Looking forward to it, I'm not a skier either so I expect to come back bruised, but in other peoples experience will it be too battered to cycle 60-70miles on Sunday?

Baring in mind my balance and general fitness are fine, and I've blagged a pair of padded trousers for the evening.

Also, any tips to get me off to a good start?

Cheers
Keith

Its like biking, keep your head looking ahead and you'll be fine.

Real snow or dryslope?

lesson 1. learn to fall. DO NOT UNDER AND CIRCUMSTANCES EXTEND YOUR ARMS FULLY TO TAKE THE IMPACT. falling on your ass will hurt but i've never seen a broken ass from snowboarding. that's my top tip, the rest is easy!

enjoy!

i've never seen a broken ass from snowboarding

I have.

It's 'real' snow – chill factore in Manchester.

plenty practice falling from riding 🙂

cheers

Broken Coccyx is one of the most common injuries from snowboarding.

you will fall.

wear knee pads.

On snow or plastic? Either way, bend ze knees! Like biking, if you listen to the instructor and are able to visualise what you want to do, you should be fine. Have a Google around for Neil McNabb's video and book – he has a useful four-points theory that works well in practice.

Knee pads are also useful, although mtb ones with shin guards will not fit under your boots (my 661 Evos have now replaced my snowboard-only pads though). Your arse will be sore tomorrow. The irony is, if you get into it you'll decide to buy arse-padding when you begin to least need it.

I offer this to you : You will probably HATE the first few lessons if you are a skier – dont give up at this point… it will take time – I hated my first few lessons with a biblical passion – that was 10 years ago and I then went on to do 6 seasons all on a plank all around the world – go for it !

wear padded shorts and wrist guards…

paul

Sweet. You'll be fine.

Relax. Ben' ze' knees. Look where you want to go. Keep your weight on the highest edge of the board.

I don't see why it would stop you riding at the weekend providing you don't break something.

Don't listen to any advice on here regarding technique – just concentrate on listening to your instructor – there are as many ways of instructing as there are of riding so you could just end up getting confused.

I WOULD recommend getting another lesson in quite soon after though – you will get home and go through all your falls and start to work out for yourself what you should do next time.

Have fun 🙂

If you are worried about your ass then buy some of these:

http://www.ss20.com/pp/Snowboard_Hardware/Protection/RED_PADS_TOTAL_IMPACT_SHORTS_09_Black_rrp_50.00.html

Oh and join these guys: http://www.snowboardclub.co.uk/

and you'll get "10% discount off all slope time at Chill Factore including lessons, coaching sessions and hire of boots, skis, board (not clothing hire)." which along with the other discounts they give you soon easily covers the £15 for membership.

Off to Xscape in Glasgow myself tonight. Fun fun.

Don't think it will stop you ridind. Your arse may be a bit tendor if you fall alot!

Bend the knees, keep most weight on front leg and turning kinda comes naturally…ish!

Wear a helmet, catching an edge when learning is so easy to do!

Now you have just maid me want to go snowbaording! Dam you!!!

When you get to the point where you're trying full turns from one edge to the other, force yourself to keep your weight over your front foot – really concentrate on it. That's the bit that scared me when I was learning.

Would recommend padded shorts, kneepads, wristguards and helmet and keep relaxed

Katie ended up like this even with wristguards

Wont take you long to pick up the basics, biggest thing we found to master was getting of these

Tracey

Yup, you'll have a fir bit to concentrate on, but when he/she/heshe says keep your weight on your front foot, keep your weight on your front foot!

It's tricky, because if you're feeling cautious/scared, it's natural to lean back, but that's when you WILL fall over!

Weight over the front foot = easy turning, more confidence, upwards spiral of fun, improvement and good times.

Weight over the back foot = difficult turning, falls, downwards spiral of hurty wrists and bum, fear, more leaning back and bad times.

Other than that, if something isn't working and you're getting frustrated, try and clear your mind of everything you think you're doing and try and follow exactly, as if for the first time, what the instructor's demonstrating.

Have fun!

You will probably HATE the first few lessons…

Every girl I know that has tried to learn boarding has cried within the first few lessons. And several grown men have thrown tantrums.

Keep at it and it will click.

Traceys right I remember me and my mates first tackling a chair lift, got on ok but on the off ramp we all ended up clinging to each other for balance and falling over in a big heap (and my mate was hit in the back by the chairlift on his second go) Happy days.

Wrist guards defo, your forearms will be frigged next day without them, knee and ass pads are for the less common big falls, but you'll have lots of little falls onto your hands.
It's not bad with weekly lessons, you don't over do it and you get a few days restbefore the next time. Learning on a holiday it's a bit difficult dragging yourself out of bed for more pain and suffering (3rd days the worst) but once it 'clicks' boardings pretty effortless and pain free (unless you stack)

Keep at it and it will click.

Or crack…

😉

I did 1 lesson in a snowdome thing, spent the whole night just scraping down on 1 edge, whe I sugested maybe we could scrape down on the other edge for a bit, or heaven forbid actually do a turn and scrape the other edge they laughed and said that would be 2 more lessons!….. Yeah Right.

So I just went on hols, strapped my 2nd hand kit on and linked turns on the first run..(obviously just the nursery run mind you) Rekon it depends if you have skated and surfed and stuff mind.

I bought gloves with built in wrist things, rekon they was a godesnd.

I'm just a beginner, but have booked my 40th birthday bash in a Bulgarian ski resort in the spring. Woohoo! Best advice I've seen on here so far is to take another lesson really soon. At least within the next couple of weeks or you'll have forgotten everything. I loved my first lesson at Xscape in Braehead. The music was pumping out and I had a great laugh. The biggest mistake I made though was to leave it way to long for my next lesson, and then I tried to do the 'learn to snowboard in a day' thing. I have never been so shattered in my life! 😯

Have fun, relax and look cool!

B. 🙂

wrist guards are $hit. complete waste of time.

Goan – Member
Broken Coccyx is one of the most common injuries from snowboarding.

i've done 2 seasons and never seen a single case of a broken coccyx. have heard of it but never known anyone to have done it.

broken wrists on the other hand… 🙄

I almost quit after my first lesson, it seemed impossible.

Couple of weeks in the Alps sorted me out though

One of my mates cracked her coccyx while learning a couple of years ago.
She didn't enjoy the turbulence on the flight home very much. 😯

Or the landing. 😯

Or sitting down for the next month or so. 😆

But yeah, wrist injuries are more common. I never bothered with wristguards though – don't find them comfy – just don't extend your arm when falling.

Peachos – my wife has done it, my cousin has done it and a number of my riding mates have done it. tends to come from losing a heel edge at speed, sliding and hitting a rock. We get rocks just under the snow up here.

just don't extend your arm when falling

Lol like don't let go of the handlebars when you crash to the side on your bike, bit easier said than done. I've no idea whether wrist guards have ever saved my wrists from breaking but they definitley help prevent your forearm muscles from aching like **** next day.

wrist guards are designed to redirect a breakage away from the small bones in your wrist and onto the radius and ulna.

Goan – Member
Peachos – my wife has done it, my cousin has done it and a number of my riding mates have done it. tends to come from losing a heel edge at speed, sliding and hitting a rock. We get rocks just under the snow up here.

maybe it's hereditary then 🙂
tbh the vast majority of my riding has been in the alps so very few rocks to be found until late spring, which for the best part of, was spent in the park. must hurt like ****.

Goan – Member
wrist guards are designed to redirect a breakage away from the small bones in your wrist and onto the radius and ulna.

…where there is no form of shock absorption at all. which is why they are so bad because lots of people think they can fall on them and not get injured. which is why learning to fall is always the first thing i try to teach people.

Eh – you saying they are all a bunch of inbreds?

I would imagine that i does hurt like ****. I bruised mine when I screwed up a landing in a kayak and I couldn't sit down for days.

dunno, depends where you're from…

Ah right, thats why some of you don't like wrist guards, ok

…where there is no form of shock absorption at all. which is why they are so bad because lots of people think they can fall on them and not get injured. which is why learning to fall is always the first thing i try to teach people.

is helpful

wrist guards are $hit. complete waste of time.

isn't.

D0NK – Member
Ah right, thats why some of you don't like wrist guards, ok

…where there is no form of shock absorption at all. which is why they are so bad because lots of people think they can fall on them and not get injured. which is why learning to fall is always the first thing i try to teach people.

is helpful

wrist guards are $hit. complete waste of time.

isn't.

yeah…sorry 😳

no probs, this is STW tho, uninformed opinionated twoddle is not in short supply 🙂

Keep your thumbs tucked in (preferably on the inside (rather than the thumb bits) of some mitts).

Ohh, and don't ride with scissors in your hands.

Have a Google around for Neil McNabb's video and book – he has a useful four-points theory that works well in practice.

+1

Better still, read the book and then book yourself on one of his tech clinics in Chamonix next winter. Best snowboarding £££s I ever spent!

You could read this for the basics:

http://www.snowboardclub.co.uk/learn

Oh and don't show up with goggles, a big ski jacket, a scarf or thermals.
It ain't that cold in the indoor snowdomes.

Hoodie, t-shirt, boardin trousers (or whatever you have), gloves and thickish socks will be fine.