# 2nd time snowboarding, advice pls?



## PorkCereal

New boarders are afraid of the speed. This causes over thought and you to begin to worry. Youre going to fall, many times until you get the hang of it. More practice more practice more practice.


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## poutanen

Here's the snowboarding learning curve.

3-5 days of falling on your ass and wrists, cursing everyone around you.

6-50 days, you made it down a black diamond by heelsliding, therefore you think you're good. During this stage, focus more on having fun, and less on riding the steepest run you can find.

50-100 days, you get humble, and actually start to get "good"... don't start overthinking though!

100+ days, have fun and keep working on technique, after 23 years and 500+ days on the hill, I still have lots to learn


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## SnowNY

Thank u. Good to know and explains a lot!


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## SnowNY

Thank u so much for the detailed reply! This curve is good to know. I have a lot to learn esp that I'm going to fall a lot more than I ever realized. lol.


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## poutanen

No prob, I still fall pretty much every day. If you focus on not falling, you'll never progress. Focus on techniques, and you've already done the right thing by getting lessons. I'd suggest a lesson every 5 days or so for the first bit, once you get over the hump then one/two lessons a year will make a huge difference.

edit: I should add that it's worth investing in armour. Most people use wrist guards and a helmet. I also use full upper body armour, and sometimes lowers if I'm riding really aggressive. If it can reduce the impacts, it's more lilkely you'll be able to get up and keep boarding. That's the fun part!


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## snowklinger

theres no reason to overcome that fear. 

when you learn how to make turns and control the board with your front foot, you will simply go as fast as you want.

that fear is keeping you alive. speed is your enemy at this point since you probably don't know how to stop or turn.


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## PorkCereal

Lean forward or neutral, not back helps also. Keep your hands near inside your knees. This will keep you more centered and a slightly crouched stance like you want


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## f00bar

The biggy is to remember weight forward. It's only natural when you get a little unsure of yourself to think that moving back will help you, almost as if your pulling back on the reins of a horse to get it to stop. It doesn't work that way. Lean back and the board will take you for a ride where it wants to go (hint downhill!) rather than you controlling it.

Really concentrate on your downhill toes and heel pressuring to initiate the turn. The board will naturally want to turn when it's flexed and initiated with the downhill foot. Think of cutting with a knife, do you slice in with the tip or the part near the handle.

And finally, on the big slope make a huge S. Traverse across the entire thing and practice your turns nice and slow. Don't side slide down, but going across the hill will burn your speed that had you worried. Plus doing it that way maximizes the amount that you turn which is great practice. Each turn should swing you around almost 180.

It takes a good 2-4 times for it to cllick with most people. Dont' feel like you are behind the curve!


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## KIRKRIDER

SnowNY said:


> Hey everyone, I took a lesson today and the instructor was great. It was my first lesson ever, technically my second time snowboarding tho I doubt the first counts ...I was able to stop and then moved on to carving. He said I was doing a good job. Then I decided to move on to the beginner hill, which is steep but short. Total disaster! I basically did two runs in which I could barely stand up and definitely couldn't stop or carve. Utter disaster and I became so frustrated that I cried (so bad!) but no one saw me and then I took a break. I went back to the lesson hill and was fine again. What happened on the bigger hill? Was I just tired or simply didn't have the skills and should've never attempted it? (Also, it's around 50 degrees where I am and by the end, the conditions were mushy/icy.)
> 
> Also, I'd like to try snowboarding again (I don't give up easily) before winter is over, and would love some advice on how to proceed. Thank you!!!



Padded shorts. Crucial ;-)
Snowboard Padded Shorts & Pants | XSportsProtective


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## ThredJack

It sounds like you're just scared and over thinking things. As relative newb myself, I'm prone to this at times still. I was taking a lesson last week in fact, and my instructor was saying this: "You're scared, which is causing you to be too squirrelly. Loosen up, and you'll be fine." Now that I'm conscience of this, I wasn't letting it get to me too much the few runs I took after lesson.


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## strycker

I myself am a newb too. I've been to one lesson, then one day out. Went 3 days to Breckenridge for vacation and then one day here on the slushy mess that's left last weekend. I feel your pain about falling, literally. I was in such pain after my second time out from falling that I could barely get off the ground. Perseverance will pay off dividends though. I've bought all kinds of padding and not afraid to say it. I'd rather sit comfortably on Monday than be in pain. Wrist, knee pads, hip/butt padded shorts and helmet. Your progression will go quickly with confidence. Don't be afraid to fall a few times. I caught many an edge trying to learn toe side turns and carving. I've found I'm comfortable as a switch rider now. I don't know if you know what setup they gave you or if you own a board, but that is something I found crucial to getting comfortable. If you're renting I'd suggest getting nearly the same each time out so you can progress without something being different. My first two boards rented were completely different setups. I just marked beginner and they gave me a board. I had no clue. Now I have my own to progress on and I find +12/-12 to be most comfortable stance wise. Keep on practicing and you'll be upright in no time. I made my first blue runs ever this past weekend. Boy is that steep on the east coast. Not to mention how moguled up the runs were by 4:00. I fell probably 6 times attempting them. But oh how much fun it was!


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## SnowNY

More great advice, thank u again!  Yes I plan on taking more lessons and armor is key...I see that now lol


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## SnowNY

Makes sense, thank u for the advice!


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## SnowNY

Will definitely use those tips, thank u!


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## SnowNY

Wow, thank u for all the amazing advice! I was def. leaning back, I'm sure of it. I was so scared of the speed, all technique went out the window. OK will focus on S turns, that sounds much more reasonable than flying down the slope


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## SnowNY

Yes, totally looking into them, thank u!


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## SnowNY

Thank u, yes, I agree, very mental. Once I realized the speed of the bigger slope, I freaked out in my head. Any relaxation was done. I tried to "let it go" on the lift before doing my second run but I was too shaken up and then I had a bad fall. I'm def. trying again tho!


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## SnowNY

Wow, Breckenridge, I'm jealous. Switch riding, that's awesome. I want to keep trying because once you have it, it seems like such a peaceful and fun sport with all the gliding. 

Yep, I rented and my first board wasn't great. Today seemed better board wise. I want to go once more this winter and if I like it, I'll buy a starter board. Thank u for giving me advice!


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## strycker

SnowNY said:


> Wow, Breckenridge, I'm jealous. Switch riding, that's awesome. I want to keep trying because once you have it, it seems like such a peaceful and fun sport with all the gliding.
> 
> Yep, I rented and my first board wasn't great. Today seemed better board wise. I want to go once more this winter and if I like it, I'll buy a starter board. Thank u for giving me advice!


We actually had the Breck trip already booked before our first lesson. So I had pressure on my to at least stand up before getting out there. I didn't get to any of the really fun stuff, mostly really long green runs. Wife is new to skiing and was plowing her way down so I went slow to stay near her with some fun in between. That powder is so much nicer than the east coast snow. Much more forgiving. Also, if you can get a twin board to try, you might want to try switch. I thought it was easier to get used to. I think my first board was directional and it was hard to get turned back to my regular stance if I got around 180. Play with your stance too. +15/-9 and +12/-12 seem to be good beginner positions to try out. I like the twin board also because it is set up the same forward and backwards (regular/goofy). Just have fun with it and you'll be up and flying in no time. Speed comes with confidence. I had a hard time with it too at first getting used to the feeling of gaining speed and not knowing confidently how to stop. It will be like a light switch though. You'll all of a sudden understand what your feet need to do and it'll be a lot more fun. Keep at it!


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## SnowNY

Nice! You're a great husband  I keep hearing that, that East Coast snow is awful and we also have steep slopes. Yesterday, when I went out, the snow was a combination of ice and mush--certainly not ideal for a first timer. Also, I go to a low-budget ski slope 15 minutes from my house. I feel lucky that I have one so close to practice, but it's certainly no Breckenridge or Killington  OK, will look into the twin board and stance. That's awesome. I hope to get out again next week. We shall see. Fingers crossed!!!


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## PorkCereal

Most might not recommend it, but try listening to music with ear buds in one ear. It gives your brain something to focus on so you can just board.


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## f00bar

Where have you been going?


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## strycker

SnowNY said:


> Nice! You're a great husband  I keep hearing that, that East Coast snow is awful and we also have steep slopes. Yesterday, when I went out, the snow was a combination of ice and mush--certainly not ideal for a first timer. Also, I go to a low-budget ski slope 15 minutes from my house. I feel lucky that I have one so close to practice, but it's certainly no Breckenridge or Killington  OK, will look into the twin board and stance. That's awesome. I hope to get out again next week. We shall see. Fingers crossed!!!


Actually the loose granular is slower than powder. The water in the slush bascially slows you down a lot more because of more friction. I felt like I was on maple syrup on Sunday. The consistency was much like a 7-11 Slurpee. The blue runs had been piled up from the skiers into moguls throughout the day and that stuff was awful, but I just had to try it out. Not much time left for us down here.. it's 50s and raining and I'm sure the snow is getting eaten up.


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## Randomseed

The advice about keeping the weight forward is crucial.

I thought I was doing good after a few years but was having a heck of a time carving and really even smoothly connecting turns on steeper terrain. It all fell into place once I was consciously putting the weight and work onto the front foot. 

its really easy on non-steeps to use poor technic and more or less rudder out with the rear foot (pushing the rear foot into the turn) as opposed to actually carving by letting the front foot initiate the turn and letting the board edges do what they do. The steeper it gets the more obvious it is that pushing the rear foot is not going to work. It starts turning into hopskips instead of turns if you can even swing the board around at all.


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## SnowNY

Hmm, good idea. I'll take it into consideration. Thank you!


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## SnowNY

Thunder Ridge in Patterson, NY. If you're a big boarder, you've never heard of it. It's very local and their main customers are kids and teenagers and a local crowd. I've heard on weekends they get people from the city, though.


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## SnowNY

Oh really. I was just flying down the bigger slope because I had no idea what I was doing. LOL. Yes, it was 56 when I went, and I was sweating up a storm. I plan to possibly go again on Monday, weather permitting, and if so, that's probably it for the season! But I am glad it's spring


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## SnowNY

Oh wow, that makes total sense! Probably why I was doing OK on the bunny slope, and could barely stand on the bigger slope. Man, I felt so good on that bunny slope...LOL...the real slope was a major letdown. Everything was moving so fast, I didn't even have time to think about putting my weight on the forward foot, which I know is crucial. I'm just happy to read all these replies because it means I'm progressing somewhat normally. I'm not a big loser because I wasn't doing beautiful S turns on my first day  That's encouraging. I'm also 37, so I'm not old, but not a spring chicken either.


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## strycker

Also as far as beginner boards go, a rocker nose and tail will help with not catching your edges. The Rome Tour I just got is flat in the mid and rocker on the nose and tail. When they call it a "No Hangups Rocker" it's just that. I didn't once catch it on the slope my first time out. Might be something else to look into. It's very forgiving and lets you corect yourself before you do a face plant.


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## PorkCereal

SnowNY said:


> Oh wow, that makes total sense! Probably why I was doing OK on the bunny slope, and could barely stand on the bigger slope. Man, I felt so good on that bunny slope...LOL...the real slope was a major letdown. Everything was moving so fast, I didn't even have time to think about putting my weight on the forward foot, which I know is crucial. I'm just happy to read all these replies because it means I'm progressing somewhat normally. I'm not a big loser because I wasn't doing beautiful S turns on my first day  That's encouraging. I'm also 37, so I'm not old, but not a spring chicken either.


Probably should quote people when you're responding. :hairy:


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## SnowNY

Cool. I just looked the reviews for the Rome Tour and it seems you have the perfect beginner-intermediate board. I visited the ski shop today and looked around. A lot seemed overpriced, though I know snowboarding and skiing are expensive sports. I'll definitely take a look around at evo. Thank you!!!


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## strycker

SnowNY said:


> Cool. I just looked the reviews for the Rome Tour and it seems you have the perfect beginner-intermediate board. I visited the ski shop today and looked around. A lot seemed overpriced, though I know snowboarding and skiing are expensive sports. I'll definitely take a look around at evo. Thank you!!!


That's where i got my setup. There was a sale and the board and bindings came to $270 for the 2014 Rome Tour and 2014 Rome 390 Boss bindings. I looked at the Rome Artifact too but decided that seemed more geared towards park riding. I'm not there yet. You'll have to get the size according to your stats .. I'm 6'1 and 165 lbs, shoe size 12 so I'm on a 159w. I'm looking for something in a 155-156 too possibly. It's almost sale time since the season is about to wrap up.


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## wrathfuldeity

Here ya go...this is about basic moving your body on a snowboard to make it work...wish someone would have showed and explained this when I was a noob. Also a bit of speed is your friend...you need some speed to let the board turn like it was designed to do. Take more lessons.


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## SnowNY

PorkCereal said:


> Probably should quote people when you're responding. :hairy:


Yes, agreed!


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## SnowNY

strycker said:


> That's where i got my setup. There was a sale and the board and bindings came to $270 for the 2014 Rome Tour and 2014 Rome 390 Boss bindings. I looked at the Rome Artifact too but decided that seemed more geared towards park riding. I'm not there yet. You'll have to get the size according to your stats .. I'm 6'1 and 165 lbs, shoe size 12 so I'm on a 159w. I'm looking for something in a 155-156 too possibly. It's almost sale time since the season is about to wrap up.


That's a great deal. If I catch on and can actually snow board, that's a good investment. I'm the polar opposite of you in height and weight, lol, 5'1 and 100 lbs.


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## SnowNY

wrathfuldeity said:


> Here ya go...this is about basic moving your body on a snowboard to make it work...wish someone would have showed and explained this when I was a noob. Also a bit of speed is your friend...you need some speed to let the board turn like it was designed to do. Take more lessons.


Awesome, thank u so much! This is very helpful!


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## poutanen

SnowNY said:


> Yes, agreed!


He/she learned!!! :jumping1::jumping1:

Have fun out there...


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## Sons of Thunder

I'm sort of in the same boat as you. Although I had gone riding twice before several years ago, I was flatbasing, brake, flatbasing, brake all the way down the mountain. This year I took lessons for the first time through Mountain Creek's guaranteed to ride program (3-pack of rental and beginner lift with group lessons for $130). 

I actually had the opposite experience from you because the bunny hill was a killer for me, falling hard on my butt every 30 seconds. Didn't help that the ground was solid ice at that point (mid-February). The second time out I moved up to the bigger beginner hill and things really clicked and I started linking turns. I found out a bit of speed was my friend when it came to initiating turns and the importance of weighting your front foot and not leaning back.

The third day I went out I decided not to take the lesson and just hit the slopes straightaway. Beginner hill was no problem. I went up to the green/blue trails and realized 'wow I'm really riding now.' Not an expert by any means but a far cry from my early days of slip-sliding down the mountain in a straight line. After I had lunch, I came back out and decided to hit the beginner green again to warm back up. Conditions had become a bit icy again and my legs felt rubbery. I started leaning back again and started falling all over the place. I left feeling a bit defeated.

I went again yesterday. I bought a used board and some new boots and bindings and it made a world of difference. It's funny that the more intermediate boards will be more forgiving in terms of edge-catching and more confidence-inspiring in icy conditions. Noob rentals are definitely not helping you out here. With my new (to me) board I was able to get low and really get into my turns. Still not carving but my lines are a lot narrower than they used to be. Before the day was up I was practicing small-radius turns. Not perfect but definitely made a lot of progress.

I guess the moral of the story is that you have to get up and try again even when you suffer setbacks. At this stage getting time on the mountain is the most valuable thing, and watching/reading tutorials in your down-time will help a lot also. With Thunder being so close to you I would try to squeeze in some more days. I actually met an instructor from their named Tim and he's an awesome dude, I wonder if he was your instructor?


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