snowboarding

soph

Hi...
I have booked a snowboarding holiday in bulgaria for christmas, this is my first holiday like this. I have booked a full snowboarding package, i know this includes, lift passes, snowboard, and boots, and school, does this mean i have to buy a snowboarding jacket and trousers??
sorry inkow i must sound clueless, but i just wanna be all prepared, instead of arriving there expecting to get the gear there? or do u think i will be able to rent that stuff out over there?
i hope someone can help me.. cheers..

Ap

Depending on the size of the resort (I am not familiar with Bulgaria) you might be able to rent a Snowboard jacket, pants and gloves. But then again if it's small then you mighn't have the possiblity or they mighn't have your size etc. Or even worse you might look uncool

If you want to give boardin a fair chance then you might as well hop into the nice chaps in the great outdoors and try on some stuff. It can be pricey but if you board more than a couple of times afterwards it will be worth it.

Ap.

soph

cheers, thanks for that, i think il have a gawk on ebay, this trip is costing me enough as it is ....... gotta get the bargains

Cake Fiend

I wouldn't buy any new gear in Ireland if you can avoid it - more than likely you'll be able to either get stuff there, or get it cheaper online. Also, make sure you get wristguards of some sort - I have gloves with wristguards built in, but if you already have gloves, you can probably rent wristguards at the resort. Wrist injuries are very common with beginners. You would probably benefit from a tailbone protector too! (Saved my ass a few times...)

paddylonglegs

Definitely get wristguards,its a must as when you fall you will be stretchin your hands out to break your fall.And ass protectors are really helpful,it takes the pain out of the first few days of snowboarding.

You could also rent your pants,gloves and jacket from adventure sports(I think thats what its called) on abbey street,they will you rent you the gear for about 80 Euro for 9 days.give them a shout.

Have a look out in the ski shops in Bulgaria for snowboard sales.I'v heard you can get really good deals in eastern european countries on gear.

Have a good one!So jealous

shagman

Try T.K.Muk in stephens green and blanchardstown or even Aldi...
http://www.aldi.ie/special_buys2/productnl_4410.html
http://www.aldi.ie/special_buys2/productnl_4411.html

shagman

Oh Yeah and Bulgaria is actually preety good I went here a good few years back cheap as chips nice snow and they actually had some good hits / jumps .We went to Pomporova with balkan tours picked up a lib tech deck for £150 over there after destroying my Ride (ripped a rail out on a missguided journey into hell).Lifts were like chairoplanes roads were wall to wall nutters in Ladas and snowmobiles looked like 1950's american fridges..... but hey it all just adds to the experience, and makes it more memorable.Oh and the ex soviet spy tower turned revolving restaurant at the summit is the dogs danglies.

copacetic

next, pull and bear, and tk maxx are your best bet, you can get by with one pair of trousers and a jacket but will need 3 pairs of socks or so.
as everyone says gloves with wrist guards although they may not work. I broke my wrist quite badly first time out and the doctors reckoned it would have just passed the force up my arm and broken my elbow if I had been wearing wrist guards, however have worn they since, think in the average fall they protect you, best thing to learn is not putting your hands out when you fall, although this is hard to learn...

other thing is to get as fit as you can before you go, especially core fitness, you will find at the end of the day your falls get worse and worse as you kind of 'flop' more when you get tired and you can get whiplash etc..

jesus it sounds real dangerous, but it's not really, it's great fun!

soph

hey davey, thanx for that !!!! think i mite cancel now (
ahh no only kidding, i do regular workouts over the past 2yrs, so hopefully il b ok, mite get new program for my bottom half though, squats n lunges etc, im sure that'll do the trick !

cheers everyone for advice, think ye've sorted me out !

copacetic

soph wrote:

hey davey, thanx for that !!!! think i mite cancel now (
ahh no only kidding, i do regular workouts over the past 2yrs, so hopefully il b ok, mite get new program for my bottom half though, squats n lunges etc, im sure that'll do the trick !

cheers everyone for advice, think ye've sorted me out !

i've been 5 times since then and only one really bad fall since, you'll love it.
incidently was in tk maxx at weekend and they have piles and piles of gear including socks for good value..

shagman

Lidl have snowboard gloves in soon for €4.99!!!!
Better than paying €90 and losing them/leaving them in a pub, which seems to be a big thing.
Seems to me everyone spends huge amounts on gear thinkin they'll look the freshest on de slopes and end up blending in with everyone else who spent €500 on their jacket and €800 on their prada snowboard.I reckon the only fecker lookin stylish is the dude in the combats and leather biker Jacket rockin it like Whitesnake!!!!!!
Sure just buy a orange camo jumpsuit stick a Ronin or Analog patch on it wear a doo-rag and hangout in the halfpipe.Sure ye'll look DOPE boy ....word!

http://www.lidl.ie/IE/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20051107.p.Ski

glamourfish

soph wrote:

Hi...
I have booked a snowboarding holiday in bulgaria for christmas, this is my first holiday like this. I have booked a full snowboarding package, i know this includes, lift passes, snowboard, and boots, and school, does this mean i have to buy a snowboarding jacket and trousers??
sorry inkow i must sound clueless, but i just wanna be all prepared, instead of arriving there expecting to get the gear there? or do u think i will be able to rent that stuff out over there?
i hope someone can help me.. cheers..

I have a board i'm selling: Burton Custom 158 (02/03 model) Good Condition for €180. Burton Custom Bindings for €100. Call me if interested 0863547258

glamourfish

oh...And I'd definitely not recommend wrist guards ... and many would argue! But I say that it might stop you from breaking your wrist but if the impact is strong enough it'll snap your forearm or elbow.....

caracal

Hi,

I think you would be better off renting decent gear, rather then buying 4.99 gloves. There is nothing worse then going on a ski holiday and realising that the cheap gear you bought is not suitable for the conditions. Maybe you should see what the temperatures are like around December in Bulgaria? also a helmet is a good idea if your snowboarding, one invests a lot in developing the brain (schooling, etc) its always a good idea to protect it!!

Cake Fiend

I don't know the statistics, but I would very much expect that the likelihood of a beginner breaking their wrist without wrist guards is far, far higher than breaking their arm/elbow with them.

shagman

I'll think the €4.99 lidl gloves are probably made on the same production line as the €40 name brand items.Virtually everything is made in asia these days some gets hyped and marketed some doesn't.Gloves no matter what you buy allways get lost ripped or start to leak you're better off treating them as disposable and buying 3 pairs of these than 1 pair of brand name gloves especially if you're only going for a week.As with all things theres a lot of marketing ad campaigns team sponsership and hype that you're really paying for.
If you're doing a season maybe it's worth investing in a genuinely better pair. Eg with built in wrist protection, I bought Red (burton sub division) impact gloves which have semi-flexible splines in the back to stop you're wrist bending too far back.Level aso did a version of this idea.Some other brands are out there but I'd stay way from the ones with a rock solid wristgaurd built in.A bit of flex gives impact absorbtion rather than transfer..better than wristgaurds imo and less likely to transfer the impact to your elbow / arm.

caracal

those 4.99 lidl gloves are not waterproof between the fingers, so the first time you put your binding on snow will get between the fingers, melt and you will have wet hands for the rest of the day, also they do not have a removable liner for easy drying. Snowboarding is an expensive sport, no doubt about it but if buy cheap gear that is not suitable for the conditions you will just spend your time cold and in the lodge not enjoying the snowboarding. Try renting the gear this year and if you like snowboarding save up and buy some decent gear. Plus mitts are better then gloves:)

copacetic

Sico wrote:

I don't know the statistics, but I would very much expect that the likelihood of a beginner breaking their wrist without wrist guards is far, far higher than breaking their arm/elbow with them.

definitely agree, thats what the docs in italy told me. i had a displaced frature of the wrist and they guy reckoned I would have broken elbow if had wristguards, but 9/10 times the wristguards will protect you.

got level gloves with built in protection (removable) and they have been
great, but learning not to stick your hands out is the best way..

Shad0r

daveym wrote:

got level gloves with built in protection (removable) and they have been
great, but learning not to stick your hands out is the best way..

Yep, real men take the fall in the face! None of this namby pamby cushioning your fall with your hands

Its called a faceplant!

shagman

Yeah I'm not saying €4.99 gloves aren't crap it's just that a lot of €49.99 gloves are crap too. Typical scenario goes like this ...buy new gloves , leave your board in to get waxed and edged, Pick up board....glove fingers rip on board edges..... One very expensive pair of rags.
Mitts are a good idea they make breaking a finger less likely as it's a lot harder to snap 4 fingers together than one out on its own.

copacetic

shagman wrote:

Yeah I'm not saying €4.99 gloves aren't crap it's just that a lot of €49.99 gloves are crap too. Typical scenario goes like this ...buy new gloves , leave your board in to get waxed and edged, Pick up board....glove fingers rip on board edges..... One very expensive pair of rags.
Mitts are a good idea they make breaking a finger less likely as it's a lot harder to snap 4 fingers together than one out on its own.

I found that mitts make everything for putting on lip balm to doing up your bindings/adjusting them on the fly a nightmare. A pair of gloves that fit mean you never have to take them off..