Is there any point in lessons!?

[buns]

Ive wondered this ever since i started on a pair of boards.... Is there any point in an intermediate having lessons?

Skiers in particular are always on about getting lessons, no matter what point you are at. Is there any equivalence across to boarding or is it just a case of 'once you can standup, the only lesson you need is experience'?

Adam

[Jeff Miles]

well if your confident enough that you are able to ride to your expectations of your ability. I wouldn't recommend it.

[TheCrazyKid]

i agree with what Jeff Miles said. What i would also think is that not many ski instructors know enough about skiboarding. A lot of them try to instruct you to try to ride the skiboards like skiis.

[buns]

Thats what I thought too, but i get it in the ear from skiers for preferring short boards to skis!

One example is moguls, skiers obviously have a million and one things they need to do in order to blast through moguls. I have a blast on moguls, but im not at the stage of going like a bullet through them...... so really the only thing to worry about on skiboards is to practice!?

Adam

[El Bajong]

One problem I see with fresh skiboarders is that because Its so easy to get down the basic skills, It seems they think they master it after just a short while, and they go bombing down the hill, head first. Even though getting innto skiboarding is fairly easy, this doesnt automatically mean you know how the skiboards will react in different situations, and on different conditions.

That said, I agree that lessons probably isnt neccescary with skiboards, as long as you remember that you are not a world champion at what you do.

[xxjzattaxx]

idk bout you but i love to bomb down hills and go as fast as i can i dont like carving i dont get the same rush but one thing i dont fool around with is stopping, rails, and jumps..... stopping always give your self some time, rails and jump dont act like you know everything cause nobody does in my opioin just rember the boards have ultimate control and can no matter what cndotion always throw you a curve ball.... just have fun, and ride with ppl and not against them.

j zatta

[Gargantula]

The best way to stop is to use a hockey stop, You could go from like 40mph to 0mph in 4ft when really lean into it and push hard. Learning that technique is important I think to avoid running into people and people thinking that skiboarders suck since they can't stop.

Taking jumps head on on your first day is a no no. You first have to get comfortable with the feeling of not having anything around you. Once you are in the air, it's up to physics, you barely have any control over your trajectory so a proper takeoff is important.

[hardcorekillme]

ok lessons for skiboarders are not needed... i have personal experiance in this field. i have snowboarded for 3 or so years. i never touched a skiboard in my life. then once last season my friend kirk wanted me to and i agreed. my first day i was completely in control and able to go down anything. also i was hitting jumps and rails... on balancing problems on rails. as long as youre confident i see that you will not need them.

signed The Hardcore Champion

[Gargantula]

I can't say from experience how skiboarding was when I first started, since I have skiied (Is that how you spell it?) for 6 years before skiboarding, I took what I learned from that. Even then, the later year, I would ask for the shortest skis the rental shop had, since I knew I was going to get skiboards eventually. I knew I was going to love them before I even tried them.

Hey hardcorekillme, where in PA are you and what mountains do you skiboard at? I never been to 7 Springs mountain. It's this one right? http://www.7springs.com/winter_skiing.shtml

Hey the web site calls them "ski boards". That's a first for me. But I don't think the space in between the words is correct.

[hardcorekillme]

i live out side pittsburgh. i go to 7 springs and that where i go nuts. i aint the best but i is good enough, i enjoy it.

signed the infamous hardcore champion

[zenderfall]

Skiboards are like rollerblades in performance and learning curve. No lessons necessary.

If there ever were lessons though, they'd probably have to be for things like inverted airs, 360+ spins, and whatnot, because everything else is just trial, error, and practice.