Always Dreamed of Boarding but don’t know what to expect?
I have many friends who have never been to the snow let alone stepped foot on a snowboard or into a pair of skis. When I ask them ‘why’ the most common answers I hear are: ‘I’d really like to try but I don’t know any thing about it’; ‘What if I’m no good?’ Or, ‘I don’t want to be the only one in the group that can’t ski/board’.
A few other comments I hear that are stopping them from hitting the slopes (although they say they would really like to give it a go) include: not a fan of the cold; don’t have any equipment; isn’t it really expensive?.
Ok, so I am biased when it comes to the snow but I do appreciate that it’s not for everyone. But if heading to the slopes is something you have strong desire to do but just don’t know what to expect I doubt you will be disappointed. There is something for everyone at the snow!
So, if all you need is someone to give you some basic advice before you take the plunge - ASK AWAY.
No question is a silly question - ask me anything about clothing, accomodation, hire vs buy, the ‘cold’, pain, activities, best time to travel, costs etc etc etc.
Can’t wait to hear from you!
I think good advice to give is that it takes a little bit of a commitment.
I’ve seen learners expect to be able to just stand up and go, but we all know that’s not the case.
They need commercials of kids learning to snowboard and spending all the time on their butt, but of course that wouldnt sell snowboarding would it?
Here a question I’d like an answer to though. I cant seem to get around this one being a deterrent, are the complaints about how they dont like the cold.
I simply tell them to dress warmly and layer etc.
What do you tell them?
Hey Snowslider! You are absolutely right in saying that it takes commitment. There are the odd few who pick it up very quickly like a good friend of mine who is a mad surfer. He picked it up in a few days but he’s a rare case. It definitely takes time and patience. When I started to learn I found it so frustrating that I wasn’t ‘good’ straight away. I expected more from myself. It comes eventually though and it’s well worth the effort.
As for cold….. I grew up 20 minutes from a ski field and for a good part of the year it was pretty cold. Despite this, I am not a fan of the cold. I thought I was going to suffer the time I hit the slopes. I was pleasantly surprised about how much I DIDN’T feel the cold like I expected to. Not only does good snow clothing provide unbelievable protection from the elements like warmth and waterproofing but you are moving around so much that your body produces its’ own heat. Sometimes when you are stationary and later in the day you may feel a chill or two but it nothing like you expect. It is bearable provided you don the right clothing.
Here a question I’d like an answer to though. I cant seem to get around this one being a deterrent, are the complaints about how they dont like the cold.
I simply tell them to dress warmly and layer etc.
What do you tell them?
you don`t really want to know..I`m not as polite as you..
Cheers Biscuit..You got the right idea
I agree, I tell em to wear some real snowboard pants, not just jeans, and HTFU! haha
What turned me off to snowsports was the “wet” factor.
Jeans, well, because my parents didn’t know any better.
And wet socks at the end of the day from leaky rental equipment.
A few days of that was enough for me to say “no more ever again”.
Six years later, I picked up snowboarding, with borrowed snowpants, and cotton socks and a borrowed beanie. Two out of three ain’t bad.
The moral of the story is that how comfortable you feel the first day(s) makes a huge difference. You’re going to be falling, getting your arse nailed by the lift, doing faceplants, so the least of your worries ought to be the layers you’re wearing.
Comfort is more important than anything for the first timer.
Having ill fitting hire ski boots (because you never knew how boots should feel/they were hired in Sydney when your feet had done no exercise)- just one example.
Dad can’t handle the cold, he drove me to Thredbo and stayed a few days and was really surprised how comfortable altitude cold is compared to Western Sydney cold. It did take a while to convince him he had to wear a beanie outside at night (90% of heat) once he did the beanie didn’t leave his head.
uncomfortable clothing and bitter cold is such a deterrent.
I’ve had a few learners have difficulties with their boots and that is frustrating too.
I like hearing how others overcome the challenges that a beginner faces.
Poor teaching areas hurts too.
I find it very frustrating when young students are unprepared for the weather, not at their own fault but because of their parents. I really feel bad for them, and we always recommend appropriate clothing but you can’t force someone to buy gear. This past season in Whistler there was a kid with no neck warmer, nothing covering his ears on his helmet, crappy gloves… in minus 24 degress! We did one run and luckily I gave him my neck warmer or this kid would have got frost bite for sure.
Poor teaching areas is a good one. I think all resorts should make a big effort to cater properly for beginners.
What about the people at the rental shop that delegate the gear in the first place? It sounds like the rental shops are also “responsible” to a certain degree.
Case in point, I rented some ski boots because I wanted to ski instead of ride for the day. First pair of boots turned out to be nearly 2 sizes too large, they asked me what size my foot was, but still got it wrong. Only after trying on three pairs did they finally get the right size.
Now try doing this with a kid who has never skied before, and the problem is compounded, and then put this kid in with an instructor who is trying to teach some basic skills when the fellow’s boots are two sizes too large and can’t move his skis properly.
What about the people at the rental shop that delegate the gear in the first place? It sounds like the rental shops are also “responsible” to a certain degree.
Case in point, I rented some ski boots because I wanted to ski instead of ride for the day. First pair of boots turned out to be nearly 2 sizes too large, they asked me what size my foot was, but still got it wrong. Only after trying on three pairs did they finally get the right size.
Now try doing this with a kid who has never skied before, and the problem is compounded, and then put this kid in with an instructor who is trying to teach some basic skills when the fellow’s boots are two sizes too large and can’t move his skis properly.
Grrrrrr… I forgot to write about that. Nothing annoys me more. Student pay good money for equipment, comes to a lesson, bindings set up completely wrong, ridiculous angles. You would be amazed if you saw some on the things I’ve seen come out of rentals. I can’t teach a lesson without a snowboard tool in my pocket to fix things up.
This is why I always suggest either buying your own gear, or hiring from a reputable snowboard store (they know what they are doing and the gear is usually much better).
Here’s an interesting story about… shall we say a stupid parent.
I was teaching a kid, on a normal day mid winter. It was a group of about 5 firs timers.
This one kid was a little slower than the rest of the group and at about our 3rd lap down the hill he got tired of being the last one to come down the little hill and took off the board, and began walking down the hill. I run up to him and try to cater to him, and he’s crying about how clod he is.
He has his glove off and tucked under his jacket. Of course he had some horribly cheap gloves. Thy were a little wet.
I looked at his hand and his pinky finger was white and half of his ring finger was white. I mean like DEAD white.
I knew this was frost bite, and we went to ski patroll as I dismissed the group and then left him at patrol to go find him mom…
She walks with me to patrol and then proceeds to tell me he has a neurological disorder and he “doesnt feel things like most kids do”
So, why would she leave him alone in the freezing cold for 2 hours with a stranger?
geesh!
Poor kid…
Sometimes I don’t know how they cope with those crappy wet gloves all day. I know I would be complaining.
Poor kid…
Sometimes I don’t know how they cope with those crappy parents.
So what’s your list of crazy and unbelievable things you’ve seen at lessons, equipment-wise and otherwise?
So what’s your list of crazy and unbelievable things you’ve seen at lessons, equipment-wise and otherwise?
Sounds like this deserves a new topic, worldtripper.