I heart snowboarding, sign me up

Shad0r

just post to this thread if you wish to become a member...for after the iron php curtain comes down....

Edit: Because there is always a twat who types before thinking...if you're not interested in either SNOWBOARDING or SKIING, then please leave without trying to pump up your post count....

passive

ooh...random forum. count me in!

Shad0r

passive wrote:

ooh...random forum. count me in!

You dont even know what this forum is about do you?

Ronin

count me in..nothing like watching people faceplant ..

we'll likely want to keep this forum pretty much on topic and so random posts will be cleaned up..

Moriarty

*raises paw*

I hope it doesn't matter too much that I've never actually done either before. I want to though..

Amz

By expressing an interest here are we obliged to go on any of the trips, or pay deposits etc?

I would be interested, but for the forseeable future I won't be able to venture too far due to lack of monies.

Oh ... Same as Moriarty, I've never skied, or snowboardeded.

Shad0r

Amz wrote:

By expressing an interest here are we obliged to go on any of the trips, or pay deposits etc?

Yes. By expressing an interest here you automatically agree to give Ronin and myself access to every penny you own. We wont take it all, just some of it....

I would be interested, but for the forseeable future I won't be able to venture too far due to lack of monies.

Oh ... Same as Moriarty, I've never skied, or snowboardeded.

Experience level is irrelevant. The point of this forum is for the discussion of things alpine and along with that we will be organising a trip once a year to go away somewhere in Europe. The trip for 2006 is already mostly done and dusted as we are just about to drop deposits in so its probably too late for that.

Well unless you can make a decision quickly about 25th Feb and the two weeks following it! And have a couple hundred quid to put down as a deposit in the next week or so...

If you have then PM me!

Cake Fiend

GNARLY!!!11oneone

the_syco

I only found this forum now... and I want in. At the mo, I'm broke (ie: jobless), but I'd love to do this sh|t when I get a job

The_Conductor

Last time I went skiing I ended up with concussion. What the hell- count me please. We nearly killed someone in a Spud that time too- it was far faster than the Spud had ever gone before, and its not nearly as manoeverable in snow.....

Fun!!!!

Nietzschean

ah last time i was at it, last time down the slopes me and a sign had an unfortunate meeting....twas interesting.... i fared better than the sign

masteroftherealm

Yup ount me in I love me my snowboarding

The_Conductor

Serenity wrote:

ah last time i was at it, last time down the slopes me and a sign had an unfortunate meeting....twas interesting.... i fared better than the sign

My unfortunate meeting was with a tree........

Shad0r

smccarrick wrote:

My unfortunate meeting was with a tree........

Ouch. That happened to DeVore once upon a time too. He broke his femur and now has a big lump of Canadian metal in his leg. Cheery...His blog entry on the subject makes for great reading though...

BEAT

I havnt done so yet but Id love to try it, I love watching the Skiing and Snowboarding events on tv.
I dont know how Id be at the board I hope to find out Id atleast like to try and Ski sometime soon
My roomate said she may be going this year so I may finally get to go

Moriarty

<snip> This is the first and last warning about that kind of intollerant BS. Next time I'll be clicking ban instead of edit, and that goes for both of you, and I dont care who started it.

You are both very welcome to reamain part of this forum, and personally I hope you both do, but no one here gives a monkeys toss about your childish petty personal crap.

Ronin

Yeah when Devore hit that tree it was one of the most craziest experiences of my life. Mad. His blog doesn't do the whole experience justice. He knows what I mean.

Travel insurance that covers winter sports is such a must. Even if you think it costs too much when something happens its well worth it. The cost of Devore just getting from the ski hill to local hospital 30 mins away was a few hundred dollars. You don't want to know how much the "taxi ride" to the city 4 hours away cost. There was even a two for one special on that deal. Some other guy totally creamed himself on the mountain.

2 weeks in livigno. woohoo. 2007 will see me/us go somewhere else hopefully. 3 years in a row going to livigno..I'd love to do canada again plus there's loads great places in france. I'd really like to go back and board the 3 valleys. only did one least year but it was brilliant.

Shad0r

Yeah I think that either Val Thorens or Chamonix for 2007 is going to be a must!! The familiarity of knowning where everything is and all the snowboarding instructors in Livigno makes for a better week there alright but as a resort its relatively small...well at least when you compare it to somewhere like the three valleys in France.

Also because of the way the wheather works in that part of the Alps (the snow all has to come from the south because Switzerland basically steals all the snow from the north, as far as I understand it!) the snow conditions over the course of the five years the group have been going there, have been pretty inconsistant...

Chamonix on the other hand is alledged to have some savage off-piste and tonnes of expert terrain. Val Thorens has something like 600miles of piste or some other insane amount of ridable snow! Now all I need is a new snowboard...

20 Times 20 Times

raises paw

Sparky

Moriarty wrote:

No beats allowed, sorry.

ah now come on, thats dirty, give it up

Dimitri

Count me in too.

Digitally

Sure why not.
Rather in then out.....

RuggieBear

ohh pick me pick me......altho i snowboarded once and hated it.

Raw arse, aching wrists and limbs....;)

ionapaul

I'm in - going snowboarding in Poland in January, never been on the slopes in Eastern Europe before

frodo_dcu

sign me up! I have been boarding for a few years now and was one of the guys who set up the the "legendry DCU snowboarding club"

<--SNIP--><. that site may be in the proccess of being updated so that it will eventually have loads of good content but the last time I checked it, it was no more than a glorified advert for Kiltiernan. Also elements of it are in direct conflict with what we are trying to do here so I would appreciate it if you keep links of this variety to your sig-file.>

also for anyone college check out these college clubs they also have some great advice and cheep lessons and trips if you go there or even just know someone there:
DIT Snowsports Club
Dublin University Snow Sports Club (Trinity)
UCD Snowsports Club
DCU Snowboarding Club

And finaly for anyone who acctually wants to board in ireland check Kilternan out. Its not as good as snow but a great place to get lessons before your first trip away. You will have a much better time on snow if you get the falling over part out of the down here. For those with experiance the surface is a bit unforgiving but its grand for a bit of pratice before heading of to the real stuff . You can get all the info at: http://www.skiclub.ie/

there is also a simelar place at the Craigavon Ski & Golf centre in Lurgan, near belfast in Northern Ireland. don't have a website as far as i know

Shad0r

frodo_dcu wrote:

And finaly for anyone who acctually wants to board in ireland check Kilternan out. Its not as good as snow but a great place to get lessons before your first trip away. You will have a much better time on snow if you get the falling over part out of the down here. For those with experiance the surface is a bit unforgiving but its grand for a bit of pratice before heading of to the real stuff . You can get all the info at: http://www.skiclub.ie/

there is also a simelar place at the Craigavon Ski & Golf centre in Lurgan, near belfast in Northern Ireland. don't have a website as far as i know

Personally I'm of the opinion that you need to have your head checked to even consider snowboarding (and in this instance I use the term loosely) on a dry slope. If you're a total beginner, the dry slope will only make your first efforts harder and more painful than they need to be and if you're experienced you just wont find anything approaching the fun of a real slope there. Just very little edge control and probably pain in quantity.

In a survey done in North America it was found that just over 10% of people who visit a ski resort for the first time will actually ever come back. Which means that almost 9 out of every 10 people who try a winter sport (in North America) decide that it isn't for them. I would imagine the figures for Europe are lower because we have less obesity issues overall, but regardless, the point is clear:
Getting started is hard enough on natural snow, why make it even harder by trying to learn on a dry slope?

I love snowboarding because I have so much fun when I'm doing it. After seriously entertaining pretty much every conceivable option that would enable me to ride more than a couple times a year, the only satisfactory conclusion I came to was that if I wanted to ride every weekend I would need to emigrate! Yes, there are indoor places with man made snow in England and Holland which might offer a compromise of sorts but aside from the fact that they are excessively expensive and no doubt have really short runs, nothing can compare with snowboarding in the mountains.

Ron DMC

Count me in, this could be good

Cake Fiend

Shad0r wrote:

If you're a total beginner, the dry slope will only make your first efforts harder and more painful than they need to be

Also, the last thing you need just before a snowboarding trip is a broken wrist from falling on dendix

LG

Ok, I realise this is an ancient thread but I only just found it.

On behalf of Kilternan, Hey! I'm an instructor there and even though I'm only a lowly skier, when it comes to this there really isn't that much difference between the sports. I admit, Dendex doesn't even come close to comparing to snow. Snow is better in almost every way. Except one. It isn't here! I do think that the fact that there's even a possibility of skiing and boarding in Ireland is pretty cool. Not to mention doing it really well.

I agree with Frodo, better to get your beginner falls over and done with in Ireland rather than waste your limited, expensive snow time on your backside on a tiny bunny slope. Once you get the basics you'll learn much faster on snow. I took a couple of snowboard lessons in Kilternan. Without pads. If you're travelling at beginner speeds it doesn't hurt when you fall on Dendex.

And if you're good, it only makes it better that Dendex is more difficult than snow. With an artificial slope you're never going to get the speed or distance that you do on snow. So you need different challenges. Dendex isn't as kind as snow, it won't let you away with as many mistakes. Ok, so you might fall a bit more at the start, but if you stick to it you end up really improving your technique. And are then so much better when you do hit the snow.

As regards the figures for America, it's not that different for Kilternan. Except we're doing slightly better! Between 80 and 90% of our clients are beginners. That means that only about 15% continue with the sport. It's not a question of where you do it making it easier or harder, it's just a question of how much you love it and are committed to it.

Ronin

with learning to snowboard or anything else alot depends on the teacher as well as the student.

One reason I enjoied snowboarding so much the first time was my instructors. They where so friendly and helpful. They really wanted you to be able to enjoy the experience. As much for themselves, ie not having to baby sit you all the way down the slopes all day, but so that you could enjoy it as well. Also the people you go with can make a big difference.

As to dry slopes. i think i'd like to give a shot and see. I know we've always said hell no, but at least if i give it a shot i'll be able to give an opinion on it rather then just knocking it..

As shadow said if you really want to ride then off out of ireland to the alps or the america's!..

Just back from a visit to Switzerland and it was snowing on monday..so had i really wanted i probably could have got in some summer boarding!..I thought I was doing well with late april this year..madness..