First time Skiing/Snowboarding Advice

[Ballatician]

Later this winter, I'll be going skiing or snowboarding for about three days with a bunch of family. What advice do you have for a first-timer?

What should I take with me? I don't own many winter type clothes so how much of that stuff can I rent or do I need to buy ahead of time?

Also, should I try to ski and snowboard or only concentrate on one?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Rufus12]

Are you going to take lessons or are you just going to jump right in and start skiing?

 

[Capt Caveman]

Since, you'll be falling a lot. Get some waterproof pants.

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: Ballatician
Later this winter, I'll be going skiing or snowboarding for about three days with a bunch of family. What advice do you have for a first-timer?

What should I take with me? I don't own many winter type clothes so how much of that stuff can I rent or do I need to buy ahead of time?

Also, should I try to ski and snowboard or only concentrate on one?

Thanks in advance.

You pretty much need snowpants and a waterproof / windproof jacket or you're going to have a pretty miserable time.

Concentrate on one. The skills are somewhat transferable, but you need to learn one before you can learn the other. Of the two, I'd say learning to get down the mountain is slightly easier on a snowboard than skis.

 

[theflyingpig]

Make sure you put a kitchen knife in your front jacket pocket. It helps with your balance and turning.

 

[Ballatician]

Originally posted by: Rufus12
Are you going to take lessons or are you just going to jump right in and start skiing?

I don't know yet but I imagine lessons would probably be pretty helpful right?

Originally posted by: theflyingpig
Make sure you put a kitchen knife in your front jacket pocket. It helps with your balance and turning.

Which way should I point the knife?

 

[theflyingpig]

Originally posted by: Ballatician

Originally posted by: Rufus12
Are you going to take lessons or are you just going to jump right in and start skiing?

I don't know yet but I imagine lessons would probably be pretty helpful right?

Originally posted by: theflyingpig
Make sure you put a kitchen knife in your front jacket pocket. It helps with your balance and turning.

Which way should I point the knife?

Upwards. At least that's the way I was taught. I once tried it pointing downwards, and I found that I had a harder time turning to the right. YMMV of course.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Just remember the words "go for it!" are always followed by pain.

 

[skyking]

I can't speak about snowboarding, but everyone I have taught to ski I started with a half day lesson package. It includes equipment rental.
They had the basics down and I got to ski the steep stuff till noon, and spend the afternoon giving them more lessons.

 

[duragezic]

I haven't ever done skiing but I have snowboarded for a long time. You will be able to rent the board, bindings, and boots. You'll need the clothing. I don't know where you live but you probably own a jacket anyway? Snowboard pants are going to be pretty expensive for one weekend. Don't wear jeans though, hehe. I actually one or two pairs of regular pants that are sort of like a casual snowboard pant that I would use for a weekend if I didn't have regular pants. Finally, a hat, winter socks, and gloves. Things like thermal clothing depends on the temperature, but it can't be that cold already can it? Regardless, wear layers.

As for actually snowboarding, man I beat myself to shit learning. I remember in junior high being sore as shit one day at lunch, lifting my pant legs to show a couple of my friends my knees, one with a 4" diameter bruise.

There are a few key things with snowboarding but it is pretty hard to explain. I'd recommend your first day or half day with some basic lessons.

If you decide to do snowboarding, feel free to ask any more questions. Of course I'd recommend it over skiing but like I said I haven't skied downhill before so I'm biased. Skiers are nubs anyway.

 

[jorken]

Say goodbye to your ACL

 

[Ballatician]

Thanks for all the advice so far. Looks like I'll be going to find some waterproof pants and other stuff before leaving. I might be able to borrow the pants from a friend which would be nice.

Snowboarding seems more appealing to me so I think I'll start with that and see how much lessons are. Hopefully my bruises aren't as hardcore as duragezic.

 

[George P Burdell]

Take the lessons. They'll make sure you get the basics, and you usually pay less for equipment rental and ski tickets with a lesson.

Try taking an early lesson (9AM or earlier), that way you'll have more time left in the day to ski/snowboard.

 

[Ruptga]

definitely wear layers, you may be freezing the first time you get on the lift, but after a few runs you'll warm up pretty quickly. Also I hear boarding is harder to learn, but I've only skiied so I can't really say anything one way or another.

As for tips on actually doing it, keep turning, even if only slightly. It keeps your speed down a bit and that way you'll always have a good sense of how fast you're really going. If you ever get going so fast that you feel like you can't turn, do it anyway or you stand to suffer some pretty serious pain and/or dismemberment. Screwing up a fast turn midway down the hill and tumbling a bit beats the livng heck out of losing all control and slamming into something hard at forty miles an hour.

 

[timosyy]

Your first day snowboarding = you're going to be beaten up pretty badly.

Lots of fun after that thought

 

[jacob0401]

Skiing is easier to learn, so I've heard. Snowboarding the first couple times you go...prepare to fall all over the place, after that it gets better...

 

[axelfox]

you'll need some decent gloves too.

 

[jinduy]

i'd highly recommend getting into shape... running and leg workouts because you will be doing a lot of getting off your butt or knees when you fall

 

[andylawcc]

embrace the pain and frustration. it took me 3 full days of falling and failing just to enjoy something I paid $50 bucks a day for.

 

[George P Burdell]

Also, while your body will keep warm, your extremities will go numb. Get GOOD socks and inner gloves. You should also buy heat packs that slide into your gloves and boots and keep your finger and toes warm.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Since, you'll be falling a lot. Get some waterproof pants.

this. learn to accept falling, and learn how to do it properly. I'd say stick to either skiing or snowboarding. trying both will just confuse the piss out of you if you've never done either.

Have fun. prepare to be exhausted and frustrated, hopefully you'll have fun.

I love skiing. Most relaxing thing for me these days.

Where are you going?

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: jacob0401
Skiing is easier to learn, so I've heard. Snowboarding the first couple times you go...prepare to fall all over the place, after that it gets better...

Word. Took me 4 tries over 2 years to get it down. Got my season pass and I'll be up at Tahoe once there's snow =].

BUTT PADS. trust me! I have them and even though I don't fall very much, I've fallen right on my ass once on hard ice because i was showing off on a blue slope (wtf I do blacks and I somehow fell on a blue on ice ><) and i would've probably not been able to get up if it werent for my butt pads.

 

[Toonces]

Originally posted by: DLeRium

Originally posted by: jacob0401
Skiing is easier to learn, so I've heard. Snowboarding the first couple times you go...prepare to fall all over the place, after that it gets better...

Word. Took me 4 tries over 2 years to get it down. Got my season pass and I'll be up at Tahoe once there's snow =].

BUTT PADS. trust me! I have them and even though I don't fall very much, I've fallen right on my ass once on hard ice because i was showing off on a blue slope (wtf I do blacks and I somehow fell on a blue on ice ><) and i would've probably not been able to get up if it werent for my butt pads.

The consensus among the instructors when I worked at a mountain in BC is snowboarding is easier to learn than skiing if you have no prior experience with either. They'd say start with snowboarding and so would I.

 

[Kadarin]

I love skiing, and have been doing it for more than thirty years. This year I told myself I'd finally take snowboard lessons...

 

[TheVrolok]

Are you planning on continuing on after those three days? If so, start buying some gear - it can be pretty damned expensive if you're building from the ground up and want to keep at it. I'd recommend, and it pains me to say this, to give snowboarding a shot if you only plan to do it for these three days. It's easier to learn out of the box than skiing, and you're probably not going to tear up a knee as easily. If you plan to go on after these three days, however, skiiing is the way to go IMHO, I much prefer it to boarding.

Depending on where you go you should, at least, be able to rent boots/bindings/poles (if you're skiing) and skis/board. If you're going somewhere that has a ski shop you may be able to rent snowpants/a bib and jacket as well. If you choose to ski rather than board, I'd honestly say to forget about the poles for now. I'm a firm believer that you shouldn't learn with poles in hand, they provide too much distraction and you don't really need 'em anyway at that level.

It can be a hell of a lot of fun, but man, you're going to get cold, wet, and sore.

Originally posted by: Kadarin
I love skiing, and have been doing it for more than thirty years. This year I told myself I'd finally take snowboard lessons...

Traitor!