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NooB Status,.. A Serious Question about!

12K views 90 replies 31 participants last post by  BoardWalk 
#1 ·
This question has come up in a couple of conversations I’ve had with friends from SBF, and whenever I was asked, “...When will I stop referring to myself as a NooB?” I really didn’t have a good answer for them!

So,.. here’s the question,..
At what point in ones riding progression can you (“I”) stop referring to oneself as a “NooB?”

Is this something that comes after a certain number of days or years riding? Is it after mastery of certain “Basic” riding skills? If so,.. which skills? Linking turns and stopping confidently, (...naturally!) ...but what else?

Is it after getting comfortable doing certain tricks? Riding switch? Park, glade riding, mastering Big Air? Riding POW or off piste,.. what? Maybe it comes after a certain level of experience riding a variety of resorts, mountains & terrain? Or is it just a matter of being able to make it down most blue or black runs confidently, without being or looking like you are out of control, that separates NooB’s from Intermediate level boarders?

I wouldn’t think it would be “generally” acceptable to claim oneself as no longer being a NooB if a person has simply acquired a certain degree of technical knowledge about the sport! I.E. equipment, tech, It’s history, etc.! But,.. what if that persons been riding for years and still doesn’t have any real understanding or knowledge of many of those aspects of the sport? I mean we’ve ALL read (...and made fun of!) posts from people who’ve been riding for years but still don’t have a clue about the gear, history, etc. (...BTW, obviously since I’m still learning, that category would include me as well!) ;)

Maybe the question itself is Moot? Maybe it is entirely dependent on an individual and personal decision? A question to be decided by ones OWN feelings about their ultimate goals and progression or mastery of the sport?

I also wanted to add that I do recognize and understand that just because at some point “I” may decide I’ve garnered enough experience or skill so that “I” no longer think of or refer to myself as a “NooB!” That doesn’t necessarily mean that in the eyes of other long time veteran riders, I have any credibility or expectation of respect as an equal. Does that really matter? Should that really matter? I Dunno?!!!! :dunno:

I will be very interested to hear the different opinions and answers to this question!
 
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#2 ·
My answer would be, you are no longer a NOOB when you can link turns, stop forward and backwards, ride a little switch, and are confident enough to get down everything up to and including most reds...

Then you are an intermediate... :yahoo:

From there progression gets you more towards advance, and 90% of us, never make it...!!! Haha :giggle:
 
#7 ·
When you can decipher the reference to, appreciation for and post pics of......


Yoga pantz
:bowdown: :laugh: :laugh: :bowdown:
...but you forgot Breeches & Underboob! (...by this criteria, I haven’t been a NooB for some time now!!) ;) :laugh:
 
#5 · (Edited)
Wrathful already got this one like /thread style but I'll give a serious answer to a silly question:

I would think this is something you would know for yourself. There are several factors at play:

-are you "local" to a mountain (knowing the people that work there and having them recognize you, as well as having a bond with other people who are on the mountain all the time is gonna up your game no matter what)

-how many days you get a year, (not because of status, but because of simple fact of practice)

-how much of a yardsale are you in the parking lot and trying to manage all your silly extraneous shit between the lift and the lodge, and your vehicle.

-and finally and most importantly are you applying skills with all of your effort, or can you haul down a run using various techniques whilst maintaining your own style and letting muscle memory apply the techniques for you.

Some things that have nothing to do with getting out of noob status:

-being able to "make it" down a "double black" or mogul field. Any dickless potato can slide down a 40 degree pitch on their ass and one edge and end up at the bottom(its called gravity, not skill people), claiming on their favorite snowboard forum after 10 days on snow "yea I can do black runs" so I'm now writing reviews on Never Summer Raptors and shit... Can you throw a 30+ foot huck off of a rock halfway down the face, or somehow make it look like your surfing a green? That is getting down a face not like a noob.

-wearing a backpack for in-bounds riding :giggle:

-being able to see your boxers while you snowboard

-playing your music in the parking lot for EVERYONE

-riding at keystone (I spent like 60 days at key 2 years ago and my mojo is still reeling hehe)
 
#8 ·
Wait a minute......

-playing your music in the parking lot for EVERYONE
So, you're saying I SHOULDN'T do this? But.....I haz da BASS. Plus, everyone knows that all the girls like the cars that go "BooM!" :D :giggle: :signlol:
 
#9 ·
when you freak out on someone for stopping in the middle of a run instead of on the side or behind a barrier

when you yell at a kid for cutting you off (can include yelling at the parent that they should teach their kid the proper laws of the slope)

when you drink less the night before because weather forecast shows pow dumping throughout the night.

when more than one coworker tells you you can't talk about snowboarding to them anymore
 
#14 ·
when you stop claiming you do carve since you now understand the difference

when you're comfortable with platter and t-bar lift (without stomp pad ;))
 
#21 · (Edited)
haha good responses.

I knew some people would take notice the backpack comment, hence the giggle, especially for alot of places like Japan, AK, BC, whatever practice... but still the comment about pockets for a camping trip is for serious. If I need something that doesn't fit in a pocket I just plan a beer break.

Everyone knows we are droppping the dope beats Cro, don't worry. I often scope the situation and will let it play loud enough for the surrrounding cars if no one else is listening and the crowd "looks" receptive, but no reason to get loud if other people are listening to their shit too... I mean how do you not get a nod playing Gangstarr.(even from granny)

Some times at like 8:30 when I get there early as much as I really do enjoy heavy metal(not usually on the mountain though) I just do not always want to hear someone else's choice of part of a song with just the power chords ripping through my hungover drug addled mind.

Texas!
 
#22 · (Edited)
In the little resort I grew up and did my first turns on a huge F2 x-ray in the 90ties, we had a "kink of fear" and I'm amused that it still exists. Even for skiers, this kink in the middle of the T-bar lift wasn't easy to negotiate, especially in the afternoons when the track began to have deep ruts and bumps, and since the lift didn't go around this kink smoothly but with unnerving stutter. THIS was he noob selection point. In reality, the kink is by far steeper :D
I did only half of this run countless times :giggle:


Haha sulky Grey... never come to ride the Swiss Alps then. We have a lot of T-bar lifts everywhere. You get used to them. Nowadays I like them since sometimes on storm days, these are the only lifts that still run when the elevated gondolas and chairlifts are shut down due to stormy wind in the resort I ride now. No... "like" is not the right word... my "favorite" T-bar has a track that is so steep at the last 50m that you aren't pulled anymore, but you rather sit on the bar and get lifted, the bar painfully digging into your thigh. But it lets you access fine sidecountry... so heck, you will love this T-bar :laugh:
 
#23 ·
Some interesting (...and humorous!) responses so far! :laugh:

It does seem like some of this is geared more towards informing folks about "Not being a Gapper!" As opposed to leaving one's NooB status as a rider behind!

Neni,.. I haven't a clue what a Platter Lift is! ...and from what little I've seen in vid clips of people using T-bars,.. I hope I NEVER run across one of those!! ;) (...with or without a Stomp Pad!!) :laugh: :eusa_clap:
 
#24 ·
As a guess i would say it is much like a T-Bar but it is single use, so would have a plate like disc on the pole that goes between the legs instead of a pole...

Slightly more comfortable to use with a pole that is shaped or bent to fit between the legs which may or may not be of more use to a snowboarder rather than the T-Bar which is very uncomfortable... ;)

It is also often called a "Button Lift"

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

Hope that helps...
 
#25 ·
Maybe the question itself is Moot? Maybe it is entirely dependent on an individual and personal decision? A question to be decided by ones OWN feelings about their ultimate goals and progression or mastery of the sport?
When the day comes that you stop giving a fuck what others think about you and just ride. Also you stop referring to it as a sport and a lifestyle.
 
#27 ·
When the day comes that you stop giving a fuck what others think about you and just ride.
:thumbsup:

Personally, I think you stop being a Noob when you have learned enough to know what you should be doing, can do it regularly on easier stuff and have started to push yourself a bit. That doesn't necessarily mean that you can do it, but that you have some kind of game plan and a clue.

When I see people on a black or steep blue trying to up-unweight, rotate their upper body and turn (all those things you learn to make your first turn), then crash and get up and try again and again: I don't think of them as "noobs", I think of them as inexperienced riders. To me, "noobs" side slip down or do the kamikazi straight line with no clue and then claim they do blacks.

Some are "noobs" for a day, some for years...
 
#26 ·
I think that maybe I was not particularly clear about why I got the the idea to pose this question in the first place. I am not asking for anyone here to tell me what it is I have to accomplish in order to no longer be considered a NooB!

As I mentioned in the OP,.. The question has been asked of me by a couple of SBF members whom I have gotten to know and who I respect,.. “When will I stop referring to myself as a NooB??”

These friends are way more experienced riders than I am, and when they asked me this, they seemed to think that maybe I wasn’t giving myself enough credit for how much my riding has improved! The truth is, I am Astonished at how fast I have picked it up and the progress I’ve made in my boarding! That being said, I have to say, I still feel like a NooB most times. Not only on the slopes when I see what some other riders are capable of doing on a snowboard, but also here in this forum. Especially when I realize there is still Sooooo much about snowboarding that I am utterly clueless about.

The last time I was asked this question, It got me thinking about exactly what is it that lets a person know for themselves that they are no longer counted in the ranks of a Newb? What is it that separates a NooB from just “A Snowboarder?” I’m not sure I have a definitive answer to that question for myself!!! It was pointed out to me by one member that this last season, I got more days riding in than they have in the last two years! Nobody considers this person a Newb! Several of the members of the MI. regional forum with whom I’ve ridden, keep pointing out to me that I ride switch better than any of them! NONE of these guys are Newb’s!!!

Now, I was not the one making these comparisons, and despite the fact that I appreciated the obvious encouragement and respect these members were according me, I still feel like it would be a bit arrogant for me to make the assumption that getting in a few extra days of riding, or having a talent for picking up riding switch is enough for me to no longer consider myself a NooB!

At 52 yo, I have never been particularly shy about asking a "stupid" question or admitting my own ignorance on a subject! This is especially true when it is something I am passionate for or want to learn more about! I’m not particularly concerned with my Ego, or if anyone thinks I look cool doing what I’m doing! (...anyone who saw any of my “All Fours” lift dismounts that first half season could attest to that!!) :D Truth is,.. Snowboarding is, without a doubt, absolutely the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life!!! (...and I’ve rappelled out of helicopters and blown shit up!) It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever done, not because it’s popular or fashionable! Not because anyone else thinks I’m cool for doing it!! It’s the coolest because I have yet to experience anything else that I have had soooo much fun doing!

The excitement, the adrenaline, the satisfaction of learning a new skill or riding a steeper, scarier, faster slope! (...I will admit however to a certain smug satisfaction or ego boost when someone looks at me like I’m crazy for doing what I’m doing!) ;)

Damn!!! I can’t wait for it to start snowing again!!!!!!! :)
 
#28 ·
I am not asking for anyone here to tell me what it is I have to accomplish in order to no longer be considered a NooB!

“When will I stop referring to myself as a NooB??”

The truth is, I am Astonished at how fast I have picked it up and the progress I’ve made in my boarding! That being said, I have to say, I still feel like a NooB most times. Not only on the slopes when I see what some other riders are capable of doing on a snowboard, but also here in this forum. Especially when I realize there is still Sooooo much about snowboarding that I am utterly clueless about.

The last time I was asked this question, It got me thinking about exactly what is it that lets a person know for themselves that they are no longer counted in the ranks of a Newb? What is it that separates a NooB from just “A Snowboarder?” I’m not sure I have a definitive answer to that question for myself!!!

I still feel like it would be a bit arrogant for me to make the assumption that getting in a few extra days of riding, or having a talent for picking up riding switch is enough for me to no longer consider myself a NooB!
From this I'd say it's something that will evolve naturally based on wherever you're at, in time. Only you have the answer to this.

At some point in the future you may find yourself saying you "started riding x number of seasons ago" or "been riding x number of seasons" rather than consider yourself "new." All up to you.
 
#29 ·
When on the slope who fucking cares? That noob critique is solely for the interwebz where anyone can go from never touching a snowboard in their life to a terje haakonsen in a few key strokes... credibility is only sought out on the internet where anonymity is king and a label or putting your shit out there is the only thing that separates you from everyone else posting. On the hill everyone knows who you are and no one gives a fuck if your busting you're ass coming off the chair lift or killing it on that 30 ft'er...

You and everyone you ride with know exactly what kind of rider you are, a label from a snowboarding forum won't change that fact...

You are who you are and you seem to be enjoying the fuck out of snowboarding, so my question to you is why even bother with needing a label?
 
#32 ·
He's not caring... he's philosophizing :laugh:

I'm aware that this word doesn't exist. We use it if someone contemplates about something he actually doesn't care but just feels in the mood - or as in the present case I suppose - tries to gap a void :)
 
#33 ·
He's philosophizing over a non existent issue that seems to be a result of generations of people putting labels on themselves and others.

Simple question are you a snowboarder or someone that snowboards. If you know the answer you won't validate it with a response if you don't you will.

It's cut and dry everyone wants to be labeled something to describe themselves.
 
#35 ·
Chomps, if you want to break this down into labeling riders based on what they can or can't do on the hill, your always gonna feel like a "noob" if you're comparing yourself to them.

The truth is, even the best riders in the world have areas of their riding that they need to improve on. If we all quit challenging ourselves and our riding, snowboarding would get pretty stagnant. The point is, if you really wanted to make the case, any rider despite all the skill in the world could call themselves a "noob" because someone else was better than them at a different aspect of their riding.

At the end of the day, none of that shit matters. Just get out there and ride. No need for labels, no need for categorizing where you fit in among the other people you ride with, just good ol' shredding. Keep pushing yourself to learn new things and forget about labeling yourself with anything.

I bet none of the guys you ride with even care about your "status" and whether your a noob or not. They just wanna head up with their buddies and shred a bit. I'll ride with anyone regardless of their skill level, because I'd rather be riding than doing anything else. I'd prefer to ride with people better than me because it pushes me to ride harder, faster, more technical, etc. But at the end of the day I don't care where the other people in my group are at in their progress, I just wanna be out riding.

Bottom line: If you're out riding for yourself and no one else, you're not a noob. Just drop the term from your vocabulary and ride the shit out your board when you can.
 
#36 ·
Okay, I am initiating an intervention for chomps.

As self-appointed "Snowboard God", and with the authority and privileges which that status entails, I hereby confer upon Chomps 1211 the title of "Low Intermediate Snowboarder".

Chomps 1211 is now authorized to ride with a greater level of steeze and authority than that of a "Noob Snowboarder".

Congratulations Chomps.
Now where's the scotch and a powdery slope?
 
#37 ·
Just to add for shit and giggles :laugh: when someone ask me how long I've been riding, I say "this is my 3rd season" and I let my riding do the rest. if the guys rides better than me, Great! if I ride better than them, Great! either way I will have fun.
 
#42 ·
Now THAT's a lable worth having!! :eusa_clap:
 
#44 ·
n00b

Your calling Xavier de le Rue a n00b. I probably shouldnt be telling you this, I drank alot, but Xavier de la Rue has trouble riding switch!
 
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