Seeing as I’m now living 25 minutes from a ski resort in the alps I have decided to try snowboarding.
I’ve never done it before and have no idea what I need.
Rental is crazy money so buying my own kit makes sense.
I’ll probably do a weeks course but would like to take my own stuff. I’ll buy second hand.
Can anyone give me any pointers as to what I’ll need?
I’m 5 foot 6 and not the slimmest build.
What size board should I look for? Is there such a thing as a beginner board?
Any help would be most appreciated.

Nothing wrong with starting on rental boards. They tend to be beginner friendly and well broken in. Lets you try a few different styles too.

If you want to wear a helmet then I would buy that (rental helmets are minging). Buying your own boots is a good plan for similar reasons.

Have you got the rest of the kit? Decent gloves and trousers/pants are useful for beginners who spend a lot of time picking themselves up out the snow.

Hi, but boots that fit, beg borrow or steal the rest until you know what you want . Medium flex 152-156 board if I could choose. Helmet, crash shorts and wrist guards too if ya like

If you’re there for the entire season look into renting for the whole season. Works out relatively cheap and you can keep swapping until you find a board and size you like.

I bought a new helmet and boots during the summer. There was a sale on as it was 35 degrees at the time.
I just have no idea what size board to get.
Are all snowboard bindings the same?

try and find mitts/gloves with a wrist guard built in. Mine are nearly 15yrs old and still very comforting to have in the middle of a face plant.

rental boards are often “detuned” (edge blunted). Fine for novices since they are less likely to catch and edge and dump you on aforementioned wrists or butt-ocks. Not a lot of fun on the top of an icy red run though.

Padded shorts not a bad idea for the first week.

hire boards likely to have twin strap bindings that will work with pretty much any softboot. Start with hire bindings before exploring the alternatives like flows/step ins/hybrids etc.

EDIT: given where you live, look to buy ex-rental but underused kit at end of season or in the summer. I bought some hardly used skis & bindings for €100 from a hire shop in Morzine this summer, carried them back to the flat and they will be what I use all this winter when Im not boarding.

Get ready to have a bruised backside! 🙂

https://www.willhaben.at/iad/kaufen-und-verkaufen/d/forum-155-snowboard-burton-boots-178467591/

What about something like this? It’s not that far from me.

Medium flex

+1 on that, or soft. Avoid anything too hard or it will be difficult to learn to turn properly and you’ll spend all your time swinging your bum around

Bruised back side, broken wrist, rotor cuff injury, spinal injury. I leaned to board in my 20s and sold all my kit at 53 because I can usually get through a ski season without a heavy fall but on the board I fell more and harder. Skis for old duffers.

get through a ski season without a heavy fall but on the board I fell more and harder

meh.
I can bimble around on my tea tray all day at no risk to man or beast.
On the other hand I damn near cut my thumb off when I ran over it with my own skis.

I’ll be in the bar if you want me.

I can bimble around on my tea tray all day at no risk to man or beast.

Me too, but I can also thrash around on my planks having a ball at no risk to man or beast.

Boots boots boots!

Get ones that fit properly (takes a while, try lots on). They are the key to the whole thing. Get the wrong ones and suffer.

Check out some reviews for boards. Try to find one with a beginner friendly “camber” (the curve of the board) and look for features like “snag-free edges / base”. As said above, medium flex is a good place to start. With the newer modern cambers then riding a shorter board seems to be the fashion.

When I first started and bought my own kit I hadn’t got a clue, and ended up buying a super-heavy / super stiff / super-long / super-fast powder board. Frighteningly fast and like trying to steer a supertanker. I had some pretty bad crashes and it put me off.

Second board I bought was a lot shorter and more of an entry level board. It was and still is such a confidence inspiring board and I’ve really improved the last few years because of it.

Bindings – Again, look for something mid-flex as a starting point. After some trial and error I’ve found that I prefer a very responsive stiff boots / stiff bindings setup with a mid-flex board. But again, its all personal.

Buying an ex-rental board is the best idea. Soft to medium flex if you can. A camber board with reverse camber at tip and tail (camrock) is a good one to learn on. After you get OK at it you can try different boards to decide what direction you want to go in boardwise.

Bindings I suppose you could buy new, my recommendation would be ones with a strap/ cup that goes over the toes with soft/ medium flex.

Prepare for a few days of misery falling off before it clicks. Snowboarding is a bit like driving a car, it’s mostly muscle memory which you cannot force yourself to learn quickly. It’s just practice practice practice until one day a big light will go on in your brain ‘Oh THAT’S how you do it’. It’s worth the slog though.

A week’s course is a great idea though.

Buy this

Cut a trouser shaped piece from an exercise mat and stuff it down the back of your trousers. It will add a bit of cushioning when you land on your bum.

It also adds a bit of insulation so you can sit about in the middle of the piste for longer to really annoy the skiers.

The hardest part is telling your parents….

😉

colp – Member
Buy this

McNab – Go Snowboard? Definitely. Excellent book. Improved me a lot after a decade of poor self-taught technique.

The hardest part is telling your parents….

Got to be easier than coming out as SkiSexual. 😉

Lesson Lessons Lessons…
See if there is a deal on for kit for a week, do the week and then have a better idea what you want/need etc. Boots are a good investment but not if you hate it after a week and want to try skiing next.

Helmet +1 split one on the first day of a holiday when a lost an edge on some ice. There is some unforgiving ground out there

😆 @Graham

I sort of swing both ways, as I wakeboard in summer!

Lesson Lessons Lessons…

^This!^

As well as learning faster, it’s a good way to get to know the bits of the resort that suit your level, rather than just going off the deep end!

And do try and find fresh powder one day – it makes all the bruising worthwhile.

Where abouts in Austria are you? I’ll be over in Maria Alm a fair bit this winter, would be happy to hook up and give you some pointers.

And when you do find that fresh powder – don’t stop! It’s not as easy as it looks and you really don’t want to be walking in it.

And if you don’t already know the mountain where you’re going to ride, learn where all the flat bits are.

I’m 5 foot 6 and not the slimmest build.
What size board should I look for?

Board length is less to do with your height and more to do with your weight, although as a very rough guideline a typical ‘twin-tip’ should come up to in-between your chin and nose when holding it in front of you, however:

longer boards* ‘float’ better in softer conditions as your weight is distributed across a larger surface area especially in powder(not hugely important when starting out though …)

Shorter boards* can make it easier to initiate your turns as the side-cut is shorter

*some modern board designs can mitigate these two generalisations to a certain extent.

As others have said having your own boots is nice – soft->medium flex/neutral for beginners.

And +1 for the McNab ‘Go Snowboard’ book.
And lessons … lots of lessons!

Are all snowboard bindings the same?

No … some fit some snowboard boots better than others – it can be a bit of ‘pot luck’, but finding a pair of boots that fit *your* feet is the most important thing when starting out. Most bindings can be adjusted whereas your feet can’t!

Some bindings are for free-style, some for free-ride. Historically the former were soft/medium flex, whilst the latter were medium/stiff

Where abouts in Austria are you? I’ll be over in Maria Alm a fair bit this winter, would be happy to hook up and give you some pointers.

I’m in north Burgenland not far from the Hungarian border in a place called Bad Saurebrunn.
My nearest resorts are Zauberberg, Semmering and Stuhleck.

Thanks for the offer but I’m a bit far from you.

Buying my own kit made all the difference for me learning, maybe just because I’m tall but all the rental kit I ever had was terrible with hindsight. I bought boots in a sale and a new board off gumtree and it was like night and day.

I think, like most sports, using your own kit removes some extra variables so it probably helps build muscle memory faster.

Decent waterproof bottoms, you’re gonna spend a reasonable amount of time on your ass.

Also, like MTB, speed is your friend.

And lastly, I’ve worn a helmet since smashing the back of my head on a failed toe edge turn in icy Scotland, I’d highly recommend wearing one.

I’m 5’6 and 93kg

For much cheapness I’d be happy with this in 155cm.
https://www.glisshop.co.uk/ProductModels/displaySelector/234/64427/

I love flat camber

155cm will be fine on piste – i.e. its all about the edge.
However when you ride pow however you will wish you had something like 158-160+ i.e. its all about the surface area of the base.

Seeing as I’m now living 25 minutes from a ski resort in the alps

Well as no one else has said it …. you jammy ‘king barsteward 😀

Can’t help with boarding as I am a skier. But IME 1 day a weekend will see you progress faster than most of us manage in a week. Keep us posted.

I’d buy impact shorts and wrist guards as many have said, you’ll fall quite a lot and you don’t want to break/bruise anything. 🙂

Jeebus Earl, I’d want a bigger board than that if I was 14.5 stone! I aim for 158+ and I’m probably 12 stone dressed.

Another tip as you can pick and choose your days a bit more is go on the warmer/softer days. Edge grip is better as there is more give and when you do fall, it won’t hurt as much.

I’d buy impact shorts and wrist guards as many have said, you’ll fall quite a lot and you don’t want to break/bruise anything.

What and ruin all the fun of showing off that funny coloured lump on your backside in the bar?

Having been taught to fall properly in my first lesson I’ve never worn wrist guards – basically pull your arms in if you’re going over.

I definitely can see the benefit of impact shorts and I wear a back protector & helmet these days.

get lessons and learn what you want from that