovering from snowboarding CERTAINLY is tougher after 30.

My shoulder still hurts and my thumb goes through the most random painful periods you could imagine.