beginner
How to choose a snowboard
1. If you stand your snowboard up on its end, the tip should come up somewhere around your nose.
2. In general, the more you weigh the longer your board should be.
3. Beginners should start with a smaller snowboard as it is easier to control. Intermediate and above riders can opt for a longer snowboard for more speed and stability.
4. Riders who prefer the park and pipe will want a shorter snowboard to help them reduce their weight and spin easier. Freeriders who prefer carving and powder will want a longer snowboard to handle the speed and powder.
5. When it comes to price, cheaper snowboards are usually geared for beginners and less aggressive riders and are easier to turn. As the price of the snowboard goes up, they tend to perform better and get stiffer with more high end materials in the construction.
6. Snowboard width is very important. The snowboard must fit your boot size to reduce toe and heel drag. If you have a size 10 or larger boot, you may want to consider purchasing a wide snowboard that is specifically designed for riders with big feet.
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Ski or snowboard?
For those of you heading up to the slopes for the first time, you may be trying to decide if you should try skiing vs snowboarding. Or perhaps you’re an accomplished skier and you’ve decided to give snowboarding a go.
In this article, we’ll attempt to break down the differences between the two sports so that you can make an informed decision and also be aware of how fast you can realistically expect to progress with your current skiing skills.
Differences Between the Skiing vs Snowboarding
Skiing and snowboarding are alike in that they are both downhill and are both the source of countless hours of fun and exhilaration Some of the differences, however, that you’ll find between them include:
- Snowboard riders constantly have to sit or exert energy to remain on edge while they are stationary. Unlike skiing, you will not have poles to help you remain upright and standing when you are not moving.
- Snowboarding is a lot easier on the knees compared to skiing. Knee injuries are not as common in snowboarding as they are in skiing. Snowboarding can, however, be a lot more brutal on your wrists so make sure you wear some wrist guards.
- You’ll start to develop a deep hatred for flats when you’re starting out with the snowboard. Again, you won’t have your ski poles to bail you out.
- You will, however, begin to fall in love with deeper and softer snow. Snowboards work nicely in powder and crud while skis are better in bumps and ice.
- Getting up after a fall on a snowboard is a skill in itself but once mastered should prove to be easier and faster than having to put your stuff together again after falling on skis.
The Adrenaline Factor
If you’re just looking for speed, more speed and nothing but speed, you may be surprised to know that given a skier and boarder of equal
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ability, skiing beats snowboarding virtually each time in terms of velocity.
Since this isn’t a science website, we can’t get into the physics involved which explain why skiing has an edge. Suffice to say that if you were to compare speed records for both skiers and boarders, the skiers will always be faster.
Skiing has also exploded onto the park scene with skiers having the ability to bigger and faster than any snowboarder. In the 2005 super pipe Winter X Games, Simon Dumont, a skier, went 22 feet out of the pipe while Shawn White, a snowboarder, only achieved 16 feet. (Thanks to Nathan Mattar for pointing this out).
From Skiing to Snowboarding
So you’ve been skiing for several years and you’ve decided that it’s time for a change. Around the resorts you see people having the time of their lives on snowboards and your friends certainly think you should give it a go.
So, should you? Is it hard? Will all those years of skiing make it easier to learn? The answer is probably yes, to a certain extent. Apart from being familiar with the mountain resort environment and being comfortable with descending fast, as a skier you would also be familiar with the concepts of edging and carving.
As with other beginners, you’d be best served with investing in some lessons or at least doing some reading to get an idea of the basic maneuvers involved with snowboarding. Expect to end up with a sore backside and/or a mouth full of snow during the initial stages.
Many skiers do, in fact, report to have progressed much further in their first few days of snowboarding than they did with skiing within a similar time frame back in their early days. This, of course, varies between individuals with some claiming that there is absolutely no difference in the amount of time it takes to become proficient in one or the other.
You can, therefore, expect to reach the intermediate stage without too many hassles. Beyond that, however, you’ll have to put in the miles just as you do, or have done, with skiing. Don’t expect to be carving up those double black diamond runs like a pro in just a few days.
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Breckenridge Ski Resort
Breckenridge Ski Resort is the largest historic district in the state of Colorado. The town and its residents are eager to offer something new and hip to visitors, from thriving nightlife to extreme mountain competitions at the colossal Breckenridge ski resort.
The resort’s 146 trails span through four interconnected mountains, making Breckenridge Summit County’s largest ski area. Each peak is fantastic in its right, providing skiers and riders with a mass mixture of terrain.
The all-blue rated runs at Peak 7 feature terrain for the intermediate-level skiers and riders. A must visit for those who enjoy groomed runs and average-angled slopes. Above the Independence life, however, rests the Peak 7 bowl, which offer audacious chutes and vertical slopes that funnel down to the blues. Reaching the Peak 7 summit means skiers and riders must begin their journey at Peak 8.
Peak 8 is best known for its massive Freeway Superpark. Countless freestyle competitions are held every year at Freeway. The park is said to be one of North America’s most acclaimed terrain parks, receiving numerous awards from various magazines and readers polls. Aside from Freeway?s enormous locale is Twister, a park for beginners that offers entry-level jumps, rails and fun boxes. The peak as a whole offers runs for all levels, including a trailhead on one side and T-Bar on the other that will bring skiers and riders to the glorious High Alpine bowls that lie above the Peak 7 and 8 resort lifts.
Peak 9 caters to both beginner and intermediate, supplying athletes with green and blue runs, as well as terrain parks. Eldorado Terrain Park shows learners the basics by offering small jumps, boxes, rails and even a mini-pipe. Intermediate?s can practice their style at the Gold King Park, built specifically for midway skiers and boarders. Chutes are available by foot access at the top of the Mercury Lift as well. Hiking has never been so rewarding!
Peak 10 is for the expert skier and snowboarder only. Both sides of the mountain are for those who crave trees, steeps and bumps. If you feel woozy at the top and need an easy way down, stick to the blue-black runs such as Crystal, Centennial and Doublejack.
If four intense peaks aren?t enough to feed an appetite, neighboring Keystone Resort is linked by a free direct shuttle service and interchangeable lift tickets all season long.
Once off the slopes, Breckenridge offers snowmobiling, ice-skating, historic tours, dogsledding, a live theater and many more activities.
If variety is the spice of life, Breckenridge’s nightlife offers visitors a lot of flavor. Post-ski options run the gamut from raging nights in clubs, to new age relaxation in oxygen lounges, to kicking back with a micro-brew at one of many laid-back bars.
Popular and packed, or off the beaten path, Breckenridge guests can pick their potion for fun. With a number of bars & restaurants, visitors can choose from cozy little bistros featuring gourmet flavors to dine and sip. Late night, visitors move on to the outrageous dance floors where the masses gather to cut loose & shake a tail feather.
There is a wide variety of lodging to suit any taste. Guests can choose from ski-in/ski-out lodges, to quaint mountain inns or bed and breakfasts. Make the most of the mountain and town activities by staying within walking distance to Main Street.
This unprecedented vacationing variety and value in combination with a real town and unreal skiing, makes Breckenridge a Colorado classic.
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