When to get a new board?

My dad, who rides an old Rossignol board from so long ago the tip and tail are
flattened rather than round all the way around (think he's probably had it for
9 or 10 years or so, and it was a rental board before he bought it at a ski
swap), is finally starting to wonder when it's time to upgrade. What sorts of
things and performance would you find in a new board compared to something of
that age, even though the old one still works? We haven't found any demo days
to go try new boards out yet.

Is there any point in getting a new board as long as your old one is still
intact? I've got an Aggression board of a similar vintage myself, only with
the more normal rounded end shape, but don't feel like trading it in just yet.
I'm at that perpetual beginner/intermediate stage you normally find in skiers,
fine on green runs and ok on some blue runs (depending on how much I've been
out in a given season), but I can't seem to get past that, and forget any jumps
or tricks, can't land them. Anything newer that might help me get past this?
I've been riding long enough to know that I should have been well past this
stage a *long* time ago...

or tricks, can't land them. Anything newer that might help me get past this?
I've been riding long enough to know that I should have been well past this
stage a *long* time ago...


Everyone, in most sports, reach a plateau in their skill advancement.
Usually, it requires a certain level of courage to "push the
envelope", if you will, to attempt things that seem a little wacky.
Some people are less aggressive than others, and may never get beyond
a certain level of comfort (and yet be quite content with that).

Will a new board give you more aggression? Perhaps.. It's really a
matter of psyche, placebo's are real. I don't necessarily think a new
board is going to automatically make you a better rider, although it
may help you to improve if you have the drive to. Obviously, there
are indeed differences in the technologies going into snowboards these
daze.

If the new board gives you renewed courage, only to end up having you
hurting yourself by trying something that you thought the new board
would magically permit you to pull off... well, that may taint the
whole shootin' match.

If your board isn't flopping in two and has half decent edges, then I
don't see why you would need a new board... unless you've outgrown
your old one, physically or by skill level.

I guess it would also depend on what you're trying to do.. If you
were concentrating on learning more tricks, you're probably not going
to want to buy a board suited for that. If you're looking at laying
down some righteous carves, then you probably don't want a noodle
board... etc, etc..

Will a new board give you more aggression? Perhaps.. It's really a
matter of psyche, placebo's are real. I don't necessarily think a new
board is going to automatically make you a better rider, although it
may help you to improve if you have the drive to.

The lack of aggression seems to be a direct result of not being able to land
when I *do* try and jump...have no issues with dropping into the half pipe or
jumping on my skis at places that'll let you do that on them...

I guess it would also depend on what you're trying to do.. If you
were concentrating on learning more tricks, you're probably not going
to want to buy a board suited for that. If you're looking at laying
down some righteous carves, then you probably don't want a noodle
board... etc, etc..

What difference does the stiffness make? I know that it does make a
difference, I just don't know where, and I know the effects of it on skis, but
you do a lot more different things on a board than on skis. Carving's nice (I
can create quite nice looking ruts on green runs, if nothing else), but I don't
want to completely give up any hope of ever learning to land a jump or have
some fun in a half pipe and buy a hard boot setup, if they even exist outside
hard core racing teams in North America anymore...anyways, if I wanted people
to think I was a skier, I'd ski. ;-)

How do you tell vaguely how stiff your current board is, if you don't have any
other boards to compare it to?

(Edmunde Lee) wrote in message om...

Everyone, in most sports, reach a plateau in their skill advancement.
Usually, it requires a certain level of courage to "push the
envelope", if you will, to attempt things that seem a little wacky.
Some people are less aggressive than others, and may never get beyond
a certain level of comfort (and yet be quite content with that).

This is an excellent statement. As in everything, if you need to learn
something new, you need to get outside of your comfort zone.
This requires some time commitment, and will feel frustrating for a while.
But if you overcome this time of frustration, you will master
your new skill, which will now be inside your (now broader)
comfort zone. Repeat for another skill...

Freestyle is not easy, specially for adults not used to it.
But there are progressions to everything. If you use a proper
progression when learning a new freestyle move, there is no reason
whatsoever of not learning it.

This is an excellent statement. As in everything, if you need to learn
something new, you need to get outside of your comfort zone.
This requires some time commitment, and will feel frustrating for a while.
But if you overcome this time of frustration, you will master
your new skill, which will now be inside your (now broader)
comfort zone. Repeat for another skill...

Time on it's own cannot possibly be my problem, I must be spending the time
doing the wrong things, or the right things the wrong way, or maybe I just
don't have the balance or other skill required? When I was 13 I was in a
snowboard lesson program (though not much emphasis on tricks) and didn't really
learn much, and what I did improve on I mostly have to relearn every season.

It gets frustrating when you can teach your friends to snowboard and they're
better than you by the end of the weekend. So much that I'd rather push my
boyfriend into skiing rather than snowboarding, as he's never tried either...

"AsaaraAgain" wrote in message
news:20040213171904.22937.00002099@mb-

Time on it's own cannot possibly be my problem, I must be
spending the time
doing the wrong things, or the right things the wrong way, or
maybe I just
don't have the balance or other skill required? When I was 13
I was in a
snowboard lesson program (though not much emphasis on tricks)
and didn't really
learn much, and what I did improve on I mostly have to relearn
every season.

It gets frustrating when you can teach your friends to
snowboard and they're
better than you by the end of the weekend. So much that I'd
rather push my
boyfriend into skiing rather than snowboarding, as he's never
tried either...

Take some instruction now. What they teach may have changed
significantly in the last several years. What you need to advance
may also have changed. Learning the "right" way to ride has sure
changed my capabilities. I'm far more confident and stable, at
far higher speeds, than I was last year.


Bob

How do you tell vaguely how stiff your current board is, if you don't have any
other boards to compare it to?


Basically, hold the board up vertically, and bend it.. just as you
would check a ski.

As a ski, the core can loose it's integrity, and becomes floppier.

I've yet to really do much in the terrain parks, but I'd reckon that
I'd choose an old, beater board to do rail slides and stuff with...
save the newer board... but that's just my opinion.

You could always try to rent a better (newer) board. A rental board
may be rather heavily used, perhaps abused.. but it's often a newer
board. Some places buy all new stuff at the beginning of the season,
and then sell the equipment used in the spring. Then there's the
option of demos.. go try some on for size.

It gets frustrating when you can teach your friends to
snowboard and they're
better than you by the end of the weekend. So much that I'd
rather push my
boyfriend into skiing rather than snowboarding, as he's never
tried either...


Maybe you're riding with the wrong foot... =)

"AsaaraAgain" wrote in message
...
Will a new board give you more aggression? Perhaps.. It's really a
matter of psyche, placebo's are real. I don't necessarily think a new
board is going to automatically make you a better rider, although it
may help you to improve if you have the drive to.

The lack of aggression seems to be a direct result of not being able to
land
when I *do* try and jump...have no issues with dropping into the half pipe
or
jumping on my skis at places that'll let you do that on them...

The only advice I can give you is to get into the gym and work on
strengthening your legs, lower back, and stomach. I felt that my riding had
hit a plateau the last couple seasons but I wanted to really ride more
agressively this season so I started working out in September and I can't
tell you how much it's helped. I do think that the board you ride makes
*some* degree of difference but if you become stronger your ability to stomp
landings will improve by an order of magnitude no matter which one you ride.
I have also noticed that my muscle recovery time is greatly minimized
because of the increased strength.