Skylaa

The main reason being I dislocated my knee earlier this year playing cricket and it has never really felt the same since. It doesn't seem to have the same strength it had before. Im 15 and have being skiing every year since I was about 3-4 years old, so I like to think im quite good

What i'm really asking is, will I be able to pick up snowboarding quickly, due to my experience in skiing (and minor experience in wakeboarding - picked that up quickly) and be able to go out with my family/friends on reds/blacks reasonably quickly (3-4 days of private lessons). I was the best skier in my family by quite a way so im not expecting to get back up to that standard.

Also does this knee injury constitute as a good enough reason to make the switch as I do enjoy skiing, but I know knee injuries are much more common whilst skiing.

If theres anything else you think I should know also before having a go at boarding, please also post that. I've read a few things around the internet that say once I get to linking turns, it becomes much easier.

cifex

In my experience, skiers do tend to pick up the sport faster but there is no way to get around taking your lumps the first few days.

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Skylaa

Yeah that doesn't suprise me - are wristguards a worthwile investment in your opinion? Especially for beginners

HoboMaster

I've heard wrist guards can make injuries worse when it comes to snowboarding.

The beauty of snowboarding is that your legs are locked, so the injury zone is mostly your upper body and arms. You will realize this very quickly your first day out, because you will be eating shit alot. For many beginners, the wrists are the biggest injury zone since your natural instinct is to throw out your arms when you fall. Don't do it, and if you do try and make a fist instead of flat-palming. I personally have never had this problem since I grew up riding motorcycles and learned how to do the body-impact roll. Try and take the impact with your body, shoulders and thighs rather then your arms.

That being said, if you find yourself being a pretty good skier, you should pick up snowboarding pretty quickly. Last year I got on a pair of skis for the first time since I was 6 and was going down black diamonds by the end of the day. One of the biggest things that transfers over for both sports is understanding how to control your edges and understanding snow conditions and what to do on different terrain. If you can use that experience to overcome the fear of committing to a turn, you will progress really fast because that's one of the biggest roadblocks to learning.

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BurtonAvenger

You need to rehab that knee and build the muscle up around it to help hold it in place. Once you dislocate something it becomes so much easier to pop out. PT is your best friend because of this.

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Angry Snowboarder Because someone has to call it how they see it!

Skylaa

Yeah, i've got a fair amount of hockey playing to do before I go so, hopefully that will bring it up to strength

schmitty34

I skied when I was younger and then switched to snowboarding when I was 18. I found the first 4 hours of snowboarding WAY harder than skiing, but by the end of the day I was much better at snowboarding than I was skiing my first day (I was older so that probably helped).

After that first half day, I found that I progressed as a snowboarder MUCH faster than I did as a skier. You will fall a lot more at first, but once you get the hang of things you will find yourself progressing pretty fast.

I wakeboarded a lot before I started snowboarding so that may have helped as well, but they are definitely different so I still had a rough first few hours of falling and rolling down the hill.

BurtonAvenger

Hockey isn't going to rebuild your knee.

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Angry Snowboarder Because someone has to call it how they see it!

chupacabraman

If you plan on getting into Backcountry/Sidecountry then just keep your skis - way better. Otherwise, snowboard for sure!

IdahoFreshies

So your telling him if he wants to do back country don't bother snowboarding?

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