# My Progression



## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

phb said:


> Is this the normal speed that someone progresses? I'm kind of feeling like I should be a little further along than this (I should be able to comfortably get down green trails), but I think I'm just being too hard on myself.


Given that you don't appear to be an ex-skier, and you didn't prep yourself the first couple of times, I'd say you're lucky to be alive. :laugh:

Learning speed varies all over the place, depending on whether you're an ex-skier, how athletic you are, how old/young/brave/foolish you are, whether or not you take lessons or have friends who ride, etc etc etc.

I was traversing on greens my first day (not well, but survivable) but I was an ex-skier, so I knew about edges and all. Plus since I'm older/wiser/more chicken, I spent time watching what _real_ snowboarders were doing.

What's really important, is that you're making progress every time out, and you're having fun.


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## Epic (Apr 13, 2013)

I would say you should 100% take a lesson. I tried to snowboard 4 years ago without a lesson thinking I was hot shit and damn near killed myself. I tried again this year with 2 days of lessons and on the 2nd day I was linking heel/toe turns no problem. It helps so much to have someone with you to show you the correct fundamentals because if you don't get them down you'll end up hurting yourself down the road.


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## phb (Apr 22, 2013)

Epic said:


> I would say you should 100% take a lesson. I tried to snowboard 4 years ago without a lesson thinking I was hot shit and damn near killed myself. I tried again this year with 2 days of lessons and on the 2nd day I was linking heel/toe turns no problem. It helps so much to have someone with you to show you the correct fundamentals because if you don't get them down you'll end up hurting yourself down the road.


Yea I did take a lesson (day 4) and it really helped a lot. I think I could have figured it out on my own eventually, but I was interested in just doing it right away. It was well worth the money for me.


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## phb (Apr 22, 2013)

Donutz said:


> Given that you don't appear to be an ex-skier, and you didn't prep yourself the first couple of times, I'd say you're lucky to be alive. :laugh:
> 
> Learning speed varies all over the place, depending on whether you're an ex-skier, how athletic you are, how old/young/brave/foolish you are, whether or not you take lessons or have friends who ride, etc etc etc.
> 
> ...


Thanks. I am not a skier and would not label myself brave or foolish, I think I'm overly cautious which probably doesn't help my ability to learn these types of things quickly. That could be something I have to work on as well.


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## Ken2234 (Feb 15, 2013)

You seem to be doing just fine. When I first started it took me 2 Seasons to really just be able to bomb a run fearless and I averaged about 12 visits a season. 

Just keep doing what your doing. 

Constantly talk about it, read, watch videos even throw in a lesson or two. Although that's not the route I took. (Wish I did my first Season) 

The only way to learn is to build up your experience(Duh )

Really work on your toe to heel and study other snowboards you see. 
Most of it will come naturally with a few bruises. 


Once you get better then its time to buy a new board. 

Spend the money on good gear, no plastic bindings or cheap boards/ boots. 


Eventually you will be as confident as any shredder (Don't be cocky). Then once you feel comfortable on the groomers its time to take to to the glades. Once you get your first glades run you will be hooked forever. Deep pow and un-tracked. But that takes a lot of practice and skill.

Also wear a helmet


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

PHB, so you went to 2 different resorts 4 days in a row or this is 4 outings seperated by any number of days?

I know people just wing things but when trying a new sport or anything in life for that matter. Why wouldn't you research it at least with a minimum of a google search on basics :dunno:

Any who, glad you tried snowboarding and I hope you enjoyed it enough to stick with it and have a blast riding as so many of us do.


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## phb (Apr 22, 2013)

slyder said:


> PHB, so you went to 2 different resorts 4 days in a row or this is 4 outings seperated by any number of days?
> 
> I know people just wing things but when trying a new sport or anything in life for that matter. Why wouldn't you research it at least with a minimum of a google search on basics :dunno:
> 
> Any who, glad you tried snowboarding and I hope you enjoyed it enough to stick with it and have a blast riding as so many of us do.


Slyder - I went to 4 different places in 4 different days (one per week).

The first time I went, I really had no interest in it so I didn't try to learn anything before I went.

The second time I went, I had been talking to my friend about it and researching a little online, but I also didn't put too much effort into it.

Before I went out the 3rd time, I really studied everything I could. I spent hours reading stuff online and watching videos. From that point on, and with the help of my friend who went with me, I made the most progress.


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## phb (Apr 22, 2013)

Ken2234 said:


> You seem to be doing just fine. When I first started it took me 2 Seasons to really just be able to bomb a run fearless and I averaged about 12 visits a season.
> 
> Just keep doing what your doing.
> 
> ...


Thanks! Your post is actually very encouraging. I hope that next season I can transition from learning to having more fun. Riding through glades would be an ultimate goal. I'm not really into park stuff, more into freeriding - so that sounds great.


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## ekb18c (Mar 11, 2013)

So this is my first season snowboarding as well and I had no other experience on the mountain so I know how you feel. 

After this season, I'm comfortable on my heel side as well as my toe sided turns. They are still skidding turns now but eventually I will be carving. I even attempted my first jumps in the park.

What really helped me was watching all the videos on youtube like the ones from the snowprofessor (How to Snowboard: Step 1 - Introduction to Snowboarding - YouTube)

They have lot of videos which can help you progress. They start from basically standing up on the board all the way up to jumps etc. Also read as much as you can. 

I learned on a rocker board, which helped me out a lot.

Edit - I learned the most while going four days, back to back, at Heavenly and Northstar. Plus it also helped that my GF was helping me progress.


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## Ken2234 (Feb 15, 2013)

phb said:


> Thanks! Your post is actually very encouraging. I hope that next season I can transition from learning to having more fun. Riding through glades would be an ultimate goal. I'm not really into park stuff, more into freeriding - so that sounds great.


Thats great! 

I'm the same way about park. I started when I was 17 and watched all my friends who have been riding for years hit huge jumps. When I tried my first big air; after building up the courage, it was disastrous. I seriously couldn't walk or sit right for 2 weeks. After that I got better at sticking the landings but totally lost interest in it. After that I devoted all my future seasons to glades. Mostly because I'm an east coast rider and that's where its at. 

My friends and I joke thats its the only way to have fun in the east.

-Moving On-

_Some more advice:_

:thumbsup:Workout!:thumbsup: (If you don't already)

Having strong legs and a solid back combined with great abs will make turning easier.

Lunges are a must for any snowboarder as it hits the major muscles you use when on the slopes.

Ankle Strength is another important factor (stretching to avoid injury)

So pretty much work on the 3 category's I spoke of earlier. (If you don't already) 


Also check out post's by Snowolf

The guy has some crazy good advice that I wish I seen when I first started. 

Good luck!


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## phb (Apr 22, 2013)

ekb18c said:


> So this is my first season snowboarding as well and I had no other experience on the mountain so I know how you feel.
> 
> After this season, I'm comfortable on my heel side as well as my toe sided turns. They are still skidding turns now but eventually I will be carving. I even attempted my first jumps in the park.
> 
> ...


Yea, for some reason I'm more comfortable on my toe side. I don't know why. I think because I just learned on my toe side it was easier. I never tried traversing on my heels until I was forced to when I took a lesson, then I picked it up right away. So, now I'm able to link turns and I don't really notice a difference between the toe side and heel side turns as far as how "well" I can make the turns.

I watched the Snow professor videos and they are definitely helpful. It's also helpful just to watch videos of random people to see what they are doing.


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## phb (Apr 22, 2013)

Ken2234 said:


> Thats great!
> 
> I'm the same way about park. I started when I was 17 and watched all my friends who have been riding for years hit huge jumps. When I tried my first big air; after building up the courage, it was disastrous. I seriously couldn't walk or sit right for 2 weeks. After that I got better at sticking the landings but totally lost interest in it. After that I devoted all my future seasons to glades. Mostly because I'm an east coast rider and that's where its at.
> 
> ...


Definitely interested in glades, but definitely not yet :blink:. Thanks for the tips!


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