"Joe Ramirez" wrote in message
...

What went wrong: Just about everything else.

Joe, I am really sorry to hear that. I am sure many others on the group
have, like me, seen friends and family members with a similar experience on
their first day, or had a similar experience first hand. When I see this
happen I always think if only he/she would persevere a little bit longer
they would get it and I am sure others would echo that.

Learning to snowboard, for most people, does take a degree of commitment to
go through the hard knocks and steep learning curve. We have all been there
and can attest to the fact that despite that rather crestfallen feeling
after the first few hours that "I'll never be able to do this" you can!
Doubtless you saw others snowboarding and it seemed like an impossible leap
in ability to go from that beginner slope to cruising effortlessly down the
mountain. It is not! So have a rest, take a break and recover but please do
not give up.

It certainly does not help that things went badly with equipment,
instruction and crowds but it does not have to be that way.

Consider going to a smaller ski hill to learn where it will be less
crowded - you are not going to need extensive trails just yet. Try and rent
equipment the afternoon before you need it when everyone else is out on the
slope and the staff have time to advise you properly, try a specialist
snowboard shop for rentals rather than the general ski/snowboard rental desk
at the mountain lodge. Book a private lesson and invest in some protective
clothing: padded skating or hockey shorts (snowboard specific ones are very
expensive), skate wrist guards and knee pads. You may have to spend a little
bit more money but you will not regret it.

I suspect that if you really meant never to try snowboarding again you would
not have come back to tell us about your experience so take heart from the
encouragement you will undoubtedly get here and give it a fresh start.


Luke
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