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Our snowboarding misadventure at Seven Springs



 
 
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  #21  
Old January 20th 04, 03:57 AM
Joe Ramirez
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Default Our snowboarding misadventure at Seven Springs

"toddjb" wrote in message
m...
"Joe Ramirez" wrote in message

...

Joe, sorry your first experience was a bad one. The best takeaways
from everyone here is 1) don't go on a weekend and 2) don't go when
its icy (which is tough to call since the condition reports always
lie).

I go to 7Springs a lot and its a nice hill. Particularly the North
Face area once you've gotten the hang of basic skills. So, don't
discount the resort.


I think it's a pretty nice resort for people who don't need hand-holding.
But it may be too big and hectic to provide a satisfying, productive
experience for beginners.

Regarding your $130, I'd contact the resort or write a letter and
pretty much spell out all the negatives from your post here. It is to
the resorts advantage to teach you correctly because then you'll come
back and spend more $ with them on lifts, food and rentals. If you
get the right person on the phone or send a letter to the owner, I would
be very surprised if you did not get 2 free lesson/rental vouchers
for you to give it another try.


As I mentioned previously, I've sent Seven Springs an e-mail, but I doubt
that there will be much in the way of a response. You're right about the
incentive to provide good teaching, but the resort (resorts?) may not
understand that, or it may not care.

Or go to a small mountain.


I have been thinking about trying Boyce Park here in Allegheny County. It's
not a full-fledged resort, just a "ski hill" with five or so trails. But's
it's much closer to home than Seven Springs, and it's supposed to be a good
place for beginners because it's small and gentle. The park offers lessons
and rentals for skiers and snowboarders, though if we went there we'd
probably follow the advice of this group and rent from a shop in advance, or
even purchase some stuff.

Thanks,

Joe Ramirez


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  #22  
Old January 20th 04, 04:03 AM
Joe Ramirez
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Default Our snowboarding misadventure at Seven Springs

"Jürgen Schmadlak" wrote in message
...

Maybe look for good shop to rent the equipment. If you know another
boarder ask him for help you with the equipment. For a beginner a 2
day curse is a good idea. In 90 minutes you learn nothing.


I don't know any snowboarders, but I suppose if we rented in advance from a
shop, we would have plenty of time to discuss our needs there. It's
difficult to do that a resort with a huge line of other people waiting to
get their own rental boots and boards.

Thanks,

Joe Ramirez


  #24  
Old January 20th 04, 04:12 AM
Joe Ramirez
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Default Our snowboarding misadventure at Seven Springs


"Johnny K" wrote in message
...
sorry to hear that.. I just started snowboarding a few weeks ago, but
didn't bother with lessons or anything.. What i did was go to my local
ski hill (wiht a massive 200foot vertical drop), and brought my friend
(who, as chance would have it, is a snowboard instructor there).. He
just showed me some basics (after watching me fly down the hill straight
the first time).. He err, held my hands, with my board perpendicular
to the slope, and had me put my weight on the front, and watch how it
starts to go straight down the hill.


It seems to me that hand holding is an obviously useful tool that could help
all beginners. At least some instructors apparently use it:
http://atearl.com/ski/snowboard_lesson4.html

But I suppose it might be hard to use in a group lesson.

Joe Ramirez



  #25  
Old January 20th 04, 04:29 AM
Joe Ramirez
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Default Our snowboarding misadventure at Seven Springs

"Baka Dasai" wrote in message
news:slrnc0nabe.4pl.idontreadthis@yahoobb220004112 021.bbtec.net...

Yeah, this is a pretty common experience at rental shops. I see many
people in rental gear that is so low quality and/or poor fitting that
I know they're gonna struggle to learn to turn.

You can get better results if you don't mind making the rental
dude/dudette muck about giving you various different boot sizes, and
adjusting your bindings for preferred stance angle etc. But
first-time beginners don't usually know what they want, and are often
intimidated by the whole experience.


Right. I didn't really know what we wanted, except that I wanted it to work.
But there really isn't much that the clerks can do for one person, because
they always have to worry about the long line of people waiting for service.

I don't know if the instructor was doing a good job or not, but what
you've described sounds fairly common to me. Your first time out on
the slope involves lots of falling over and very little control.
It's a steep learning curve, by which I mean it seems impossibly
daunting at first, but after about two days (often earlier) some
basic skills "click" and you're off to explore the rest of the
mountain.

Perhaps you're shaking your head while reading this, firm in the
belief that you'll never be able to learn to snowboard, but unless
you're spectacularly uncoordinated you'll pick it up quicker than you
think.


The skills seemed to be hard to learn, but that wasn't the real problem. The
problem was that the environment -- the particular equipment we had been
issued, which was OK by rental standards but not quite right, the
instructor's rote procedures, and most of all the impossibly crowded
beginners' hill -- made learning impossible, at least for me. I just refuse
to do anything that risks smacking into other people.

I suppose my first day of ice skating (also as an adult) was worse, because
my finger got run over by a skate blade, I bled all over the ice and had to
go the emergency room for stitches. I persevered, however, because I could
tell, even from the first day, that I would eventually be able to learn the
activity. I could hold the wall when I needed to, and when I fell on open
ice, I was falling while actually skating, not while I was just learning to
stand up. Buying my own equipment was easy to manage because a pair of good
skates is a lot less than a board, boots and bindings. And a key factor was
that we did a lot of skating indoors in the summer, when the rinks were
usually empty or close to it. It's great to learn with a big open spaces at
your disposal. I wish there were a snowboarding equivalent.

Thanks,

Joe Ramirez


  #26  
Old January 20th 04, 04:34 AM
Joe Ramirez
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Default Our snowboarding misadventure at Seven Springs


"Playdreamer" wrote in message
...

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.


There's a ski hill in a nearby public park, Boyce Park, that is supposed to
be good for beginners (perhaps because it's too tame for experienced snow
sliders). We may try that place if I can persuade my son to give
snowboarding another shot. Boyce Park is closer and cheaper than Seven
Springs, so we may even be able to go there on weekday nights. If we go, we
will definitely get a private lesson if available.

Thanks,

Joe Ramirez


  #27  
Old January 20th 04, 04:38 AM
Joe Ramirez
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Default Our snowboarding misadventure at Seven Springs

"David Brown )" wrote in message
...
Are there any dry slopes near you? They are much more difficult to board

on
but a lot slower, and with decent lessons (which by the sounds of, you
definately didn't have) you'll pick it up in a safe controlled manner.


What are dry slopes? Are they those artificial turf hills with slippery
pellets?

At your standard you should not be travelling forward at all IMHO, as you
noted you will soon become a fast moving uncontrolled projectile.
You say that you couldn't get an edge at all, but you should be on an edge
at all times, flat running at your level (and mine for that matter is
lethal).


Yes, that was my problem. The board was flat and I was going much too fast.

Side slipe on both heal and toes edges untill you are in complete control

of
speed and the board.
Then try falling leaf (side slip going side to side) on both heal and toe
edges. Then try the same but turning a little more into the fall line

and
back to perpendicular to the slope again.


Many people have mentioned this "falling leaf" technique. Is it a standard
lesson for beginners? If so, why didn't we use it?!

Thanks,

Joe Ramirez


  #28  
Old January 20th 04, 04:49 AM
Joe Ramirez
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Default Our snowboarding misadventure at Seven Springs


"Edward Arata" wrote in message
...

Your absolutely right about the "kids" running the rental place just

handing
you the equipment and saying go for it. This is also true with lessons

from
what I have heard. Other than what has been said before, like renting

from
a small shop the day before, I would suggest taking a person that knows

how
to board.


I don't know anyone who knows how to snowboard. (My brother and
brother-in-law ski.) I'm in the wrong generation. Snowboarding did not exist
as a mass participation sport when I was growing up. As I'm discovering,
relatively few people seem to take it up as adults.

I understand that you don't want to hit people as a human projectile. I
have this issue as well being 6'5" and 200 lbs. So less crowed day would
help, not to mention non-icy conditions. The snow conditions also have a
huge impact on learning. Don't learn on ice or deep powder, neither will

be
much fun. The best I think to learn on is machine packed powder that fell
within the last 3 or 4 days, so its not too too hard.


That's the snow we would have had if we had gone last Sunday, as I
originally planned. But my son was ill, so we started yesterday instead. I
didn't feel like waiting for ideal conditions that might never arrive, even
assuming I could recognize them.

Joe Ramirez


  #29  
Old January 20th 04, 05:50 AM
Bob
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Default Our snowboarding misadventure at Seven Springs


"Joe Ramirez" wrote in message
...
I don't know any snowboarders,


I bet your son does.

Bob


  #30  
Old January 20th 04, 05:56 AM
John
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Default Our snowboarding misadventure at Seven Springs

For something different, try Wisp in western Maryland. It's not far
from Seven Springs, and can be a lot less crowded.

That's where I learned to ride in my 40s. Ended up on the ski patrol
there, or should I say Boarder Patrol?

Rent from High Mountain Sports (you'll drive right past it on the way
to Wisp) for better gear than at the area.

As nearly everyone else has said, take a lesson, and don't let them
keep you on the most basic bunney slope. You need some slope. Jump on
the chairlift and go. Just remember--the steeper the slope, the
farther you are from an edge-catching slam!

JG, now riding year round on Mt Hood.
 




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