How easy is it...

[Valk]

To pick up Skiboarding? I've never skied, but I have skateboarder/rollerbladed for a few years, and snowboarded for a few days last season.

My only real concern is controlling my speed, I just keep having a mental image of me zooming down some hill and not being able to stop, so I'm just wandering how long it will take to learn to control my speed/carve etc :-)


Valk

[Manlenium]

It is most similiar to ice skating. Similiar in control, muscle groups, and stopping. Carving is very simple, (it also slows you down) the wider your turns the slower your speed becomes.

Applying weight on the opposite leg allows you to turn in the oposite direction. Right turn: Left leg ....Left turn: Right leg.

A great starter exercise is putting your hands on your knees, leaning forward, and slowly adjusting pressure from left to right foot. You will notice yourself start to turn opposite of pressure.

Just like on the ice; You stop by sliding sideways, putting weight on back foot while applying pressure into edge with far foot.

Exactly like a hockey stop except the "goalie" is the people in the lift line.

Real easy to start/learn and Insane fun to continue.
The "bell curve" is almost a straight line.

[taimos]

to stop, turn into the mountain, and turn harder/faster for a quicker stop. to turn, force your bodyweight onto one leg, as if you were squashing a tomato underfoot.

The best way to learn, ive found, is to have a skiboarder next to you (or a skier), go onto a very flat slope with just enough gradient to allow to you start sliding, and then practising weight distribution (squashing the tomato and changing direction). If you think your going too fast, get your friend to grab hold of you.

Don't do what i do though, which is, put on a pair of snowblades, not know how to stop, or turn, and then try and go down a red on your 3rd run (went down 2 blues before, didnt need to sotp or turn as they were very gentle). About 20m down i realised i wasnt going to be stopping anytime soon and took out a snowboarder. Came down the slope on my arse. Next day, father took me onto a green run and taught me how to turn and stop. a week later im on blacks and on park.


I'm taking my best friend out at christmas and teaching her to skiboard, should be fun!

[kirk]

If you can rollerblade half decent it will honestly take just about an hour before you are comfortable, and a day before you can do everything on snow that you can on skates.

[Valk]

Ah that's good, I was a really good skater, half pipes etc.

Well that news makes me a little happier :-p


Valk

[Valk]

Last year (snowboarding), I almost took out at least 30 people in that season going down the easiest run (not the bunny hill), I was going to fast and was to nerveous to stop, so I just zoomed past and made myself fall into a snow bank.

Yeah, I know I'm pathetic, but I didn't like toe turning on snowboards, makes me uneasy, which is why I know I'm going to love Skiboarding, I can face foward like skats, woo :-)


Valk

[taimos]

i snowboarded for a season as well, and yeah, toe turning was awful, for me it was mostly heel- striaght heel- straight. hated it. and the time spent sitting down.

skiboards own snowboards a million times over!

skiboarding feels very, very natural as well, as if your body should be doing it.

[Aqua]

Originally posted by Valk
Last year (snowboarding), I almost took out at least 30 people in that season going down the easiest run (not the bunny hill), I was going to fast and was to nerveous to stop, so I just zoomed past and made myself fall into a snow bank.

Yeah, I know I'm pathetic, but I didn't like toe turning on snowboards, makes me uneasy, which is why I know I'm going to love Skiboarding, I can face foward like skats, woo :-)


Valk

LOL

Honestly he wasn't THAT bad.
He cracks me up, especially when I took him past the double black diamond drop offs.
I think I'm just a bad teacher.. I got certified as a snowboard instructor but I couldn't stand the thought of sitting there all day with newbies.
I'd be the teacher who waits for you at the bottom of the hill and yells hurry up!
;)

[Manlenium]

Originally posted by Valk
Last year (snowboarding), I almost took out at least 30 people in that season going down the easiest run (not the bunny hill), I was going to fast and was to nerveous to stop, so I just zoomed past and made myself fall into a snow bank.

Yeah, I know I'm pathetic, but I didn't like toe turning on snowboards, makes me uneasy, which is why I know I'm going to love Skiboarding, I can face foward like skats, woo :-)


Valk

Haha i did the same thing when I was out snowboarding. I cant stand the fact that your feet on on the same piece of material. I didnt like the feeling when you carved and toes faced down hill.

If your background in blading is anywhere half decent you'll progress faster then a day. 10 runs and under....The comfort level comes from moving on flat ground, once that is overcome its fun time!! :p

[Valk]

Yeah, not to toot my own horn (I hope that's the right term, and not some euphemism for calling myself gay), but I was a very good in-line skater.

However I've never ice skated (lived in Cali until I moved up here, needly to say not a lot of ice in the valley), which is why I was hoping my skating background would help me learn Skiboards quicker, I guess we'll see in a few days :-)


Valk

[Manlenium]

You should be on the first few knotches of the bell curve then...:D