# Total Newbie..on intermediate board.HELP.



## kyliecruzin (Feb 18, 2019)

So I went snowboarding for the first time and was hooked. I knew I was going to be taking this up as a hobby so I decided to buy a board. I told the girl at the snowboard shop that I was in fact a total newbie (I had only taken a lesson & rode for maybe 2 hours after) I was doing a fair amount of research on boards. She sold me the Capita 2019 Birds of a Feather which has amazing reviews. However, not for beginners. So I should I stick it out and 1) keep trying on this board or 2) break down and do rental boards or 3) spend more money on a beginner board and use the BOA when I'm ready. I went yesterday on BOA and it was not a fun board to learn on.


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

IMO,.. by sticking with the more advanced board and learning to ride it correctly,..? It will force You to become a better rider. (...it certainly helped me to learn on an intermediate/advanced deck!) 

I vote for sticking it out. My 2¢!

:hairy:


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## Snowdaddy (Feb 2, 2018)

kyliecruzin said:


> So I went snowboarding for the first time and was hooked. I knew I was going to be taking this up as a hobby so I decided to buy a board. I told the girl at the snowboard shop that I was in fact a total newbie (I had only taken a lesson & rode for maybe 2 hours after) I was doing a fair amount of research on boards. She sold me the Capita 2019 Birds of a Feather which has amazing reviews. However, not for beginners. So I should I stick it out and 1) keep trying on this board or 2) break down and do rental boards or 3) spend more money on a beginner board and use the BOA when I'm ready. I went yesterday on BOA and it was not a fun board to learn on.


Welcome to the addiction... 

Could you link turns on the BOA? Odds are that once you get the hang of that board you'll have a lot of fun on it, but if it feels too hard to turn maybe it's a good idea to ride something else for just a few days... until you get the hang of the balance and turn initiation.

Having a good board does a lot for your progression I think, but it's no good if the board is too stiff and unforgiving. Try again and take another lesson at the same time?


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## kyliecruzin (Feb 18, 2019)

I think my main issue was not being able to link turns and also not feeling in complete control of the board. I think it was a combo of nerves and a new board. I'm gunna keep sticking it out with the BOA one more time, if it fails miserably, I'll rent for a day to get the hang of it. So far I went down a couple times successfully and it was a blast, this board is a lot quicker and WAY bigger then what I'm used to though so I think I'll just give it time!



5'1" 
112 lbs

rental board was 130 lol 
and BOA is 144, does that seem too big? 

weight stats on the board say it works so I'm not too worried.




Thanks for the advice!


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## SEWiShred (Jan 19, 2019)

You will become a better boarder if you stick with that board and go a lot. But it's going to be a lot more difficult to get started. Like was said earlier, you will be punished for your mistakes more on an advanced board, but you'll be a lot quicker to fix them. Learning on a very forgiving board, you'll make it down the hill, but you'll develop bad habits and it'll be more difficult to shake those when you want to progress. 

It really depends what you want out of snowboarding. Do you want to keep getting better to the point that you are going off jumps, carving hard, etc? Or do you just want to go have fun and fart around the hill all day? Are you going to go a lot, or only a few times a year. 

If you had trouble that day it could have also been the snow. Some snow is a lot easier to ride and some is very difficult. There are days when the snow is so bad here that even I find myself almost making big mistakes, and I go a lot. It could also be how your bindings are set up, boot tightness, etc. 

I went with a friend who is learned a week or so ago. He loosened up his boots, enough so that there was no major heel lift, but enough to give him some play. It helped him a lot.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

boots first, research, learn, measure, read the threads and watch the vids...try on and lastly buy.

And stay on the Birds


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## SlvrDragon50 (Mar 25, 2017)

Agree. If you have a tough mind, no reason to buy a soft flexy board where you can get away with sloppy technique and not mention may outgrow quickly.


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## Oldman (Mar 7, 2012)

Solid Deck

It's now up to you. You can and will learn to ride it. Stick with a few more lessons and ride, ride and ride some more.

Like every athletic activity; Practice makes perfect. 

Even though I don't know if perfect is ever achieved? Doesn't stop any of us from trying to achieve it each and every day!


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

You're in the weight range for that board, but you're at the bottom of it. Which means it will be harder to turn, harder to control. A lot comes down to how athletic you are, now.

"Advanced" boards do make a difference, of course. But other things can completely swamp the difference between boards. Board size, binding setup, poor bindings, ill-fitting boots, bad habits can all make the type of board you're on irrelevant.

Best advice: get a lesson. Get the instructor to go over your setup first. Then check your technique. Once you've eliminated all those potential issues, it's all down to practice.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Donutz said:


> ...
> Best advice: get a lesson. Get the instructor to go over your setup first. Then check your technique. Once you've eliminated all those potential issues, it's all down to RIDING.


If ur in the area, come up to Bakes; I'd volunteer to give you a lesson, check out your set-up and approve of your technique...all that would be required is a bowl of clam chowder :hairy:


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## buller_scott (Jun 10, 2018)

wrathfuldeity said:


> If ur in the area, come up to Bakes; I'd volunteer to give you a lesson, check out your set-up and approve of your technique...all that would be required is a bowl of clam chowder :hairy:


this is not snowboardingdatingforum.com!!!!!! haha

Kylie, my mate [friend, not procreation partner] has the exact same challenge that you are going through, although he bought his board before even trying the sport [the shop staff sized him up to a 158, when he should be on a 155 - Yes Basic]

i would encourage you to get a board that's not noodly-beginner, but where you're not at the very bottom of the weight range for that size, either. 

also, lessons lessons lessons! lessons from friends are not bad, but i find paid lessons with qualified instructors work better from the mental standpoint of having to listen to the instructor and block out everything else, in order to get your money's worth. 

congrats on falling in love with sliding down a frozen hill on a fancy piece of wood! it's going to change your life for the better


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## Deacon (Mar 2, 2013)

MOAR lessons. Ride MOAR. 

Don't overthink it. Your board is fine.

Fwiw, the rule of thumb is three days to get the basics down.


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## buller_scott (Jun 10, 2018)

Deacon said:


> MOAR lessons. Ride MOAR.
> 
> Don't overthink it. Your board is fine.
> 
> Fwiw, the rule of thumb is three days to get the basics down.


fair call - it's what i told my buddy, too: there is simply a "difficult" period that you MUST work through, in order to get turning. a bananabendyboard won't magically fix this. 

Kylie, another thing - weight on your front foot, front foot, front foot!!!! 

"when speed's being a c7nt, put your weight on the front!!!" <-- i coined this and it's going to go global.


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

kyliecruzin said:


> I had only taken a lesson & rode for maybe 2 hours after


Almost any board will feel alien the first few days. Don't sweat it. Snowboarding simply _does_ suck the fist fewdays until you get a feel for balance. As others said: ride. Hours on slope is the key to progress. Don't expect wonders. It's a sport, it's new to your muscles. You need to develop the balance and feel for turns n speed n edge n snow etc. You also need to get over the general novice errors which hamper riding in general (like being heavy on back foot; lessons help...) no matter what board you ride.

I'd keep that board, it's fairly soft, you should grow into it quickly. Take lessons and practice. If you really don't like it right now, on your first days, it may be an option to rent something shorter and with middle rocker (IMO CRC - rocker between feet - boards are a great start for beginners as they take away the pressure/fear of catching edges), so you have an easy as possible learning curve on your first days. Or... if uou don't intend to ride s lot anyway, I'd swap for a CRC right from the start.

Sure, there are ppl who say one should learn to ride camver boards. And I agree, IF it's someone who aims at progressing into aggressive riding, speed, pop. But if you're a 5d a season rider? Or just want to cruise? Why bother... CRC are easier 5o tide, give a better success feel. So... why not.


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## shitshow (Mar 2, 2019)

Stick it out! My first season I took a half day lesson and couldn't make it down the beginner hill... hell I couldn't stand for more than 5 feet! I bought a Burton Malalo from a coworker (which is a directional camber board) and my first 5 days or so we're TERRIBLE! I really feel that learning on a more advanced board has helped make me a better rider. Most of all, have fun... that's what this is all about!!


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