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Does anyone else here ski and snowboard?

slyfox4

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Perhaps it's a touchy subject...just wondering if any of you divas ski and snowboard? My first time on snow was actually on a snowboard at Heavenly Resort. I'm pretty sure they took us around on a snowmobile into the woods...and didn't even teach anything. I have little recollection of that day. Many years later, my aunt took me to a multi-day trip to Waterville where I snowboarded on the bunny hill, but eventually got on some skis. By the end of the day I was skiing blues and claiming one day I would own a ski mountain (insert laughs because that will never happen). After meeting my boyfriend who is a snowboarder, I decided I wanted to try it again. I went to our local swap sale and got myself a little beginner board and have gone a few times...I know deep down in my heart I will always be a skier, but it's really fun to try something new and challenging. Anyone else out there in the same boat as me?!
 

KarenD

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I keep meaning to try snowboarding, but the days that seem like it would be best to learn (soft snow over a good base) are also the days I want to be on my skis, so I haven't.
 

MilkyWookiee

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I did it for a couple years as a young teen. I never quite got the hang of not looking downhill, and switched back to skis after an off-snow injury toy tailbone. A couple friends recently mentioned wanting to try boards though and I'm considering giving it another shot
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
There are Divas who board. But you will find that the discussions about gear are pretty much all about ski boots and skis.

Even the Ski Diva took a snowboard lesson a few years ago. She was at Killington checking out Terrain Based Learning.

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?threads/i-took-a-snowboarding-lesson.19043/

My daughter wanted to give boarding a try when she was a tween and had made a friend who was a pretty good boarder. She did a day of boarding school and learned the basics well enough. Opted to stay on skis. Of course, I stacked the deck because I said I wasn't buying board gear since she already had good boots and skis. What happened later on was that she switched to telemark skiing.

I've used my daughter's tele gear to get a feel for what that's all about. But going to stay away from learning to board. Too much time on the ground in the first 2-3 days from what I've heard.
 

slyfox4

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I keep meaning to try snowboarding, but the days that seem like it would be best to learn (soft snow over a good base) are also the days I want to be on my skis, so I haven't.

Yes! My friend who has only snowboarded her entire life always said "you need to keep doing it" and I said, well...the days that are beautiful and good for boarding are amazing for skiing, so I'd rather have fun than be falling down the entire time!
 

slyfox4

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
There are Divas who board. But you will find that the discussions about gear are pretty much all about ski boots and skis.

Even the Ski Diva took a snowboard lesson a few years ago. She was at Killington checking out Terrain Based Learning.

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?threads/i-took-a-snowboarding-lesson.19043/

My daughter wanted to give boarding a try when she was a tween and had made a friend who was a pretty good boarder. She did a day of boarding school and learned the basics well enough. Opted to stay on skis. Of course, I stacked the deck because I said I wasn't buying board gear since she already had good boots and skis. What happened later on was that she switched to telemark skiing.

I've used my daughter's tele gear to get a feel for what that's all about. But going to stay away from learning to board. Too much time on the ground in the first 2-3 days from what I've heard.

Great post - I especially loved the part about how humbling it is to learn from scratch again. I felt myself trying to do things on my board that I do when I ski, it's an entirely different way of riding and turning. I had a lot of fun, I think I am going to keep with it more next season and shoot for boarding at least once a week.
 

Cap'nJazzHands

Diva in Training
I do! For years I was a better skier than rider, but snowboard boots kept my feet so much warmer (hello Reynaud's). So I switched as a teen and let my skiing lapse for about 22 years. A few years ago, I picked up some new skis on sale, and I've had fun on them, but I am no where near as good as I was back in the day on my old Atomics. Last year I was pregnant during the Winter, so I went back to my skis for safety reasons and has a pretty good time. I was dying to get back to my board though, and it's nice to feel competent again ;) I stick with my board for the most part, so I can hit all the fun stuff.

Oh and this is my first post. Happy to have found this forum :yahoo:
 

MilkyWookiee

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Okay board divas, do y'all have problems getting on and off the chairlift on a board? I always had a hard time with it and I feel like many chairlift mishaps I see involve snow boards.
 

echo_VT

Angel Diva
ME! i am actually a snowboarder who has been learning to ski these past few years. and now my skiing is in top form (after lots of work), but i'm still not as good at skiing as i am at snowboarding.

at 3 yo, my dad took me skiing and that's when i started. i skied til when i was about 20 and i changed to snowboarding b/c i wasn't really good at skiing and i never learned how to ski properly. it wasn't that fun for me. but snowboarding i could learn from my friends who were all snowboarding. they would follow me , tell me what i was doing wrong and then i would improve. then it became highly addictive and i never looked back.

i would say i'm an advanced snowboarder - i have some experience snowboarding deep pow out west, but my forte is snowboarding east coast, of course. i'm a big terrain park rat, i like boxes and jumps and the halfpipe. they're all SO SO SO fun. there is the reason the kids do it. it's ridiculous fun. the biggest jumps i've done are 20-25 booters, but now i just do 5-15 footers, and within that i prefer mainly 5-10 footers. out west, i like cliff drops, cornice jumps. anything i can launch myself into a nice down sloping pillow of powder. i also like learning new tricks on the rails and boxes and i like spins. the halfpipe gives you such a rush!

if you have any snowboarding questions, please ask!

@MilkyWookiee have you practiced skating on the snow? you should be able to make basic turns on a bunny hill skating (one-footed) this is how you get off the lift, you just skate. i keep my feet together, some people place their foot on the inside of their back binding.

snowboard gear is WAY lighter than ski gear which is a nice benefit. walking is so much easier too bc the boots are flex and lightweight. the downfalls is that snowboarding is slower. but that's OK i'm an old lady :smile: i totally like going slower. with skis, speed can get out of control so QUICKLY compared to snowboarding. but if you like speed, obviously skiing is the way to go. also convenience, skiing is easier to get around b/c you're standing up and have poles. in the backcountry it's also a safer way to get around. that is my main reason for learning to ski properly again bc if i want to go backcountry, i can ski. there are lots of uphill and downhill transitions. it's not that much longer on a splitboard but if i want to get away from something (potential avalanche) with my skins on, i can ski. can't do that with a splitboard.

IMO though, powder is way more fun on a snowboard (it has that surf feel) as is the terrain park. groomers are more fun on skis. it is really boring to do a groomer on a snowboard to me. maybe these are just my preferences but i have heard some others say this same thing. if i had really light skis/bindings/boots, then i think terrain parks would be more fun on skis. but i don't have freestyle equipment, i just have freeride ski gear. a really good ski turn is just golden to me. a really good snowboard turn does not give as much satisfaction. these are some of the things i've noticed of being both a snowboarding and skier now.
 
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Cap'nJazzHands

Diva in Training
Okay board divas, do y'all have problems getting on and off the chairlift on a board? I always had a hard time with it and I feel like many chairlift mishaps I see involve snow boards.

OMG yes, all the time. I've been riding since 1991 and am advanced/expert but have still never mastered getting off the lift with any manner of grace - and I've tried everything (varying stomp pads, foot placement ideas, skating down a bunny hill run, etc.) to improve w/ only marginal successes. I have decided to accept it as life's way of keeping my ego in check.
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
My husband has this on his snowboard, to make it easier on his knee in lift lines and in getting off the chair . . .

https://www.amazon.com/swivler-rotatable-snowboard-binding-adapter/dp/b00a3i8236

A few years ago he contacted the company because he wanted to move it from one board to another and was having an issue getting some part of it off his old board. They just sent him a whole new one, no charge. Company seems to be hard to find, though - when you go to the website linked in Wikipedia it doesn't look anything like a snowboard related site, but the logo looks right.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swivler
 

elemmac

Angel Diva
Another snowboarder here. I started skiing when I was young, not really sure how old...5 or 6 I think. Switched to snowboarding when I was 12. Snowboarded exclusively for the next 10 years. Started dabbling with skis again in my early 20s, and slowly progressed to spending equal time on both. I now split time based on conditions, who I'm skiing/riding with, where we're going, or just what I feel like doing that day. Now that I've gotten fairly competent on skis, I simply consider skis vs. snowboards a different tool for the job. For me, snowboarding is more playful; skiing more aggressive. Snowboards have nothing on skis for an icy day at the hill; the extra edge does wonders for grip and confidence. The feeling of an untouched powder turn on a snowboard is something magical that cannot be emulated on skis. Yet, once fresh snow gets bumped up, skis are the tool for the job.
 

slyfox4

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I do! For years I was a better skier than rider, but snowboard boots kept my feet so much warmer (hello Reynaud's). So I switched as a teen and let my skiing lapse for about 22 years. A few years ago, I picked up some new skis on sale, and I've had fun on them, but I am no where near as good as I was back in the day on my old Atomics. Last year I was pregnant during the Winter, so I went back to my skis for safety reasons and has a pretty good time. I was dying to get back to my board though, and it's nice to feel competent again ;) I stick with my board for the most part, so I can hit all the fun stuff.

Oh and this is my first post. Happy to have found this forum :yahoo:

Welcome! I'm pretty new here, too! That's so interesting you think that your snowboard boots keep your feet warmer. I have the Boa system on my boots and they're great, but I find that they cut circulation off more easily than my ski boots, but I usually unbuckle the lower buckles each chair lift ride. But at the same time my snowboard boots loosen much easier than my ski boots. A never ending cycle!
 

WaterGirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Okay board divas, do y'all have problems getting on and off the chairlift on a board? I always had a hard time with it and I feel like many chairlift mishaps I see involve snow boards.

DH has the Gnu Mutant binding, clicks in on the lift - has perfected a simple reach back to pull up binding.
I snowboarded thru the 90s. Back when they had the unisex big fat army green Vans boots.... lol. I loved my switch bindings. Haven't been on snowboard since 2011.
So much easier now to learn, Better boots, bindings and magna traction....
 

former-boarder

Certified Ski Diva
My first post!

I was a snowboarder for many years. I got into backcountry riding and had a splitboard. I originally took up skiing to help me with splitboarding while in uphill "ski" mode. But then I fell in love with skiing itself. I can't quite get rid of my snowboard yet, but I haven't ridden at all this year and have 20+ days on my skis. My ultimate goal is to backcountry ski so I can climb mountains and ski down them (I live in Washington State; we have a lot of skiable peaks.)
 

WaterGirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Edit I grew up skiing on and off thru early 90s when I met DH Who was a skier turned snowboarder. Of course I had to try snowboarding lol.

@echo_NY besides the "fatness" of the splitboard why cant you ski them with skins? I have toured with splitboarders, they were able to make short downhills with skins. They agree that a foundation/ background in skiing really helps.

I have also met two people who transitioned back to skiing for back country touring so I understand those who board and want to retun to skis for bc.
 

echo_VT

Angel Diva
yes that's it, just adaptability to skiing/foundation in skiing, and also the equipment - it's meant to go downhill as a snowboard, when they are in split mode, it's not really meant for turns and such on the downhill. yup i'm totally one of those people who is transitioning to skiing for back country alpine touring - !
 

CarverJill

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I used to snowboard, from about age 12-23. I still have my board but have only been on it a few times in recent years. I just enjoy skiing more.
 

slyfox4

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My first post!

I was a snowboarder for many years. I got into backcountry riding and had a splitboard. I originally took up skiing to help me with splitboarding while in uphill "ski" mode. But then I fell in love with skiing itself. I can't quite get rid of my snowboard yet, but I haven't ridden at all this year and have 20+ days on my skis. My ultimate goal is to backcountry ski so I can climb mountains and ski down them (I live in Washington State; we have a lot of skiable peaks.)

I'm so intrigued by split boards! I think that my next pair of skis will allow me to do some backcountry touring. I'm from Washington state but I live in NH. Welcome fellow PNWer!
 

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