OOT snowboarders - help me get started

[young Nut]

I have never snowboarded in my life. I have skiied a couple of times, decent enough to go down blue squares, but I never lived close enough to mountains to do many winter sports.

Well I recently moved very close to great ski slopes and I want to get into snowboarding. Most of the people I have met out here snowboard, so come winter I'm sure it will be the activity of the weekend.

Problem is, I have no idea where to start. I'm looking for recommendations on:

-things I need to buy
-good brands to buy for a beginner
-proper clothing and where to get it
-anything else I should know before starting out

[GovmentCheese]

...as someone who was in the same situation last year... (I may be a better skier, actually)...

rent. Rent a helmet. Get padding. You will fall.. a lot. Unlike in skiing, where you normally fall to one side or the other, snowboarding - you will fall on your face or your back/ass/head.

I thought I should be a hardass and forego all the safety equip. Bad idea. I should have considered that I live in WI, and the "snow" was more like ice. I had bruises all up and down my back. I landed hard on my arm - which was trying to protect my ribs... it didn't work, and my ribs were bruised for ages.

all in all.. I plan on doing it again. But I think I'll head to the mountain with some pain meds.

[donoh]

last year was my first time as well. rent your gear the first few times unless you absolutely have to buy to avoid being riduculed by others. get ready to fall alot. a helmet would not be bad either. in my first two days i hit my head twice. once rolling over in a big spill. and once i got whipped around after hitting a little divet in the ground and smacking my head against a large hard snow/ice chunk

[Aukai]

Safety is your number one priority. Get a helmet and wrist guards. DO NOT LEARN SNOWBOARDING WITHOUT WRIST GUARDS.

Go to a snowboard/ski shop and see if they have closeouts on last year's jackets and pants. Often they'll be 50% off this time of year to clear them out for the new stuff.

Board and boots- I would buy new boots, because having boots that fit are one of the most important parts of the whole thing. If you can find a used board in good condition for a good price, or a new one of last year's models for 50% off as above, go for it. Let the guys at the shop help you find the right size.

So things you need- wrist guards, helmet, boots, board, jacket, pants, socks (get Smartwools), possibly thermal underwear, gloves, goggles, and wrist guards. Did I mention you need wrist guards?

Good luck with picking it up. Expect your ass to hurt for the first few times, but you'll get it quick.

[DMBFan23]

I'll take a crack:

Clothing: Rule 1: AVOID COTTON AT ALL COSTS!!!! It is freezing cold when it is wet, and takes forever to dry. Cotton is the devil.

I'll start with the pants. These are really the most important thing clothing-wise because when you're starting out you'll spend a lot of time on your ass because you're falling, and when you're good you'll take breaks by just sitting down, still strapped in. So as you might have guessed, waterproof is the key here. Mine are columbias, but burton is also pretty good. Look to spend about $80 here IMO, but anything WATERPROOF (not water resistant, don't accept substitutes here) will serve your needs. Wear some long underwear (not cotton, of course) underneath for winter skiing, just some boxer-brief type underwear (I really like under armour here) for spring skiing.

Jacket: Everyone says that layering is the key but my ski-team roommate proved to me that that is absolutely wrong. layers give more open space for cold air to get trapped in, and more things to get wet and nullify the whole advantage of a jacket which is to trap body heat. Go with one layer, a long sleeve undergarment...again I like under armour, but there are a million things that could work here. on top of that layer, go with a jacket with a fleece liner, and you will be way warmer and dryer than all the douchebags in 3 shirts and 2 sweaters. Waterproof is highly recommended for the jacket, but is not as important as it is for the pants.

Goggles: You want them with double lenses, or double layered, or whatever (I forget the proper name for this, but it keeps them from fogging up which is key).

Socks: No cotton.

Boots: I rented at first, so I went with whatever they had. when you want to buy, make sure they're wide enough for you, different brands tend to have different widths. you want to be able to fasten them TIGHT without it hurting.

Helmet: Again highly recommended, but optional...there isn't much variation from brand to brand or style to style here, just go with whatever.

Ok, now the equipment:

Board: I rented at first so this wasn't a big issue at first, but eventually if you're going to buy, decide what you want to do. Are you going to freeride (down trails) or hang out in the terrain park? Also your height and weight will factor in. Also how often are you going to ride switch? These are all things that the salesman will ask you. I like Burton boards, but if you get a chance to demo some boards, I highly suggest you take advantage - you get to pay a fee each day to demo however many boards you want, and the fee goes towards the eventual price of your board. It's kind of the same as a guitar, you just have to go to a shop, play a couple, and pick the one that sounds and feels best. I paid about 400 for my burton air and it is a very nice freeride board. I was going to go for the burton cruzer, but they didn't have my size.

Bindings: I admit I know almost nothing about bindings, ask the salesman...but go for quick release bindings if you can, it really helps getting on/off lifts.

Also, get a lesson or two. Don't learn from friends - it never goes well, and you'll more than make up the lesson money in about 2 more trips through getting max value out of your lift ticket by not sucking.

Good luck, it is a blast and you will get hooked almost immediately.

[DMBFan23]

Oh yeah, wrist guards...forgot about those. I never needed them, I learned very quickly to cross my arms over my chest like I was doing a sit-up whenever I fell. If you can't get rid of the reflex to put your hands down under you to break your fall, then yes absolutely get wrist guards.

Also, don't get discouraged, the first two or three times there will be a lot of falling, some ass bruises, and you will feel out of control at times. But then something just happens around the 3rd or 4th time you go, something clicks, and you fall a lot less.

[young Nut]

great post DMB, I'll look into those clothing suggestions.

Also, a side question: I used to skateboard from about 5-14 years old. I did half pipes and things of that sort. Will the skateboard background help at all with snowboarding?

[DMBFan23]

I was never that good at skateboarding, but it should definitely help - for example, you'll know if your regular or goofy right away, you'll be comfortable facing perpindicular to the direction you're going, and you'll have some intuition as far as turning and weight distribution and what not. it'll be different for a lot of reasons...to list only a few, you're strapped in, going downhill, snowboards are bigger, etc, but you'll have a head start over someone brand new to it.

[Mark Collins]

In terms of clothing, you'll want "extreme" [censored] like this:



But, definitely wear a helmet while on the slopes. The hat is for the lodge, while you're sipping hot chocolate and trying to pick up the boarder chicks.

[young Nut]

Aukai, you were right, there are a few board shops here in town that have some pretty good sales going on right now. I might go check out some of their clothing deals on my way to play today. Any other brands you would suggest or advice against?