Going snowboarding (beginner) - What do I need?

The new winter season is probably starting about now, I tend to try and buy in the summer or I did when I was still on the Boardwise mailing list and they'd let me know that the sales had started.
 
Right now they should still be selling last seasons stuff as well as starting to sell this seasons. It's not a bad time to buy, better than January....
 
i can tell you what you don't need :P

A crap tour operator that doesn't tell you taxis don't run all night near your resort!
And when falling graciously to the deck, don't save yourself with your arms, keep em tucked in. Failure to do so results in broken wrists.
If you can fall on your back with feet up the slope. landing sideways your body will roll but the board will stop your legs following - hurts. going feet first can work but if the board digs in the snow you'll flip clean over airswim a bit and go in hard AND face first.

Personally i think rugby on astroturf is less dangerous a sport, but not as fun!
 
Accidents I've been party to:
1. 40% fracture of 7th Vertabrae (a mate, recovered now) which is as close as you can get to a broken back and still have your spinal cord intact.
2. fractured rib (me)
3. whiplash (me)
4. medical concussion (same mate as 1)
5. Frostbite (same mate as 1, had a habit of leaving his jacket undone..)
6. black out caused by not wearing a beanie (another mate) lucky we spotted that otherwise a frozen head = death and not normally immediately either.. came around quickly.
7. pulled wrist (me when I wasn't wearing wrist protector)
8. Forgot - a broken nose (a skier in our tour party - broke his sunglasses too) caused by ski pole.
9. Also forgot - a mate broke his collar bone. A good boarder attempted to learn to ski.. stood up for the first time on skis and then fell over and was heli-lifted off the learner's slopes.

Plenty of near misses too - fell straight onto a tree stump into eye, stopped by my oakelys - left a scratch though.

So yes it's dangerous but I wouldn't stop doing it..
 
January is going to be cold so getting some decent base layers is worth while as they keep you warn when you need to be but also wont over heat you when its hot, i usually wear a base layer and my jacket and have a fleece in a bag with me.

the 1 thing which is worth spending money on is decent gloves, there is nothing more demoralising than have cold wet hands, and as a beginner you will be falling over a lot and using you hands to get up.

ive been about 7 years in a row now, love it best fun anyone can have imo.

1 thing i always found useful to carry with me (i always carry a bag) is mini mars bars, if u are feeling a bit low on sugar and need to get down the mountain, chomp down one and ure good to get home.

other than the other things that have been listed that is my one essential thing
 
ahh skiing injuries. Lots of my friends broke themselves this year, quick list:

2 broken collar bones, one of them just fractured, the other fully snapped in two.
Seperated shoulder
Ruptured ACL
Torn MCL
One poor girl broke her pelvis in 3 places and ruptured her spleen in the process when she hit a death cookie. Luckily she has recovered and is fine now.
Another cracked a vertebra.
Broken tibia and fibula.

not to mention countless other strains, bruises and broken thumbs, and that was just this year lol.

But on the other hand i've been skiing for 13 years and never had more than the odd bruise or pulled muscle despite jumping off a 35ft cliff into a bomb hole, overshooting a 70ft table by 20ft and countless other falls. It's all about being able to fall well and not resisting it. When you know you are going to fall just accept it, anything you do to try and stop it is likely to make it worse like tearing ligaments (more likely in skiing), breaking wrists or collar bones. Oh and I really wouldn't recommend wearing wrist guards if you are snowboarding, it'll just encourage you to take more force on your wrists and you're more likely to break your arm or collar bone.

TK Maxx has decent enough stuff if you're just going for a week but i'd really recommend a good quality set of thermals. Cotton is your worst nightmare when skiing, even when it is cold out you will sweat a lot and having a tshirt and underwear that is sodden with sweat and cold and won't dry quickly is a nightmare, so definitely get some decent wicking thermals.
 
For what it matters I've been snowboarding for about 13 odd years now and I've never suffered an injury more serious than some bruises and a bit of soreness the next day - I'm not doing 70' tabletops though, in fact I very rarely leave the ground intentionally so depending on what you do my experiences might not bear too much relation to what you will do.

Surfanic are a decent make from the little I know of them, that jacket might be slightly overkill at present looking at the specifications but then again it should last a while.

I don't tend to use a music player when snowboarding now, I have done but I find it means you aren't concentrating as fully as you should, this is particularly important when you are in close proximity to other people as you might not hear them approach. Although the skier/snowboarder approaching from behind (because they are normally the faster hence their catching up) should take care and avoid you, not everyone appears to know this or apply common courtesy.
 
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Most of the injuries were on the standard piste.. although a few like the whip lash was done with a superman faceplant in deep powder at speed. :D

You'll be fine to be honest.. I agree with mohawk - a few choccy bars are great for the long trips. Don't be afraid to pig out - you'll burn the calories!
 
Bonfire jackets are pretty good, as long as the jacket has a reasonably decent specification (4k waterproofing/breathability and snow skirts - even they are optional as most of the time I won't do mine up) then it just comes down to how well it fits you as far as I'm concerned.

It isn't necessary to have a 3-1 jacket although it does add to the usefulness when you can just use the lighter shell or the inner fleece on warmer days and it means you can swap in other layers more easily. I think now it is just a case of going to a few stores and finding what fits you best since you've got a basic idea of what you want. :)
 
semi-pro waster said:
You should also probably look to the waterproof/breathability ratings - for what you will be doing initially anything over 4000mm on either/both will be fine. This may be overkill I suppose but if you want quality equipment then I guess you should look at those figures as well.
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Well, ive finally bought a jacket.

Passed TK MaXX today in stafford so had a look at jackets (ive not had the time to go to manchester or any proper shops yet).

Anyway Ive ended up buying this jacket.. http://www.moah.co.uk/store/mens/?category=1&pr_id=1196523767

RRP was £115 and I got it for £60.

However, it had not ratings on the labels so I decided to buy it and just look it up on the net when I got in. Ive got 14 days to get a full refund.

The Morph Jacket is a stripped down, lean, hungry shell, equipped with the bare essentials and raw technical beauty. It likes powder and it wants to ride. Primed with the following features:

3,000 mm/24h waterproof / 3,000 g/m2 breathable

detachable, 3 way adjustable contoured hood

zip out snow skirt with lycra stretch panel and multi popper closure

large, internal, expandable stash pocket

music pocket with internal cable routing

large expandable cuffs with dart insert

super-soft suede effect chin saver

internal mesh back panel for moisure management

double ended central front zipper

microfibre goggle wiper in left handwarmer pocket

lined hand warmer pockets for extra warmth

internal lycra snow cuff to sleeves

functional, performance cut for ultimate freedom of movement

Should I keeop it for £60? Im only going Austria in January and only really bought this because I dont want to spend a fortune on my first Snowboarding holiday. Is 3000mm too low?
 
3000m should be fine, I've just realised I no longer know what my jackets are rated to so I can't even compare properly. If it fits you well enough and feels warm on its own then you should be fine, particularly if there is enough space to fit another jumper or layer underneath it, layering is a good plan as it gives you more options. I've never heard of Morph but I'm sure it is competent enough.
 
semi-pro waster said:
3000m should be fine, I've just realised I no longer know what my jackets are rated to so I can't even compare properly. If it fits you well enough and feels warm on its own then you should be fine, particularly if there is enough space to fit another jumper or layer underneath it, layering is a good plan as it gives you more options. I've never heard of Morph but I'm sure it is competent enough.
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Great :) Well I tried 5/6 on and this fit the best, others were too thick and as you say, wouldnt have enough room for a jumper inside. This ones not got a fleece inside but at least now I can buy one seperately.

Cant really grumble for the price and if I get into this then I'll be getting some more gear. Cheers for the help mate, thought you'd missed my thread revival and didnt know whether to take it back or not :o
 
You might not even need a fleece, i wear a base layer than a tshirt then my jacket, you'll be sweating in no time!
 
Glad this thread has been bought back to life!

Ive been told by a couple of other people that I wont need a fleece either so dont think I will bother :)

Since this thread, I took the moah jacket back because when I was in TK Maxx I saw a Scott USA (gore tex) Jacket for £115! Well happy, RRP was £240 according to the label. I presume it will be quite a good jacket? Are scott usa a decent make?

I also picked up a pair of Reusch gloves for £30 , RRP £70 (but I doubt they were ever that amount!) All I know is that they do goalkeeper gloves so presumed they would be fairly decent? :o
 
Large number of thin layers is more preferable than a small number of thick layers. However boarding burns lots of energy and creates lots of heat.

I'm normally fine in a sweat wick, t-shirt and boarding jacket. Thermal legs under the boarder pants is usually fine too.
 
I'm usually fine with a T shirt, then spine protector, then long sleeve T-shirt and then a jacket when I'm skiing.

Never needed mroe than that and on many occasions the Long Sleeve T-shirt has ended up in my pocket lol

Only ever worn thermals once under my salopettes - and that was because it was proepr windy in Val T last year, although skiing was fine it was the un-sheltered lifts which got me so I borrowed a mate's spare pair for the day. They helped, but not spectacularly I must say - can easily live without (unless you're in Canada or somewhere crazy cold lol)
 
mr tommo said:
Im going to Obergurgl in Austria in January for a week. Dads Friends are going so Im just tagging along with a couple of mates.

Never been before and never attempted skiing or snowboarding :(
Im planning on doing a day session at the tamworth snowdome so I dont look like acomplete loser when I get there. :p

Was just wondering what I need to buy before I go? I will be hiring board and boots when I get there but I'd rather buy the rest here and use my own stuff.

Now what do I need?
Obviously I will need Gloves, Jacket & Trousers. Ive noticed TK Maxx have lots of skiing clothing in but it is any good? Like Jackets for <£50? Any makes I should go for or avoid?

Dont want to get there and freeze for the whole week but dont want to spend a small fortune either :o!

Also, as Ive never been before is this kind of holiday good? Anyone been to Obergurgl before? I hear its not the busiest of resorts but been told short taxi should be able to take me to a younger resort?

Thanks :)
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January can be very cold.

The main thing is to wear layers. Get a very good base layer - quick drying, warm, breathable. Either a thermal vest or even a close fitting sports shirt like you would use in the gym that breathes well and he sweat dries off super quick. A highly breathable insulating mid-layer, a polester micro-fleece would be fine. Then you want very, very good quality outer shell. This wants to be very thin, very breathable very wind and water proof. GOre-tex really does work the best. I happily get away with a 100£ Sprayway GOre-tex pac-lite shell. Of course the 500 Mammut extreme has advanatages...

The key thing is if you are ry and protected from the wind you will be fine, evne if you don'0t have enough insulation. If you get cold you can take off the board and start hiking up the hill - within 10 mintes you will be sweat even if it is -20 and you have a only your sports t-shirt under your gore-tex shell.

The isnulation layer is mostly for when you are inactive. The outshell proects your body. The base layer wicks away sweat and traps a small layer of warm air wihtout restricting movement.

Being too hot will mean you sweat. The second you sit down ona cold windy lift your sweat will rapidly cool your body.


In the end, high quality clothing makes your life much more enjoyable in all weather conditions in the mountains. And it is cheaper than buying lots of poor quality clothing.
 
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