On the face of it, surfing and snowboarding look like pretty similar sports. You stand up on your board and carve a sweet ride, before going back to the start and doing it all again. But are the two sports really so alike? How easy is it for a surfer learning to snowboard?
A surfer learning to snowboard
I’ve surfed for years and it’s my absolute favourite sport. Surfing is good for the soul. I learnt as a teenager, but I’m by no means amazing. I don’t live near the ocean so a surf trip takes planning. But I can catch a decent size green wave and have a lot of fun!
I’ve always fancied having a go at snowboarding but I just hadn’t got around to giving it a go. I tried skiing about ten years ago, but then I got more into surfing. When it comes to winter holidays I feel like I have a choice: Surf somewhere warm, or ski/snowboard somewhere cold? For me, the surf always wins.
Still, when a snowboarder suggested a trip to the snowdome for a first date (points to the guy!) I couldn’t say no.
But how does a surfer girl fare on her first ever slide down a (fake) snowy mountain?
Not bad, I guess, but there were a few pesky differences that didn’t do my first-date cool any favours…
The brakes are NOT the same!
How do you stop if you’re surfing a wave and you want out? You push your weight onto your back foot. The nose of the board comes up out of the water and the wave passes you by – leaving you to hop off gracefully into the ocean.
What happens if you try that on a snowboard? You go faster. You lose any control you once had. You get dangerously close to the roof-supporting pillars before deciding the only way out is to throw yourself on the ground. You get snow down your pants and a bruised bum.
I’m ashamed to say that I made this mistake more than once. Even when I logically knew that the back-foot brake was not a snowboarding thing, my surfer instincts and muscle memory told me different.
I’d love to tell you that I learnt to brake with the edge of my snowboard by the end of my first session. But I’m not sure that’s what happened!
Going right = going backwards!
Lesson one in snowboarding involves sliding down the mountain backwards (facing the top of the hill), using the toe edge of the snowboard to control your speed.
That, in itself, is uncomfortable for a surfer.
Once you’ve mastered going completely backwards, you get to try going diagonally left and right. This is a little better.
Going left feels just like standing on a surfboard – you’re facing the right direction and it’s all nice and familiar. For the first time I thought “Yes! I can be good at this!”.
Then they asked me to go right.
On a snowboard, that means putting your back foot first – as though it were your front foot. Erm, hang on – you’re basically expecting me to ride fins first?!
Queue more falling over, lack of control, and more sitting on your bum.
Hey, where’s my chill and chat time?!
It might sound strange but my favourite thing about surfing is sitting out back, staring at the horizon and chatting to other surfers. I love the rush of riding a great wave too, but the chill and chat element is important to me.
I’m not sure that exists in snowboarding? The hill stays just the same. You don’t have to wait for anything, you just hop on your board and start sliding.
So when do I get to sit and gossip? When do I get to clear my mind and stare out at nothing?
Is that what apres-ski is for?
It’s not all bad…
So far, I probably sound like I hated my snowboarding experience. But that’s not true. There were some things I found pretty easy!
Balance and steering? Got it!
Being a surfer learning to snowboard, I already have balancing on a board down to a tee. Whilst I felt like I spent a lot of time falling on my bum, other beginners seemed to be having a much harder time.
Steering (when going left…) is a breeze too. When standing the way I normally would on my surfboard I had complete directional control. Don’t worry small child – I’m going round ya (even if I can’t yet reliably stop!).
Why, oh why, do we not have lifts for paddling out back?!
Ok, this is the best bit. Snowboarders complain about POMA lifts because they’re a bit awkward. But they don’t know how lucky they are! Lifts are a major bonus for a surfer learning to snowboard.
Surfers have to paddle out through the breaking waves before they get to the fun part. Even if you’re timing is good, sometimes you still get caught in the impact zone (the spot where the waves are breaking on you) and that’s just exhausting.
What I would give for a lift out back to surf! The closest us surfers have are rip currents, which are somewhat less reliable.
Stop whinging snowboarders, you’ve got it good!
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