[FoidPoosening]

I'll be going snowboarding in late january for the first time in my life. I've never been skiing either so i'll be going into this a total newcomer. A long time snowboard and good friend of mine will likely be going with me to give me some pointers.

Advice? Do's and Don'ts? Hopefully I'll be snowboarding on the alps in no-time (seriously, I'm going abroad and plan to).

[IrockanEGO]

If you have some sort of padded slider shorts wear them. Your tailbone will hurt from falling after the first time. Also wear moisture wicking baselayers.

Try watching some videos on the basics. Its sounds lame but it gives you stuff to think about doing while on the hill.

[monkeyballer099639]

Be careful not to put your hand out behind you to brace falls. It's is the quickest way to get hurt. First time is going to be rough and you will be sore after, but work on one edge at a time (heels, then toes) and have fun. Be sure to have good pants and gloves and wear something for eye protection from the sun (sunglasses or ski goggles). Burned retinas really suck.

[Drex17]

as an extension of Irockian's advice about wicking baselayers. don't wear cotton socks.

[MutR.]

Originally Posted by Drex17

as an extension of Irockian's advice about wicking baselayers. don't wear cotton anything.

This.

[ghostcell]

prepare your anus and wrists

[mahgnillig]

knee pads!

[natewalker33]

use skis instead

[Cima2oo3]

If you have snow and even a slight hill work on stopping both front and back side without catching edges.

Also pay the money for a beginner group lesson. I tried to teach an ex and it was okay but she did a lot better with an actual instructor.

[Watermelondrea]

Not the way to learn but back in the day my buddy who had been snowboarding for a few years took me out and just sent me down some groomers.

Be prepared to fall a lot, your wrists and tailbone will take a beating. I've been riding for 10+ years and still occasionally have to slide out or catch and edge and go down hard. It's a part of the sport, the earlier you get used to falling the better.

Also, don't let your buddies talk you into anything you're not ready for. Riding a diamond is a hell of a lot different than riding a green square as a beginner.

Your first two runs are going to suck, but you'll start to get the hang of it and that's when it gets fun. You'll make it to the bottom by the end of the day.

[Bobo54]

I found it easier to start learning how to stop on my toes first (facing up the mountain), so if I felt like I was going to fall I could at least go that way and not over backwards. Definite yes on the wicking material. Plan on your quads burning after, and #1 rule: if it's not easy the first few times, don't get discouraged. No better rush than flying downhill at 30+ mph, except maybe the break.

[Watermelondrea]

Hit 45mph bombing a diamond last year. Almost caught an edge as the trail flattened out to the base of the mountain.

[CrazyIonKid]

Just be mentally prepared to be on your *** a lot the first day. As someone who is learning to snowboard this year with no prior ski or snowboard experience, just realize you're not going to be flying down the hill on day one, and as easy as some make it look it takes a while to get your bearings and even be comfortable with basic turns. Take it slow and don't get frustrated, from what I have seen it takes most people a long, slow first day of learning. One thing I found helpful was to really focus on keeping weight on my front foot leading me down the hill and think of my back foot as a sort of pendulum that swung back and forth to steer. I found I tended to pull back and place too much weight on my back foot when I felt I began going to fast, and this in turn just made it harder to turn and slow down and ultimately would usually result in me falling. And keep your knees bent, can't stress how much this helps with balance and absorbing bumps while riding. After about 10 days on the slopes I can now comfortably ride the back bowls and take on black diamonds, moguls are still a pain in the *** though.

[CKY_Alliance]

Like everyone else said: Prepare for a sore ***! Hope you are learning on some nice powder and not east coast hard packed like I did. Man my *** was numb for a day. I decided to just take my first run from our room at the tope of a Blue Square...well it wouldn't have been so bad had the slush not frozen as the temps dropped. Oh man...I was power sliding, trying to stop, as fast as if I was bombing the hill..Not FUN! I was just waiting to catch my front edge and eat a face full of ice. Two hours later... I made it to the bottom with no need to buy a lift pass for that night. One run (from 3/4 loading) to the bottom for the first time was more then I needed for one night.

Anyway I survived and Snowboarding is now by far my favorite board sport. It's incredibly fun once you learn to use both edges. You will have a dominant side and an off side. Your dominant side will be the same as if your skateboard and it's usually the side of your dominant hand. Right foot forward:goofy Left foot forward: Regular

You will have to adjust your bindings after a ride or two. Once I got the hand of how the snow moved the board I had to find the right place for my feet. I need a really wide stance. So this is key to figure out. Some people say if you jump off of the second step, however your feet land, it's a good starting point for the angle of your bindings.

I would also suggest trying to get Flow binding on whatever board you use. It will make the lift so much easier for you. The lift btw... it's the hardest part to master. See you have to unstrap one foot to get on the lift so when you get off you are riding with one foot strapped in... not too big of a deal until you get off at a stop that has a ridiculous incline on the ramp down and a bunch of beginners are crowding the bottom. This is where having flow bindings can be a huge help.

Like some others said take time to practice on a small incline off the slopes so you can get used to the way you move the board and most importantly to figure out a proper stance. Without proper stance turning and maneuvering will be a *****.

[shockwave7]

I would go to a sledding hill when kids are at school Learn how to balance and not fall. You have to fight the board the whole time so you don't fall. I have a small shovel I make jumps and stuff with so I can practices for freestyle. I've heard of people that go to mountains to snowboard for the very first time don't be that person. This will save u the from feeling like an idiot and wasting 60$ or whatever.

[Superzeus]

As far as mechanics go:

Commit. Your natural instinct will be to lean backward to slow yourself down and stay in control which will actually give you less control and make you fall on your ***. You want a 50/50 weight distribution which will actually feel like you're leaning forward. Especially on a toe side turn.

As far as turning, people will tell you to tilt your heel or toes, but you want to actually keep your weight balanced on the balls of your feet or slightly behind and initiate turns by pushing the front of your boot forward with your shin, or the back of your boot with your calf. This will keep you much more balanced over your board with better edge control.

Keep your body weight centered. So if you are turning onto your toe side your hips come forward and your torso stays upright. If you are turning onto your heel side your torso comes forward, bend at the knees and your *** sticks Otherwise you will basically tip over.

[dukie564]

PRACTICE FALLING

ie - practice not using your hands/wrists to catch your fall. Super easy way to break a wrist. Tuck those arms to your chest if you feel like your tipping over

And the faster you go, the more stable the board becomes, So commit and throw your weight where you want to go

[Watermelondrea]

Originally Posted by shockwave7

I would go to a sledding hill when kids are at school Learn how to balance and not fall. You have to fight the board the whole time so you don't fall. I have a small shovel I make jumps and stuff with so I can practices for freestyle. I've heard of people that go to mountains to snowboard for the very first time don't be that person. This will save u the from feeling like an idiot and wasting 60$ or whatever.

Why would you feel like an idiot? You're learning to snowboard/ski, you're not going to be a pro on your first day. The people the judge you for learning how to snowboard are typically punk *** stoner kids that aren't out of high school yet riding on twin tip skis their mom bought them for Christmas and a jacket that hangs down below their knees.

I started on a green square. No bunny slope or beginner hill, and now I can shred better than most people on the mountain, skiers or snowboarders. Hell, I ****ing love watching new riders fall, get up, fall again, and get back up. Why? Because we were all there one day.

By the way, there's no such thing as wasting money on the mountain.

No offense, but you sound like one of those punk *** kids that strictly ride the park and hit nothing more than the 3 footer. No wonder you feel like it's a waste of $60.

[atthemattin]

Originally Posted by FoidPoosening

I'll be going snowboarding in late january for the first time in my life. I've never been skiing either so i'll be going into this a total newcomer. A long time snowboard and good friend of mine will likely be going with me to give me some pointers.

Advice? Do's and Don'ts? Hopefully I'll be snowboarding on the alps in no-time (seriously, I'm going abroad and plan to).

Im going to give you the only information you need to know about snowboarding. Go take a lesson. It's going to be cheaper in the long run paying someone to help you learn the basics than braking your wrist. Or better yet, all those days you wasted trying to learn from a friend whose best advice is "look, do what I do". This thread has always had a lot of advice that is less than stellar.