Going Snowboarding for the first time (Breckenridge, CO)

[]sVt[Po|son]

Leaving Texas on the 18th with a couple of friends and coming back on the 24th.

Its something I have been wanting to do for a minute

For those that have been before, feel free to give tips on what to do, places to visit, food, etc...

I'm ordering pants,jacket and gloves combo today from the-house.com. I got some friends moving to Boulder after summer so might as well have some type of gear for future visits.

:beer:

 

[Steve@TF]

this goes against conventional wisdom but i really started learning quickly when i used my friends (girl) board which was quite a bit smaller than what i was supposed to be using. with a shorter board you have much more control which makes it much easier. doesnt have to be a girls board lol, thats just what i was able to borrow. if you're going to rent a board at the resort, you can always exchange it if its not working for you.

 

[13RaceRed5.0]

I've always wanted to go snowboarding. Have fun in Colorado!

 

[kevinatfms]

stop off in golden and go to the coors brewery. tours on wed and saturdays. its off rt 70on your way out to breckenridge.

i own a condo in the granby area(granby ranch) and we normally ski at sol vista basin and winter park which is about an hour from breckenridge.
breckenridge is beautiful, your gonna have a blast. remember, dont catch an edge.

 

[truebluedevil02]

Get a good pair of goggles and a helmet.

I have tought a ton of friends to board(I live in Colorado). Dont stick with flat hills. Get on a decent hill. Its kinda like a bike, the faster you go, the easier it is to stay up(TO A POINT). Also, strap a pillow to your ass, it will thank you. No matter what, you will hate life for a couple days after, lol. Also and probably most importantly,wear the helmet, if you catch an edge(which you WILL) it is easy to slingshot your face/back of your head into the ground. That is probably what hurts more new boarders than anything.

To start with go HEAL EDGE (facing down hill, heals on the uphill side) to begin with. It makes it easier to fall on your ass if you lose your balance, or fall face first so you can catch yourself with your hands, you also wont look like a retard bent over going backwards down the hill(toe edge). It also helps keep you from sending the back of your head into the snow when you catch an edge. Also, stay clear of trees

 

[Black0ut]

this goes against conventional wisdom but i really started learning quickly when i used my friends (girl) board which was quite a bit smaller than what i was supposed to be using. with a shorter board you have much more control which makes it much easier. doesnt have to be a girls board lol, thats just what i was able to borrow. if you're going to rent a board at the resort, you can always exchange it if its not working for you.

^ This.

I hope you are going with some other "newbies" as well so you have some people to hang with. Your other "go-fast" buddies probably wont stick around with you.

Best advise. Be confident on your edges and turns - don't be afraid to fall.

 

[Svtkidd23]

Dont do the bunny slopes. Snowboarding slow os difficult.

And never justt go straight the board wont have a edge and you lose control hit a edge and bam.. You feel concusted

 

[Torch10th]

Breck is a nice mountain. Not entirely novice friendly. I would highly recommend getting at least a half day lesson. For most people that's enough instruction time to build enough skill to get you safely down the mountain and have some fun.

You don't want to be spending your entire vacation there just figuring out why the hell you can't turn, or constantly catching your edges.

 

[bluebosss197]

stop off in golden and go to the coors brewery. tours on wed and saturdays. its off rt 70on your way out to breckenridge.

i own a condo in the granby area(granby ranch) and we normally ski at sol vista basin and winter park which is about an hour from breckenridge.
breckenridge is beautiful, your gonna have a blast. remember, dont catch an edge.

Lucky. I love the Granby area. Winterpark is also neat with that Alpine slide in the summer time.



OP, check out Giampietro pizza. Best one in town. Their strombolli is delicious.

 

[UncleDan]

My tips are as follows:
1. If you can swing it, take a lesson. It will help.
2. Stay away from black diamond trails. You will die on these.
3. Rent a helmet. You never know when an out of control person can plow into you.
4. Practice as much as you can on the bunny slopes before you even try a big trail.
5. If you know you're going down, just go down. Don't wait till you're heading into the woods.
6. Have fun with it!

 

[Coiled03]

Be prepared to fall......a LOT. And be prepared to be sore for a few days as a result.

Aside from that, take a lesson, and have fun.

 

[JBird_Cobra]

Pretty much all of the above.

Learn on blues, learning to carve on flat greens is too hard.

Going toe edge is about commitment... it sucks to learn but you just need to do it (you'll learn what I'm talking about quickly)

Be prepared to suck... a lot. It's real hard to pick up but once you get the hang of it there's no problems.

 

[Rotzs99]

Eric's Pizza...BEST ONE IN TOWN!

Rent a 4wd. If it snows, being a Texan, you'll need it.

VVVV Definitely wear a helmet, 4 deaths in Colorado on the slopes this year.

 

[JesseSVTJames]

Did it for the first time last week. Friend gave me the best advice... "speed and commitment" it is easier to go quick then slow... First things first get comfortable on your heels... Toes are hard! But by the end of my first day I was able to heel and go all the way down the hill with out falling. When I tried to do toes; which might have been a little much for my first time. I caught said edge and that sucks!!!

Falling is going to happen... Just do it! and WHERE A HELMET!!! HELMET HELMET HELMET! It saved me within the first hour!

 

[VerySneaky]

Bring a GoPro, Contour, or Reflex so you we can see you crash. 8)

 

[PDubs]

As others have mentioned, you will fall and fall a lot. Pushing yourself up constantly takes energy and so I removed some layers before going out otherwise you just sweat all day. Bring some wrist guards. This helped me tremendously when I was learning how to snowboard and how to fall with the snowboard. First time I tried it w/o wrist guards didn't feel too good.

 

[Blackness03]

I went for the first time last year in WV. after a few hours of busting my ass and falling on my face, i was about ready to trade it in for skis. I stuck with it and by the end of the day i was going down black diamond trails (mostly just going side to side to keep my speed low). What helped me most was finding a big hill and doing the heal edge thing as someone else said. It helped me get a feel for everything

Don't go to the bar and catch a buz thinking that will help (it doesnt)

you will feel like you got ran over by the truck after the first day

 

[cobra_mer]

Man I remember my first heel edge catch. Getting a good hang of boarding feeling pretty cocky. Picked up speed while carving left and right. As I turned left, I put too much wieght on my heels and caught the edge. All I remember is seeing blue ski for a split moment and then nothing but blackness and suddenly flash of light. Luckily all the head injuries in football knocked what little sense I had left so nothing was damaged! :beer:

 

[]sVt[Po|son]

I will do my best to checkout Erics pizza and Giampietros pizza and the Coors brewery tour sounds legit, too.

Thanks for all the feedback :beer:

I was seriously not planning on using a helmet 'til now :lol1:

 

[CobraVenom01]

Just got back from cataloochee nc, if I have any advice to give it would be to wear wrist gaurds and a helmet. My gf fell on the second day and broke her wrist. Cut our trip 6 days short. Be safe!