jimboy2 Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 Me and the misses have just booked our first lessons at the snow centre in Hemel Hempstead. Never been on the snow before and just wondered if any one had some tips and what I should expect for a beginner. We have a "intense" type coarse booked. It's a day there. We can hire everything we need and I have my own jacket and gloves but that's it. It's very tempting to jump in and buy everything straight away but I'm holding off for a bit. More importantly, for future reference, can I fit 2 boards in the zed? Looks like if I remove the divider they should go under strut and be near our heads. We shall see. Really looking forward to it. It's not something I would normally do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bems Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 You should expect sore triceps & a very sore stomach/six pack Forward movement is your friend. It will allow you to make turns so don't be tempted to wimp out when you feel your going too fast (which you will) linking turns will help you regulate your speed. You'll love it. I jumped I at the deep end & bought all the gear after one trip up to the leicht with my mates. That was 13 years ago & I still get away most years so it payed off for me. There is nothing better than finding a quite spot at the top of a mountain somewhere, bliss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimboy2 Posted October 26, 2014 Author Share Posted October 26, 2014 Six pack??? What's one of them haha. Planning on going to,snow centre at least once a month. And then a snow holiday next year at some point if all goes well and I enjoy it. She can ski already bit has never snowboarded before. Is there a good forum for snowboarders to look at? I like reading personal experiences from people. Currently looking at http://www.snowboardclub.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodyboarder81 Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 I've got a board/ bindings if you want to borrow it to see how you get on . And boots ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimboy2 Posted October 26, 2014 Author Share Posted October 26, 2014 I've got a board/ bindings if you want to borrow it to see how you get on . And boots ..... That's very kind. We get pretty much everything included in the price anyway. But will keep you in mind if I need to at another point. Thanks a lot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodyboarder81 Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 No worries ..... I'm not really into it but both my brother in laws are huge snowboarders ..... They upgraded their stuff so I bought the old stuff . Used it a few times but sits in my loft most of the time , so anyone is welcome to borrow it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 Have fun, snow boarding is great Before you buy any gear I would first see if you like it, if so book a winter holiday to the US or Canada . . then go shopping on your first day there. With the exchange rate you will get everything at over 50% less than what you would pay in the UK Most sports places here have last years stuff already on sale, so thats even more of a saving if you don't mind being seen wearing last years fashion 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimboy2 Posted October 26, 2014 Author Share Posted October 26, 2014 Last years stuff doesn't bother me at all. We have a outlet place near us so should hopefully get some stuff cheap. Probably the worst time of year to start looking though I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 Have fun, snow boarding is great Before you buy any gear I would first see if you like it, if so book a winter holiday to the US or Canada . . then go shopping on your first day there. With the exchange rate you will get everything at over 50% less than what you would pay in the UK Most sports places here have last years stuff already on sale, so thats even more of a saving if you don't mind being seen wearing last years fashion I'm surprised I found America VERY expensive for equipment. Bought my gear on a deal for £350 and they were like £500 for the same gear. Okay so Atomic is made in Austria so you'd expect the prices to be fair in Europe but as pretty much most ski gear is made in Europe America was always going to be expensive. In fact everything skiing from lift pass, food, equipment was well pricey. Just so glad we had a friends house in the mountains FOC. If the $ was 2:1 like it was a fair while ago then I can agree prices could be better, but America has to import everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Have fun, snow boarding is great Before you buy any gear I would first see if you like it, if so book a winter holiday to the US or Canada . . then go shopping on your first day there. With the exchange rate you will get everything at over 50% less than what you would pay in the UK Most sports places here have last years stuff already on sale, so thats even more of a saving if you don't mind being seen wearing last years fashion I'm surprised I found America VERY expensive for equipment. Bought my gear on a deal for £350 and they were like £500 for the same gear. Okay so Atomic is made in Austria so you'd expect the prices to be fair in Europe but as pretty much most ski gear is made in Europe America was always going to be expensive. In fact everything skiing from lift pass, food, equipment was well pricey. Just so glad we had a friends house in the mountains FOC. If the $ was 2:1 like it was a fair while ago then I can agree prices could be better, but America has to import everything. Thats surprising Ian, I think we spent perhaps $350 on gear, which is about £175. If you go to the Shop in Whistler then yes things will be a bit more, plenty of places not in a ski resort to pick up the bargains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim BW Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Me and the misses have just booked our first lessons at the snow centre in Hemel Hempstead. Never been on the snow before and just wondered if any one had some tips and what I should expect for a beginner. We have a "intense" type coarse booked. It's a day there. We can hire everything we need and I have my own jacket and gloves but that's it. It's very tempting to jump in and buy everything straight away but I'm holding off for a bit. More importantly, for future reference, can I fit 2 boards in the zed? Looks like if I remove the divider they should go under strut and be near our heads. We shall see. Really looking forward to it. It's not something I would normally do Hope it goes well. Rather you than me though. I can just about cope with an hour of football twice a week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimboy2 Posted October 27, 2014 Author Share Posted October 27, 2014 Me and the misses have just booked our first lessons at the snow centre in Hemel Hempstead. Never been on the snow before and just wondered if any one had some tips and what I should expect for a beginner. We have a "intense" type coarse booked. It's a day there. We can hire everything we need and I have my own jacket and gloves but that's it. It's very tempting to jump in and buy everything straight away but I'm holding off for a bit. More importantly, for future reference, can I fit 2 boards in the zed? Looks like if I remove the divider they should go under strut and be near our heads. We shall see. Really looking forward to it. It's not something I would normally do Hope it goes well. Rather you than me though. I can just about cope with an hour of football twice a week! Haha. I'm not sure how I will cope! Not the fittest of people. Gonna start working on my legs over the next few weeks to try and prepare them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim BW Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 See if you like it before buying all the gear. You have to remove bindings to get a board in the zed which is a bit of a pain. I just lay mine on the passenger seat or get other people to drive if I'm not by myself Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
14N Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Be prepared to spend a lot of time on your arse If you can find/borrow a pair of impact shorts, they may help your comfort, although I wouldn't bother buying some just for the purpose of learning - they may come in useful at a later date when you hit the halfpipe. As said before, don't buy hardware until you're certain it's for you. There are lots of outlets selling decent gear, maybe even go to a large retailer (there are ones like Ellis Bingham) at most Snowdome/indoor slope places. Haggle with them for a 'package' price on boots, board and bindings, or find what you like in the store, then hit the interweb to see if you can get what you like cheaper online (that's what I did). You can get some good used items off eBay too (although I wouldn't really go for a used board). There are always good deals on last season's stuff, but getting a deal on this year's gear, as we start the season might prove difficult. Have fun, I've been to Hemel a few times, it's a good slope to learn on. And let us know if you're goofy or regular Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squee Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 I had a 2 hour beginners lesson at Tamworth Snowdome a couple of months ago and loved it although my attention span dropped off towards the end which made me mess up a few times. And the lessons I had booked were 9pm-11pm on a Sunday night which wasn't conductive to my (woeful) attention! At the end of the 2 hours I could (just about) go down the slope in a falling leaf pattern (so gently boarding from left to right, right to left etc). A lot of time is spent faffing about learning to get the kit on but it's necessary to learn that stuff so no complaints about that. One main benefit of going late on a Sunday night was that the Snowdome was quiet...I can imagine it would be a bit stressy being a beginner and it being busy. I would certainly agree with the others on here who say don't rush into buying the gear! A proper set up can be mega bucks and the kit provided at the Snowdome was more than adequate for novices. I'm hoping to get some more lessons in again soon but might try the ChillFactore in Manchester next...I'm going to Austria for a boarding holiday in February so better get some good practice in Oh and there's no shame in falling on your arse a lot Have fun S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimboy2 Posted October 27, 2014 Author Share Posted October 27, 2014 One of the main reasons we went for the whole day, Is that I know the first couple of hours will be about the equipment and and how to do the very basic stuff. Hopefully in the second half of the day we can get a bit further on with every thing fresh in our heads. We are staying over night and depending on how our legs are we will go again in the morning and have a mess about on the main slope. Defiantly holding off buying my own gear for a while. One thing I will be buying is wrist and ass guards. She had a bad fall on her coccyx a few years ago and has never been right since. I'm not up for that so,will do anything to protect my ass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acripaul Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Good luck with the boarding Stick at it but get yourself on some real snow. There's no comparison to the indoor stuff. The mountains is where its at. Actually a good analogy from being a car enthusiast is to pay for some decent boots straight away. The difference your own set of fitted boots can make is like night and day. It's the second best investment you'll make after buying a helmet. Its actually gone to being not cool to not have one now. Can't beat the first run of the day or the first beer afterwards somewhere in the Alps.... Baby this year means it will be my first year not going since I started, oh well, maybe next year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark@Abbey m/s Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 When I wanted to learn to board I booked a day @ Hemel. I had already had a day lesson to learn the basic to ski with good results. The Boarding lesson help me learn a lot but get yourself away in the alps thats is when you learn the most; good luck thou. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saihaynes Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Enjoy it dude, snowboarding is great fun...only in my eyes rivalled on the slopes by a pair of trick skis/big foots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smc32 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 don't forget gloves bud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimboy2 Posted November 20, 2014 Author Share Posted November 20, 2014 don't forget gloves bud Yeah got some. Gonna get some wrist protectors too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimboy2 Posted December 3, 2014 Author Share Posted December 3, 2014 So we did our course on Tuesday. Was great fun.... Until my shoulder almost popped out! It's a injury I have had for years and done nothing about. Absolutely gutted. In a lot of pain today but still have good movement. It almost popped out 3 times during the day (not sure if it is popping out, it's the only way to describe how it feels) on various falls and having to roll on it to get up on my toe edge. Managed to get to level 2, and started level 3 which is linking turns and then that's when I had my last tumble and it hurt a lot. In the end I have up and watched the mrs carry on. Gonna get this shoulder looked at by a physio and go from there and all being well will attempt level 3 again. I really really enjoyed it Just thought I would give you a update 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
14N Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Well congrats (I think) Sounds like you were doing great, getting to level 3, before you were forced to stop. Linking turns is the last hurdle (but the one I striggled most with). Hope you get the shoulder sorted and are back on a board sooner rather than later. Learning can be a painful process (for you more than others) and it is a steep learning curve, but once you've got it nailed, riding down that curve once you've hit the top, is a sweet, long, blue bird, fresh white powder ride. Keep at it fella. But sort the shoulder out first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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