For years I have tried to get my friends into snowboarding. I have succeeded with some, however others I’ve found harder to crack. I feel that a lot of people (not just my friends), would be WAY more likely to pick a summer holiday over a winter one. Many are also a bit scared to learn snowboarding too. This got me thinking… why is this?
Here are some commonly misplaced perceptions that could hold people back from snowboard trips, or even trying to learn snowboarding in the first place. Also, more importantly, some solutions.
“It’s too cold”
Yes, compared to a summer holiday on a beach in Majorca wearing nothing more than a yellow polka dot bikini, it is marginally colder. But it’s no way near as cold as people may think. On paper the temperatures look cold, BUT I very rarely actually feel cold snowboarding. Firstly, it’s not like the damp cold in the UK that really gets into your bones. Its a crisp/ dry cold, normally accompanied with blue skies and blazing sunshine. This is a more bearable type of cold. You are also way more prepared for the cold on a winter holiday. You go equipped with warm clothes, thermals and gloves. In fact, I often get too hot snowboarding as I’ve over-dressed. It can certainly be an active sport to get the blood pumping and sweat dripping (especially when you are learning, not to mention when you get stuck in powder). Same deal for just walking around the resort, you’re normally all bundled up so you don’t feel the cold.
Believe it or not I have actually acquired some of my best sun tans whilst snowboarding (yes it’s just the lower part of my face to make me look like I have a beard, but still the darkest I’ve even been). The altitude/ sun/ refection off snow makes it prime tanning time. Then, come spring time, temperatures can get really hot. It feels like summer yet there is still snow?! You can often spot serious sunbathers tanning on the edge of the slopes in their bikinis/ trunks. If summer really is your thing, then you might consider some “summer shred” and head to a glacier in the summer. In my eyes this is the best of both holidays: winter in the morning and summer in the afternoon.
“I’m not fit enough”
The good thing about snowboarding is you can do as little or as much as you would like and tailor it to your ability/ fitness. If you are wanting to go from coach-potato to a mogul black run shredder then yes, you might struggle. But most of us have some level of fitness from just living your day to day life (walking, stairs, running for bus, carrying children etc). So you WILL be ok if you just go at your own pace and listen to your body. You honestly don’t have to be super duper fit to snowboard (I’m not!). You might actually find by the end of the trip your fitness has increased! So you could look at it a different way: you are going away snowboarding to GET fit. You don’t build your fitness on a summer holiday if the only exercise you are doing is walking from the sun bed to the pool and back again. I always feel great after a snowboard trip! If you are concerned about your fitness, you can definitely do some easy snowboard prep before your trip. Gym, home workouts, yoga, pilots, running, swimming, anything will help. You could also do some snowboard specific exercise that focus on the muscles you will be using and strengthen your core. But I still think the best way to get fit for snowboarding is actually snowboarding itself, so keep that in mind.
“It’s too expensive”
Holidays are an expensive luxury in general. However, you can do a snowboard holiday on a budget if you are thrifty with your money. Like a summer holiday, there will be flights/ accommodation/ transfers/ food/ drink (so the same ££££££). The added thing of a winter holiday is all the gear (snowboard, boots, bindings, googles, gloves, pants, jacket, helmet, thermals). Yes you DO need it all, but you could look at it as an investment: one-off initial expense and you’re set up for life!! There are plenty of places to grab bargains for all of the above. Or, a good B-plan is to find a friend who owns all the snowboard gear already and ask very nicely with bribes to borrow it. Or you can hire most gear once you get to the resort.
You will also need a lift ticket to allow you on the lifts up the mountains. Again, yes this is expensive, but it depends how you look at it. If you were on a summer holiday you would be spending money on excursions, activities etc. so sort of the same?! Also think about what lift ticket you will need to get. If you are a beginner, you may only need one for the nursery slopes and a lot of these don’t even require a lift ticket at all so are free! You can also buy tickets for certain areas, so if you aren’t too bothered about going for miles and miles, just a local ticket will be cheaper. Think about how much snowboarding you’re realistically going to be doing when you learn snowboarding. Do you need a full weeks pass? Or just a couple of morning/ afternoon passes so you can take each day as it comes.
“I’ll look silly/ I won’t be very good/ I won’t be able to keep up”
Everyone has to start somewhere, and everyone was once a beginner. If you feel “silly”, just think, even the really amazing pros bombing around the mountain were once where you are now. Plus everyone is concentrating way too much on their own riding to care about what YOU look like anyway.
Get yourself signed up with some lessons to suit your standard. You can do these individually or as a group, but the main thing is you’ll be able to go at your own pace and you will have an instructor (with heaps of patience) to help you get better. You can also have lessons in a UK Snow Dome before you go to get ahead of the game. If you don’t fancy lessons, try and ride with people that are similar standard to you, that way you won’t feel like you’re slowing anyone down.
And how do you know you won’t be very good unless you try?! You might have all this un-tapped potential. If indeed you aren’t very good and you’re 100% not looking at the 2022 Olympics, do you really care?! The main thing is you are having fun and not taking yourself too seriously. Even though it can be hard and frustrating, I still think to learn snowboarding is the most fun stage and the most rewarding.
“It’s too dangerous”
Again this depends a lot on mindset and the individual. I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie: I think if it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go! You could literally get run over by a bus crossing the road to get a pint of milk from Tescos (sorry to be a little morbid). If you wrap yourself in cotton wool your whole life, you might never experience how exciting life could be. Snowboarding is such an adrenaline rush, you might discover you love the thrill of it.
However, there are precautions you can take to make it safer. Firstly WEAR A HELMET. You head is the most important body part to look after. There is also protection you can use for your wrists, knees, back, elbows and bum. Ride within your limits and know your limits. Ride with others. Take breaks. Be aware of weather/ snow conditions and learn the mountain etiquette (give way to downhill riders, go one at a time, wait for the last person, don’t stand where uphill riders can’t see you, allow stopping distances, don’t stand on landings and DON’T have picnics on park features!) And don’t, whatever you do, call “last run”. Something bad always happens when you push for one last run and jinx it by saying it’ll be your last one for the day!
A snowboard holiday ticks all the boxes for me: suntan, exercise, adrenaline fix, socialising, fresh air, self progression/ self worth, amazing scenery and adventure. Hopefully I’ve cleared up a few of the inhibitions holding people back. So now there really is no excuse to not give snowboarding a whirl. See you on the hill x