*shiver* Does anyone snowboard?

[anmut]

I had so much fun surfing and wakeboarding this summer that I'm thinking I might try snowboarding again this winter. I used to ski as a kid and teenager, but the boards of those days were expensive and too cumbersome for me to ever have fun with. We have a ski area 30 miles north of us, so that's a positive. Looks like gear and a season pass for the family would put me back about 3-4k for the year, then less the next year.

So, any snowboarders out there? How does wakeboarding translate to snow? Wakeboarding was easy for me to get a hold of because of the skateboarding I did as a kid. Same skills apply?

Help me fill in this list:

Positive:
No waiting for a tow or for the boat to turn around after falling.
Get a lot more board time in an afternoon.
No spend on gas.
Nothing to maintain during the season.
Longer season here in Wisconsin

Negative:
Cold AF.
Falls probably hurt more.
My daughter might learn snowboarding but my wife doesn't do sport things, so it reduces that type of family time.
A lot more people in your "fun zone"
DB kids everywhere.
Cold AF.
Cold AF.

 

[Markwest]

Yes I find it translates pretty well.
- Falls hurt more on a snowboard of course.
- Learn to fall on a snowboard, frontside and backside falls require different techniques.
- No Fatigue from being pulled so longer runs obviously. Legs hurt much more due to absorbing the hill all day.
- Speed control becomes the main issue on a snowboard, not a concern when pulled by a boat. Hills get steep, speed gets quick.

Lots of fun! Go get out there and give it a try! I dont get to snowboard as much as I used to. I went the other way from snowboard to wakeboard.

 

[tim h]

The bigger the hill the less "strapping in" time = more ride time !
Granite Peak (Wausau) is a favorite of mine. As well as the hills in DA' UP..

 

[Scottintexas]

I LOVE snowboarding,

I hate hobbling around and riding the lift with one foot in and then having to strap in at the top every time, (on top of that, getting older, fatter and less limber I actually had a problem reaching my straps and then standing up, that was so embarrassing to type)

but the feeling of gliding down that hill, carving and freely turning 360's is great,

 

[WiskyDan]

I’ve been a snowboarder for 20 years and love it. I’ve been to quite a few of the major resorts in North America and an heading back to Breckenridge in February.

My main advice: take some lessons and get a good ass pad or padded shorts that protect your tail bone. As mentioned you need to learn how to fall properly or you can end up with broken wrists - or worse. You should also wear a helmet - catching an edge when you’re just learning can cause some noggin damage if you’re not properly protected.

The first lesson or two can be rough but once your body figures it out you progress pretty fast.

I think you’re up by Granite Peak which is a great place to learn - varied terrain and you can get away from the crowds so you don’t have to worry about running over someone - or getting run over.

I’m was thinking of trying wake boarding and wondered if any of my snowboard skills would carry over but hadn’t really done any research on the subject.

 

[anmut]

The bigger the hill the less "strapping in" time = more ride time !
Granite Peak (Wausau) is a favorite of mine. As well as the hills in DA' UP..

That's the one that's just north of me!

 

[anmut]

I LOVE snowboarding,

I hate hobbling around and riding the lift with one foot in and then having to strap in at the top every time, (on top of that, getting older, fatter and less limber I actually had a problem reaching my straps and then standing up, that was so embarrassing to type)

but the feeling of gliding down that hill, carving and freely turning 360's is great,

As I research, it seems like most of the new board/boot combos are easier for us old farts to get out of and just walk with the board. But I remember your pain from years back when I tried it. One-foot'ing a hundred yards to the lift got old quick.

 

[anmut]

I’ve been a snowboarder for 20 years and love it. I’ve been to quite a few of the major resorts in North America and an heading back to Breckinridge in February.

My main advice: take some lessons and get a good ass pad or padded shorts that protect your tail bone. As mentioned you need to learn how to fall properly or you can end up with broken wrists - or worse. You should also wear a helmet - catching an edge when you’re just learning can cause some noggin damage if you’re not properly protected.

The first lesson or two can be rough but once you’re body figures it out you progress pretty fast.

I think you’re up by Granite Peak which is a great place to learn - varied terrain and you can get away from the crowds so you don’t have to worry about running over someone - or getting run over.

I’m was thinking of trying wake boarding and wondered if any of my snowboard skills would carry over but hadn’t really done any research on the subject.

That's awesome - my aunt has a place in Breckinridge and has invited us out anytime we want! Good call on the noodle holder, I'm too old to lose any further brain cells. Lessons are also a good call!

 

[WiskyDan]

That's awesome - my aunt has a place in Breckinridge and has invited us out anytime we want! Good call on the noodle holder, I'm too old to lose any further brain cells. Lessons are also a good call!

This will be my third trip to Breckenridge - it’s got a great ski town vibe.

I highly recommend the helmet but have only worn one a handful of times. I bought a new one a few years ago but just can’t stand having it on my head.

I use Flow step-in bindings - no strapping in for me at the top of the lift.

 

[Ronnie]

I tried snowboarding when I was in high school and college, over 20 years ago but didn’t get into it until about 13 years ago when my son tried it and loved it. Since that time I have Purchased a lot of gear and boarded a lot, every year until last year (my son got a drivers license and knees just can’t take the abuse anymore). Now my board is trophy on the wall. I digress.

here is what I recommend, Buy the best gear you can, not necessarily the most expensive. By this I mean:
1.get the shorts with the built in pads on the butt, over the thighs and your lower legs if I’d go with pants.
2.Go with snow pants instead of a bib/overalls. It can be a really pita to take a piss when you have a onesy on in addition to sweats and / or underwear / padded shorts.
3.Get good helmet with a vent you can open and close, ear muffs that double as speaker holders.
4.Same with the snow jacket but you also want a lot of zippers pockets and a bib/liner that flaps over and can be buttoned to the top of the snow pants. Get one with zippers vents if possible.

Gloves and boots are the most important clothes too me. I highly recommend you get the gloves (not mitts) that have wrist guards built into them, some are removable. As I recall wrist injuries (from trying to break a forward fall) are very common and I sprained my wrist twice.

Boots, again buy the good stuff meaning the type that have a comfortable / warm inner liner with a quick tighten and release boa system (replaces laces With wires that are tightened and loosened with a knob). If you think you are going to stay in it go for the snowboard boots that are custom fitted when pick them up. that is, they heat up the interior and have you step into them so that the insole molds to the shape of your foot.

Goggles wise I go with the mirrored lenses but the upper end models sometimes comes with both types of lenses (mirrored and tinted).

gear: nothing wrong with a used snowboard just make sure it is the correct length.

Bindings I consider myself more knowledgeable about, at least I know what works for me. I hate fumbling with The two strap system where you have to thread straps into their retainer clip with thick gloves on. I went with the ones in the pic after attempting other styles. It may not look like much, but with something like this you set the position of the straps once and you can release or lock your boot in the binding with one lever. This makes it easy to remove and put on the board entirely between lifts or while in a lift line. A lot of times I can board off the lift on one foot and strap the other foot into the binding without stopping the to do so at the top of the run.

As for snowboarding: take at least the first lesson because that is usually the one that focuses on how to stop. If you can learn to stop early on you can avoid learning the hard and painful way, by falling/crashing to stop. Those were sometimes choose a side of my a$& to hurt days.

some resorts have snow tube hills, some have conveyor belts and lifts. So what? When my wife dislocated and broke her shoulder snow boarding we were still all able to enjoy the snow together as a family.

last thought, if wakeboarding is like snow boarding, jet skiing is like snowmobiling. I’ve had a lot more fun snowmobiling than snowboarding. renting is not cheap but neither is snowboarding.

 

[WiskyDan]

@Ronnie I considered the Gnu step-ins but they were relatively new when I started using Flow’s. I see a Mammoth sticker on your board - was there a few years ago. Went immedlately to the summit and dropped into Cornice Bowl - that was a rush.

I currently ride a Gnu Billy Goat, I‘ve never owned a K2 board. Got lucky that the graphics on the Billy Goat were gorgeous the year that I picked it up:

 

[Ronnie]

Nice board @WiskyDan , I got mine used so it’s nothing special, just the right length for me. I was never a hard core border. I did go down a double black diamond at mammoth only because I got split off from my son and brother in law and the directions they gave me To meet them had me go through several black diamond runs. On one run through a football stadium sized bowl with lots of trees, I saw teenagers walking back towards the lift, they refused to board the bowl, I probably should have. I got stuck in a tree well once (wedged 6 feet high between trees at my shoulders and the snow wall against my board), not at mammoth though.

a few more pics, I tried to buy decals from all the resorts we boarded at but some were lost when I upgrades

@anmut , with A resort nearby You may not experience the following but one thing that sucked about boarding for me is that I had to get up and leave early to get to the slopes by the time they opened. Driving150 to 200 miles each way and snowboarding for hours in between can be tough.When I found out about the ski buses we started using them and loved them. Another thing aboutsnow boarding is that unless the resort you are at has lights, you can only board in a limited window of time during any given day, usually 9 or 10 am until 4p. for comparison I have Had days the water start at 7a and end at 7p. Also, if you are wiling to spend the money you don’t have tobe cold at all. Battery powered boot And glove heaters are available. Putting on a burka will protect your face. When it’s really cold I have burka but just put heat packets / hand warmers In my gloves to keep my hands warm.

 

[AZMark]

Do it! It’s a steep learning curve with a painful start for your ass and wrists/forearms but it’s worth it once you get comfortable. It's expensive to start but if you get decent stuff it can easily last you 10+ years.

Snowboarding is more front foot heavy. Not much comparison to wakeboard beyond general balance and board riding ability. Maybe some similarity in feel when you’re in deep powder and have to lean back more. Wake foil is closer in my experience.

Obviously much more freedom vs being towed and you can go much faster. Much more sensitive to small movements between heel/toe and front/back. The edges are really powerful and give you a ton of control...once you figure them out and stop catching them.

Maybe rent or buy a used board until you know what kind of riding you want to do. If you go to the shop & let a bro sell you a park board with a bunch of rocker & weak edges you’re not going to have any control going down the hill and you'll just spin out. On the other hand a super stiff board with a more aggressive camber (for speed & control) will tend to catch edges more and will not be very fun in the park, if you decide that’s your thing.

Boots on the softer side will be easier on your legs and feet, but most gear is pretty good these days.

Definitely wear a helmet. Decent goggles too.

You’ll be surprised how warm you can get when you’re riding, especially when you're learning and fighting it and then later on when you're riding hard. Layers and a shell are better than a heavy insulated jacket for sunny days.

Breckenride is awesome and huge mountain but Telluride is my favorite:

 

[SCP1]

I tried it back in college, rented a board went down the hill 3 times (fell like 50 times). Turned the board back in and went to my truck to grab my skis. Skied the rest of the day and suffered the next few days, lol.

 

[Cambo]

25 Years doing both sports they are similar in certain ways snowboarding has more varied conditions riding fresh powder, thats hard to find will be very close to wakeboarding hard pack groomed trails are much different. Board shapes have been changing and for an advanced rider you can feel the difference. I have been riding the never summer instigator mostly at killington vermont its the shaper series amazing board initiates turns so fast very similar to the wakeboard. They have a left over at the basin ski shop for $350.00

@WiskyDan is spot on with his padded comment that is great advice that I have passsed it along as well and was thanked as new boarders went with fiends that didn't have pads

My main advice: take some lessons and get a good ass pad or padded shorts that protect your tail bone. As mentioned you need to learn how to fall properly or you can end up with broken wrists - or worse. You should also wear a helmet - catching an edge when you’re just learning can cause some noggin damage if you’re not properly protected.

The first lesson or two can be rough but once you’re body figures it out you progress pretty fast.

Snowboards do work on water as well ripped the Killington pond skim

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[WiskyDan]

@AZMark: Telluride is on my bucket list - it' just not convenient to get to. That's part of the charm/adventure though and the shorter lift lines. I see that you have a Never Summer board in your photo - which model? I was close to pulling the trigger on a Rip Saw back in 2015 but stayed in the Mervin family of boards - previous board was a LibTech Travis Rice.

@anmut: I would rent equipment for the first couple of lessons before jumping in and spending a bunch of $$ in case it's not your cup of tea. Granite Peak should have pretty decent rental equipment so you shouldn't be riding junk. If you do decide to buy your own stuff at some point, make sure you get a really good pair of boots. If your feet don't feel good it won't matter what board or bindings you have.

@Cambo: I've been to Killington twice, I actually preferred Pico which was the first resort that I went to outside of Wisconsin.

 

[AZMark]

@AZMark: Telluride is on my bucket list - it' just not convenient to get to. That's part of the charm/adventure though and the shorter lift lines. I see that you have a Never Summer board in your photo - which model? I was close to pulling the trigger on a Rip Saw back in 2015 but stayed in the Mervin family of boards - previous board was a LibTech Travis Rice.

@anmut: I would rent equipment for the first couple of lessons before jumping in and spending a bunch of $$ in case it's not your cup of tea. Granite Peak should have pretty decent rental equipment so you shouldn't be riding junk. If you do decide to buy your own stuff at some point, make sure you get a really good pair of boots. If your feet don't feel good it won't matter what board or bindings you have.

@Cambo: I've been to Killington twice, I actually preferred Pico which was the first resort that I went to outside of Wisconsin.

It’s a West. I used to ride GNU boards and I like the magne-traction. I was leaning toward lib tech but honestly I didn’t want a board with some blue cartoon lady’s boobs on it
The West is awesome, they have extra traction points on it that seem to work just as well.

 

[AZMark]

@AZMark: Telluride is on my bucket list - it' just not convenient to get to. That's part of the charm/adventure though and the shorter lift lines. I see that you have a Never Summer board in your photo - which model? I was close to pulling the trigger on a Rip Saw back in 2015 but stayed in the Mervin family of boards - previous board was a LibTech Travis Rice.

@anmut: I would rent equipment for the first couple of lessons before jumping in and spending a bunch of $$ in case it's not your cup of tea. Granite Peak should have pretty decent rental equipment so you shouldn't be riding junk. If you do decide to buy your own stuff at some point, make sure you get a really good pair of boots. If your feet don't feel good it won't matter what board or bindings you have.

@Cambo: I've been to Killington twice, I actually preferred Pico which was the first resort that I went to outside of Wisconsin.

And you CAN fly direct to telluride, it’s just pricey like everything else there. I’ve done it once and it’s sure nice. Usually a 9ish hour drive from here, unless there’s a storm.

 

[Ronnie]

And you CAN fly direct to telluride, it’s just pricey like everything else there. I’ve done it once and it’s sure nice. Usually a 9ish hour drive from here, unless there’s a storm.

9 hours in good whether, you are way out of my league.
When i rented I tried to avoid doing so at the resort, the lines were always a lot longer there and the prices higher. Any mountain was great but they have since closed all their stores around here.

 

[RiverRat]

I ride. I look forward to winter almost as much as summer. Fall and spring are lame. My daughter has been riding with me since she was 5, she’s 11 now. Just got my 3 year old a setup, he’s beyond excited.

My boat grill does double duty in the winter, I put a Scotty rod holder mount on my tailgate for it. Will likely come in handy this winter especially. I imagine indoor dining options will a little different this season.
Also, don’t worry about the cold too much, I find that I ended up riding in a light coat or hoodie almost as much as I have to bundle up here in Wisconsin.