"ACey" wrote in message
...
"Joe Ramirez" wrote in
:

*Our rental boots & boards used step-in bindings, which
turned out to be invaluable -- not just for getting into the bindings,
but also for getting out of them. I often found that the only way to
get from one place to another on the hill was to pick up the board and
walk.

This might have been a double-edged sword. Sure step-ins are convenient,
but they can also be a bit 'floppy' - I'm guessing that they are the
Rossi/Emory ones with a bar that sticks out either side of the boot?
These are very common on rental boards and really do suck, as they wear
very quickly and once worn are really imprecise.

Yes, that's the kind they were. However, I didn't have a problem with the
bindings. They were easy to use and seemed effective, as least for someone
at my non-level.

From your experience's I guess you won't be too keen on spending more
money on the sport, but if you do decide to persevere (and you should -
it can only get better) really think about getting your own boots. They
needn't be expensive ones, just a pair of basic softboots.

I will definitely have to consider this. Rental stuff is always somewhere
between adequate and bad. It's never good.

Others have already covered this, but it sounds like your teaching
quality wasn't great. After skating the board, the whole learning process
is about side-slipping, first on your toe-edge, then the heel-edge, and
learninh how looking up and making the edge bite into the snow controls
your descent. Then you do the falling leaf - side slipping from side to
side, still using the edge to control speed. Once you've done enough
falling-leaf, you will naturally feel the desire to turn a turn -
probably only one one side. You should never find yourself not in control
or going anything above a quick walking pace.

We never did the falling leaf. I wish we had.


Also, surely the resort should have a beginners area (bunny
slopes we used to call 'em) where anyone not in a lesson isn't allowed.
It makes it a whole load nicer to learn, if only becuase you don't feel
so self conscious!!

We were on the beginners' slope, but the problem was that it was teeming
with beginners! There also seemed to be a lot of skiers "passing through" on
their way to someplace else.

Yup, you had a pretty unfortunate start to your boarding adventure, but
remember the words of Obi Wan "Everytime you strike me down Vader, I'll
come back stronger" (or something to that effect).

I think it was, "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than
you can possibly imagine." (But Lucas never explained why that was so! He
didn't seem like a very powerful ghost to me.) That may be a bit of an
exaggeration in my case. g

Couple of other things:

Maybe try and go away for a long-weekend to learn. It will take more than
a day to start to really feel that you are making progress, and it's
worthwhile having a block of time to do that. Maybe a long weekend in
Whistler - use your US$ to get a good deal

If we went to Canada, I'd probably want to go to Banff/Lake Louise. We
visited that area in the summer ten years ago, and we loved it. But western
North America is too far for a long weekend; travel would take an entire day
each way. I was thinking about the Snowshoe resort in West Virginia, which
is a four-hour drive from here. Anyone been there?

Also, there's a book called "Snowboarding" by Rob Reichenfeld and Anne
Bruechert (ISBN 0873226771), Amazon have it. It's a good introduction and
light on the 'woah, dude' type stuff. I found it really useful to read
through what I'd learnt that day in the bath(!!) after the lesson. It
helps to see the theory behind what you've been trying to learn. It's
also got a good chapter on pre- and post- riding exercises, which do
help. (Also some stuff on equipment, but it's a little dated, although
the basics remain the same.)

Thanks for the recommendation.

Joe Ramirez