New name?

[massistar]

I see that the board has been renamed to include snowboarding and it got me wondering... are there any other snowboarders on here? I'm 50 and I've only ever boarded, never skiied. My DH and a lot of his mates with knee problems board but all my mates are skiers. Starting to wonder how much longer I've got in me? Skiing seems more sedate? Considering step in bindings as a way to prolong it. Anyone tried them?

Hello! We are an entire snowboarding family! I'm also 50 and wondering how long I can keep going for - I'm not super adventurous and actually invested in step ins last year. I think they're a game changer once you get used to them - annoyingly my boots weren't super comfortable but as a system they're great. I've lost a bit of weight and hoping to get more out of them for next years trip but I was certainly the first clipped in off the lift of all of us including the teen boy!

I did originally ski but haven't done so for 20 years now so going back would be a learning curve!

I think bunching skiers and snowboarders together is like housing cats and dogs together!

As a skier I loathe snowboarding because it wrecks the snow and you always find a random snowboarder sitting on the slope directly over the brow of a hill.

Separate slopes would be my choice!!

Oh it does sound like the way forward @chalkyc2 ! It's the bending over.. especially after lunch.

Weirdly after years of nagging to try snowboarding both my kids prefer to ski although DS can switch between the two.

Um ok. You do you. I prefer to live and let live myself. Plenty room on the slopes for everyone and you get plenty numpties on skis too.

I'm not sure I get how skiing is more sedate? Anyway I guess like all things as we get older, you just have to accept that the slopes you can traverse safely are going to be less steep, and your days shredding it big style are limited.

But what do I know, I do cross country skiing so see both snowboarders and downhill skiers as lazy because they don't have to put any effort into going uphill! 😆

Probably the wrong word @kittykarate . Less effort maybe? No bending over to do up bindings. No dragging your way across flat bits etc. I'm not exactly on the snow parks or bombing about off piste anyway so might as well be on skis. Old dog, new tricks though.

I think all methods of snow traversal have 'effort' somewhere in them - you just have to pick your poison sometimes. I could say that it's a right high effort fanny to 'skate' your way along on downhill skis on the flat, and there is nothing more soul destroying than trying to stand up on downhill skis when you've fallen and you don't have the upper body strength to lever up using your poles. I've looked with envy at snowboarders stomping around in their comfier boots in resorts!

The only way to know is try, so maybe book a downhill ski taster session at a snowdome.

The boots, the boots. Yes I do love my boots. Going out to visit DS in a couple of weeks. Might just give it a go and see if I like it!
Fair play on the cross country. That is tough on the legs!

I've never had any interest in boarding, my legs are separate and I like to keep them that way, so skiing suits me. Being strapped into a singular board has always felt terrifying to me.

But this year I've found myself seriously considering learning as I think I quite fancy it now.

Meh. Started out as a boarder. Switched to sliiing when dc were small and they were learning to ski. Have stuck with it although teens want to try boarding. I think skiiing fits the older me but I may switch back for a couple of seasons to appease the teens but I think skiiing wins overall. Shame about the boots though

Weirdly I found the opposite the one time I tried a friend's boots and skis to give it a go. I hated the feeling of them crossing over and my knees potentially going in different directions. At least on a board if you fall it tends to be on your arse.

I've found that you don't see that many young boarders now. Tends to be middle aged men. Ski technology has come on so much that you can have the fun and tricks element on skis these days. My son's skis in twin tips which are great fun. Also a severe lack of powder in recent years. The most fun I had was one year when we had metres of fresh snow. The skiers hated it but I was squealing with joy all the way down as it felt like I was on fluffy clouds.

Ah yes. The going in different directions isn't fun. Memorably, I went over on an icy red on Boxing Day last year. It was like sheet ice. My left leg (uphill leg) stayed put, whilst my entire body tried to make a gateway downhill, led by my right leg. I heard my left knee pop.

It's reassuring to hear that falling happens on your backside though as I've visions of landing on my face.

I've found that you don't see that many young boarders now. Tends to be middle aged men. Ski technology has come on so much that you can have the fun and tricks element on skis these days. My son's skis in twin tips which are great fun. Also a severe lack of powder in recent years. The most fun I had was one year when we had metres of fresh snow. The skiers hated it but I was squealing with joy all the way down as it felt like I was on fluffy clouds

Some skiers are just weird though and have never been offpiste so don't understand the delights of fresh powder. I did find it harder to ski in originally but oh the bliss!!! Counting down the days now for a NY trip

Me too, @obladeeobladah Where are you off to?

We're getting one day of skiing in on a NY trip to Oslo. It's only for 3 nights, but when we found that there's a ski resort only 30 minutes away by subway, that became a must do. Should tide me over until Les Arcs at Easter. Though, I think I'll do the board in a day course at Tamworth in between the two. I recently went for a new job, which is promotion. I told DH that if I got it, I was going to treat myself to that day course. Only went and bloody got it didn't I!

50 year boarder here 👋

I'm fat and unfit but been doing it long enough not to matter. I'm part of a ski club (not the ski club) who organise regular trips so I've always got a few boarders to ride with. I hire off piste guides for a day or two most trips and can handle pretty much all terrain but also happy enough hanging out with intermediates on the blues and practising technique. I accepted long ago I'm not aggressive enough to progress more than I have. Done a bit of splitboarding. Can take an easy line through a park, can jump but can't spin ot twist. Used to do the odd rail but I don't like them.

I think I'll just carry on like this till the body gives out - can't see me switching back to skiing.

I love the asymmetry of boarding. The frontside and backside turns are totally different moves, the turns have different personalities. I love the ease of switching from regular to switch and back again, just to feel the change. Love powder, obviously, but also riding and slashing the slush at the end of a spring day. Love the boots of course, but also just having one thing to carry and no poles to faff around with.

Wear padded shorts if you're going to snowboard. You do not want to get a coccyx injury, trust me. I'm still nursing aches and pains a year after a bad fall last year (and I was wearing padded shorts, probably would have fractured it otherwise)

I'm more of a pootler @OooPourUsACupLove . I can get myself down anything piste wise but love a nice wide quiet red with fresh snow. You can usually find me at the edge of the piste looking for a bit of powder. I'm not naturally an adrenaline junkie and I learned as an adult but my whole family are mad about skiing/boarding so I gave it my best shot!

I second the padded shorts recommendation and a very good helmet. Have hit my head on an icy slope more times than I care to remember!