Anyone Snowboard?

haha sounds like you're in quite the predicament Adam. Good choice on going though. The hot tub should be worth the whole trip. Plus, you'll need it after all the falls you'll be taking.

I am an athlete, played all the sports in HS, wakeboarding for 10 years, footing for 15, (im 23) and just started snowboarding in 06 because I was worried I'd be crazy and get hurt in HS and miss my sporting chances.

Anyways...next to learning how to surf, snowboarding was one of the most difficult things I learned how to do. I don't mean to get you syked out by any means but don't plan on being Shaun White your first trip out. I went out thinking psh, I got this...nope lol

A lot like wakeboarding a very good tip is to always keep the downhill side of the board up and out of the snow. You catch an edge on that puppy and you're going down in a hurry. Much like on the water when you can't even get your eyes shut in time and the water gets behind your eye lids...

Best way to get started is stand at the top of the hill like your on skis facing directing down the hill. let your left tip angle down the hill to the left a ways and then bring your right tip up a little and go down the hill to the right. Switching as you get across the hill each time.

Does that make sense? stay on your heels while your doing this and just keep sliding down like that.

It's really difficult (or at least is was for me) to actually get one tip going down the hill and being able to rock back and forth from heal to toe until you get that side slide method locked in. Check out this link I found...it can help you much more than I can.

Snowboard Tips

Ok, lemme see if I follow...It almost sounds like your advice is to kinda side-slide down the hill, and then, for lack of a better way of saying it, zig-zag back and forth without ever actually pointing the board downhill, keeping it for the most part perpendicular to the slope of the hill. Is that correct?

When you say catch an edge, do you mean the side edge or the front edge? Cause on waterskis, because of the curve at the tip of the ski its virtually impossible to bury it. The tips of the snowboard curve up the same way, though probably not as much, is it the same thing? Or am I going to catch that tip at catapult myself over the nose?

75 Tique wrote: So as to avoid awkward moments with the hot tub ladies, maybe run to one of the local slopes around Cleveland a time or two before the big trip and get a feel for it.

Well that doesn't sound like very much fun...takes some of the adventure out of it! I think the fact that I might get hurt is one of the reasons they were so insistent I come. In fact, we even came up with a super bowl-style squares game so that we can wager on when and how me and one of the more fragile girls will hurt ourselves.

IAughtNaut wrote: 75 Tique wrote: So as to avoid awkward moments with the hot tub ladies, maybe run to one of the local slopes around Cleveland a time or two before the big trip and get a feel for it. Well that doesn't sound like very much fun...takes some of the adventure out of it! I think the fact that I might get hurt is one of the reasons they were so insistent I come. In fact, we even came up with a super bowl-style squares game so that we can wager on when and how me and one of the more fragile girls will hurt ourselves.

Well, that works too. How much are squares? Can I buy one? Let us know how it goes.

It sounds like you're going to have a great time.
I think the advice that mdv gave is spot on. The zig-zag heal side, meaning your heals are on the uphill side, is the way we've taught quite a few boarders. If you've been wakeboarding, you have an advantage over most new boarders, even ones coming from the two-plank world. Three weeks ago we taught my brother-in-law's girlfriend how to board. She's never snow skied or wakeboarded, and was able to get down the hill without falling after an hour.
Figure out what foot will be forward based on your wakebarding. I'm right foot forward (goofy foot) so I would set up at the top of the hill and shift more weight to the right leg and start moving to the right. Then by bringing my left leg even with the right and digging the heals, I can come to a stop. Then do the same thing going left; shift the weight to the left leg, slightly point the left end of your board down, and head to the left. Then you try to do that without the stop in between, A little hint is to use your arms and shoulders, and point which way you want to go. That will help your hips to turn in the direction your hoping to go.
No disrespect to Morfoot, but I think he was trying to get you to run healside to toeside. That will be for your second day, or after lunch and a couple of cold ones.
One important (the most important) piece of advice I can offer; WEAR A BRAIN BUCKET!!). When you catch an edge on a snowboard, you go down quick, like a wakeboard. Unless your running in deep powder, the helmet is your bet friend if you catch an edge while riding toeside.
Second piece of advice, stay off the bunny hill. I'm not saying that to protect your man-card, I'm saying it because you need some slope to get yourself moving. A little speed helps. It's similar to how riding a bike too slow isn't as easy.
I hope this helps.
BTW, speaking of names of hills. I took up snowboarding 10+ years ago after tearing my ACL while snow skiing down a hill called ShushyCat, at Crystal Mountain here in MI. It's a black diamond run with steep slope and tough moguls. At Crystal, they have all the chair lift columns color coded. The lift columns on ShushyCat are pink.
Have fun. Post pics.

Jamesons always has a nice medicinal warmth. Funny post. I like Morfoot's advice. You have to really exaggerate throwing your hips to get from edge to edge. Remember- Always on an edge never ride flat. Flat is about an eighth inch from disaster. Faceplants in the snow are not as funny as on the water...

I bought a helmet after I knocked myself cold my first year snowboarding. Hit the snow/ice so hard on the back of my head I didn't remember anything for 6 hrs. Drove home and everything. I was living by the moment, fine at the time, but not retaining any memory what so ever. It was interesting.

I will never board without one after that. Plus, you can look cool with a helmet too:

Keeganino wrote: Jamesons always has a nice medicinal warmth. Funny post. I like Morfoot's advice. You have to really exaggerate throwing your hips to get from edge to edge. Remember- Always on an edge never ride flat. Flat is about an eighth inch from disaster. Faceplants in the snow are not as funny as on the water...

Plus one on all this.. Jameson is already loaded into my flask for boarding this friday..

and as Keegan points out you always need to know and be exaggerated about what edge you are one.. you will only get a microsecond to notice you arent on an edge before one of the edges picks itself.

I found snowboarding relatively easy to pick up after learning to wakeboard.. but get cocky and like wakeboarding the falls the first time our two out are real brain scramblers.

Adam
I'm guessing if your not going to wear the bucket, there is no way you'll be sportin' wrist guards. Both of my sons have each broken two wrists while boarding.
When I blew out my knee, I was cranking some Stranglehold on the Walkman, and had a Bota filled with Goldsl*ger (sp). Now it's Mr Cab Driver (Lenny Kravitz), and a flask full of Crown or Johnnie Walker Black.

Speaking of the stranglehold on the walkman...

This year we grabbed the android phones most of my buddies have and got the speedview app...GPS speedometer in it, pretty sweet.

One girl on skis topped out at 45mph...pretty dang sweet!

hahaha on the android phones go to the market and it's call "SPEEDVIEW" uses your GPS in your phone. It is also called that for the iphone as well I believe. The display is just like a speedo in a car. gives you top speed for a trip, live line graph of your speed throughout the trip etc...pretty awesome. Could be very handy with crappy speedos in the boat too.

EDIT: yes it's instant. It is a GPS digital (and an analog view) speedometer.

05 210 wrote: If you keep most of your weight on your back foot like on a wakeboard, you're going to be in deep sh*t if you need to turn.

That settles it, I just won't turn. Seems like a minor detail anyway.

I might have to start out riding goofy just because I know my right foot will be the heavy one. I've been told I ride a wakeboard like a slalom with too much weight on my back foot anyway.

Nice Tim! Great quality for a phone. Heard those shoot in 720. Makes me wanna go ride!

Neat video. I've skied Brighton in Utah. It was great. Solitude in the same canyon is also great. Alta is still my favorite in Utah, but of course, they are one of the few that still do not permit Snowboards.

I tried Snowboarding a long time ago. Spent several days just to be sure my initial impression was correct - it wasn't for me. I will stick with my skis.

I disagree with some of the others here, however. I don't think it was difficult to learn to ride a snowboard. Rather, I thought it was very easy to get mediocre. It would, however, be very difficult to get good.   I find wakeboarding the same. It's really easy to get up and do something on your first trip out. It's hard to get really good.

Sounds like you are going with others have little or no experience. I would not sweat it. You will do fine.

BKH

snowboarding kicks azz...

a few things...weight on your front foot, steer with your back foot (kind of like a rudder), easy on the sauce until your done for the day...inexperience + liquid courage = broken bones...cold beers in an outdoor hot tub afterwords is awesome, consider taking a private lesson for a couple hours your first day, be prepared to be a bit frustrated and sore, watch out for your wrists..what else...pick a wide hill with a moderate slope (maybe a harder green or more gentle blue) you need a little speed to make it work...if all else fails you still have hot tub + hotties which always = good times...