I'm gonna start snowboarding...i hope

[jverne]

Been skiing for all my life. Decided it looks too gay and want to change.

Well no, actually i find it quite meh after all this time, i do carve decently, know some tricks. My highest jump was probably a bit bellow 3 meters.
Snowboarding always looked to me way more logical, streamlined. Skiing has to much stuff.

Is snowboarding easier to learn and master?

How about injuries, which is worse in this regard? I'm interested especially for the back area.

Any general tips for a beginner?


Forgot to mention...my brother stopped snowboarding years ago so he's gonna give me his board. I already have all the equipment except the boots. These i'm gonna buy used for 30$.

 

[Dan]

Snowboarding is harder for the first day or two, and much more painful to learn the basics. The problem is that both of your feet are glued together, so when you fall, you basically hinge at your toes and all of your momentum goes straight into your face, wrist, knees, butt, or back of head, hitting the snow. I really recommend wrist guards and knee pads to start with. Carving at low speeds is harder than carving at high speeds, which is part of why you fall a lot to begin with. But falling at high speeds hurts a lot more. At a higher level it is easier than skiing I think.

The way I learned was to start like a fluttering leaf. Face into the hill and just slide back and forth. After a short run of that you will probably be bored. The next run when you see a good spot and feel confident, gain some speed, and make a carve to the other edge. You might screw it up, but just keep trying until you can. It helps to keep your knees bent and imagine sitting in an invisible chair. Always imagine yourself riding on an edge of your board, never on the flat.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

You learn snowboarding by falling. a lot. So just be ready to do that. Helps if you've done any skateboarding as well. The less worried you are about losing control the easier it will be to catch your edge(s) and carve. If you can alternate between standing on your tippie toes and leaning on your heels while standing you can probably snowboard. Don't forget to keep those knees bent!

 

[jverne]

I'm fairly competent in keeping balance since i've done all kind of sports most of my life and i can ski on just one leg for that matter. Also i think theoretically i understand the basics (i can see myself doing it).
To be honest i'm pretty confident, sure i'll fall just like anybody. I actually tried once to strap myself on the board, didn't really feel that unusual, kinda reminded me of standing sideways on a thin wood plank.


A couple of friends suggested i put some foam padding behind my butt for the first time?

 

[Wanted Bob]

Yeah, the first couple of days were pretty frustrating. Then it just sort of clicked for me, and I just improved from there.

Snowboarding is a ton of fun (like you I started out as a skier, then switched to try something new). Hope you enjoy it

 

[Sulkdodds]

It's really difficult for me to actually talk about how you could more easily learn to snowboard because I only remember how it feels to do it. Putting that into words is very difficult. But even I picked it up, and I'm clumsy like Bella. You'll be fine.

Are you fat? Having a big arse to fall down on will probably be quite useful.

 

[Warped]

I converted from skiing to snowboarding and I'll never go back to skiing. Snowboarding is more fun, you don't look like a douchbag when your staggering up the hill trying to get to your lost ski and its more modern. I think the best approach is the bunny hill. Learn on a quiet day with some friends who have experience. also seriously take a few shots of vodka before going to get that little boost of confidence because you'll need to feel relaxed when you first start snowboarding. by the end of the first day you should be able to do a few jumps and learn how to carve in one direction. the next day you'll learn how to carve in another direction, and by the 3rd day you'll be comfortable to get some extra speed

 

[Wanted Bob]

I would like to see how you could hit some jumps on one edge. You really need to be going flat and landing flat, which is one of the most difficult things to learn (in my opinion).

Also, alcohol and snowboarding is a terrible idea.

 

[jverne]

Cool, thanks guys. Now i'm really anxious to get started.

I'm not fat...normal to slightly skinny. My butt is the least of worries

Is it wrong if my feet stick a bit outside the board edge. From the looks of it i don't think it will rub on the snow. But anyway...it's my brothers board, so if i'll really get into it i'm gonna sell all my skiing equipment and get my own board.

 

[kineaesth]

take a few shots of vodka before going

Yeah, that's a really bad idea. Don't do that.

 

[Raziaar]

All my life I've wanted to snowboard and ski.

I only ever managed to do cross country skiing on an awesome course near a high school in Alaska with lots of cool hills and shit. Was a lot of fun doing that with my dad... but damn was it tiring.

 

[Wanted Bob]

Is it wrong if my feet stick a bit outside the board edge. From the looks of it i don't think it will rub on the snow. But anyway...it's my brothers board, so if i'll really get into it i'm gonna sell all my skiing equipment and get my own board.

It should be fine, so long as its not out too far.

 

[Solaris]

If I can skateboard can I snowboard?

 

[Rizzo]

What Dan said. I did exactly what you just described. I've tried skiing a couple of times, and was pretty good, but one year I tried snoboard. First day or two I was on my ass. But at the end of the week I feelt like a pro. I tried a big jump and strained my wrist. It was awesome.
I can't skateboard worth a shit though...

 

[Raziaar]

Sure. Except you'll be eating snow, ice, and frozen earth... not concrete.

 

[Ravioli]

Snowboarding is A LOT of fun. But its going to suck for you the first few times. You will fall, get hurt, get angry, tired, and frustrated. But if you keep trying then eventually you will become good at it.

 

[Warped]

Yeah, that's a really bad idea. Don't do that.

2 shots?? its not like hes going to be drinking the whole bottle. unless you get wasted off of 2 shots then just take a thimble

 

[Adabiviak]

Skiied for 8 years, been snowboarding for 20. They're both fun - you should give snowboarding a try and make your own decision. Don't not ski because it looks gay if you like it better than snowboarding. If you already know how to ski, you already know how to handle edges on the snow.

 

[Eejit]

It's like surfing but easier afaik so if you've done some of that you should pick it up pretty quickly.

 

[Azner]

If I can skateboard can I snowboard?

Yeah, probably going down frontside would be abit hard to grasp for the first few tries also, you don't get to bail so basically if you do scorpion and your legs twist, its your hip that hurts ahem.