Why learn to snowboard?

In the beginning, this was my only motivation, so I listed it first. If you're like me, your family is always on the go and you have very little time to spend with your kids actually doing something with them. Vacations are the perfect opportunity to reinforce the bond with your kids and forge memories that will last a lifetime. I know plenty of families that don't vacation at all or that just visit relatives when they have time off. Money oftentimes is a barrier. But maybe it's just a choice of what we do with our money. Vacations are always costly and winter vacations are certainly no exception. When it comes down to the choice of a new big-screen television or a fun and active vacation - I'll pass on the TV every time. In my opinion, your kids will remember their vacation experiences a lot longer than that remodeled kitchen. They grow up really fast!

Some of my friends, who have skied all their lives, have asked me if they should try snowboarding. I tell them every time that it depends on whether they really want to learn to snowboard or do they just want enjoy their vacation. You have to be willing to climb the learning curve, which takes time. If you are super-focused, are in excellent shape, and have the help of a private instructor every day, you might be able to start linking your turns by the third day of a trip. You will have spent your whole vacation performing drills on the bunny slopes while all your skier friends and family are whooping and hollering all over the mountain. What is your goal?

You may ask, "Gary, you've never skied, so how can you say this?" I can say this because I'm observant and curious. With skis, if you need to descend a pitch that's too steep for your skill level, you have 2 choices: 1) take the skis off and hike down or 2) side-step down until the pitch is less severe. You'll see skiers doing both of these after crashing.

The snowboarder's equivalent to the skier's side step is called a "side slip". You can negotiate nearly any pitch using a snowboard side slip maneuver. When you're side-stepping skis you're not really skiing, you're "stepping sideways." On a snowboard, when you're side slipping, your still riding, and you have the freedom to change directions at will.

Skiers can't handle very steep slopes if they're still skiing snowplow-style. Green runs are the haven of the "snowplow crowd." This definitely limits what trails you can explore on the mountain and these folks can get into trouble if they're not careful.

In contrast, even beginning snowboarders very quickly gravitate toward the intermediate runs on the mountain. Why? On many mountains the easy trails are really snow-covered roads that traverse the steeps and provide an "easy way down". There may be flat places in these trails. Snowboarders hate flats. Typical scenario on an easy trail: You've had to slam on the brakes to avoid running over a 4 year old on skis only to look up and face a quarter mile of flat road ahead. Loosing all your momentum, the only choice is to unclip and walk or "skate" the board.

Admittedly, there will be places on any mountain where you won't see many snowboards. Anyplace where there isn't enough room to turn the board gives riders problems. Two types of terrain come to mind: Moguls, and tight chutes. Take moguls for example - In many situations the bumps are just too closely spaced to turn the board. It's like trying to negotiate a busy mall parking lot in an 18 wheeler!

I didn't just make this up. This is a pearl of wisdom I picked up from someone else but cannot remember who. It makes sense.

There are essentially 2 ways to ski - snowplow and parallel. Almost everyone learns to ski using the snowplow technique. But the real "goal" is to learn to ski parallel. From what I've heard, some people spend a substantial amount of time transitioning from the beginner method to the advanced method.

Learning to ride a snowboard involves mastering a handful of simple techniques that lead up to the "linked turn." Once you are able to link your turns, you've made it! After that, the mountain is yours. Of course, it's a bit more involved than this short paragraph makes it seem. The point is there is no "beginner" and "advanced" way to turn a snowboard. You're either linking your turns or your not. When you are, you've "mastered" the fundamentals of snowboarding. As your strength, technique, and confidence improve there will literally be nothing on the mountain you can't deal with (except for those darn moguls!)

This is based on statistics compiled from reported injuries at several major Colorado resorts. Skiers mess up their lower extremities whereas arm injuries are more common with snowboarders. Life without a leg for 6 - 12 weeks can be a royal pain. I can deal with a broken wrist.

According to the folks who studied these injuries, a skier's lower body is at risk due to the fact that the legs can move independently of one another. The legs must deal with the destructive twisting that can occur as forces are applied to the tips or tails of those long skis before their bindings release.

A snowboarder, in contrast, is "locked-in" to his board with non-releasable bindings. During a spill the whole lower body stays, more or less, in natural alignment. Most of the upper extremity injuries occur as a result of the inexperienced rider impulsively attempting to "catch themselves" with their hands. Snowboarders learn to tuck their arms in close to their torso (like you're holding a lily in a coffin) during a tumble.

The learning phase is when you are most vulnerable to a vacation-ending injury. Lots of beginners break their wrists or tail bone. These injuries can be avoided with inexpensive safety equipment.

In my opinion, once you get past the early learning phase, your biggest risk is collisions with other people on the mountain. Unless you are a real hot shot snowboarder, skiers are generally going faster than you. My worst injury as a snowboarder (broken rib), was a result of being run over by an older skier going way too fast in a crowded slow zone. He stopped to make sure I wasn't dead, but didn't even apologize!

With either skiing or snowboarding, your greatest risk is head injury. Most deaths on the slopes are attributed to head trauma. You can easily and inexpensively reduce your exposure to this risk by simply wearing a quality helmet. $79 bucks will seem like a blue-light special compared to $700 for a CAT scan (not to mention ruining your vacation). It can be worse - a lot worse. Head injuries that aren't fatal sometimes require surgery to repair bleeding inside the skull. Now you're talking about the services of a neurosurgeon (air-ambulance to the nearest major hospital) plus a week in the hospital to recover. I know about this. My daughter was smashed in the head on the playground in first grade and went through exactly that scenario (except for the helicopter ride). The bill, in 1990 dollars, was nearly $20,000. And I did not have very good insurance at the time.

Overall, snowboard equipment is easier to "live" with. Snowboard boots, although stiffer than hiking boots, are easier to walk in than ski boots. In addition, surprisingly, a snowboard is lighter than a pair of skis. Plus there are no poles to drop, lose, bend, etc. This directly ties in to on-the-trail convenience as well. Skiers refer to the scattering of equipment resulting from a crash as a "yard sale". Snowboarders never have to suffer this indignity! Snowboarders can entertain themselves counting the lost ski poles underneath the chair lifts!