Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Boarding would probably suit you better, IMHO. You said you`re a pretty good surfer so I imagine boarding shouldn`t be too difficult of a sport for you to pick up and start enjoying right away. Almost all of the Japanese ski areas accept boarders(thanks to that "stay trendy" mentality)and overall Japanese boarders are MUCH MORE well mannered than their counterpart back in the States. You`ve also mentioned that you used to be a skater..I think you`ll really get a kick out of boarding! P.S. don`t speak so soon about the bodo paku. \:\)

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Replies 83
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Deebee - after plenty of deliberation and sleepless nights, I have finally decided. Your only option is to become a skier.

 

I hope you accept my word as gospel and promptly purchase everything you need for a good season of two-stickin.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...

Ocean - I am actually sorry to hear that. Honest, for your sake I am sorry, I feel for you. But for my sake I am happy.

 

I need to update my total. one for this weekend just gone and one day that I forgot to add from the previous weekend.

 

Are you going to get your son on teh snow at a young age? My old man would take me surfing when I was a skinny little kid. I would freeze to death but it was some of my best times as a kid.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The reason that I go so infrequently is that I have a kid to look after. Trying to take him along would make the already complicated logistics far more so, would increase the expense and reduce the fun.

 

I started winter sports when I was 32 and I'm coming along. I don't really see the need to get little kids 'started early' just for the sake of doing so. H11 has enough fun sledding, swimming, and riding the swings, all of which is a lot cheaper.

Link to post
Share on other sites

hey ocean, just to let you know that you should be able to find great deals on kids stuff. There are entire kids packages (board, boots, bindings) available in the states for $200 - maybe 2.5 Man.

 

I don't know about here.

 

Buy him two pairs of wooly socks, some bindings that have a good range of shoe sizes, and a board that is a few cm too big, and he can use said package for a couple a seasons. I would guess that most resorts have good deals for kids as well. And if they don't well I would guess that for the first coupla sessions, walking up 4 or 5 times would be enough to see if he likes it or not.

Link to post
Share on other sites

barok, you're right, you can get similar deals here. One of my friends bought the set-up for his kid (and hasn't got much value out of it). All that's just step 1 though.

 

Step 2, getting up at 4:30, leaving the house in good time and driving 2 hours to Nozawa or Hakuba, is not something you want to do with a 5-year old.

 

Step 3, having some fun without having to wipe H11's nose every two minutes is almost unthinkable. I saw a bunch of chilluns at Kashimayari on Sat, and none of them looked like they were having much fun.

 

Boarding is a blessed escape from all of that...

Link to post
Share on other sites

Ha! Good read.

 

Ocean - blessed for you maybe, but the kid will definitely be thankful in later years. My dad took me skiing for the first time when I was 5. It was a traumatic experience for me riding on the chair lift the first time but I got the hang somewhat quickly. We probably only went once or twice for the first few years but there hasn't been a winter since that I haven't been on the snow at some time. At that time snowboarding wasn't an option, but to get a kid started on a board at that age would be awesome. I actually didn't even try snowboarding until I was 16, but immediately liked it immeasurably more.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Damn, now you're making me feel guilty! I do intend to take him at some point. But parents often overestimate the fun that little kids have doing relatively hard outdoor stuff. (Example, I once hired a canoe to ride the Shimantogawa in Shikoku. I got the Canadian variety so the kid could paddle too. I thought he'd love it. He hated it. He got out after 5 minutes, leaving me with a big open canoe for 2 hours when what I wanted was a small closed one to hit the rapids in.)

Link to post
Share on other sites

I have to say that one of my annoyances (for lack of a better word) was that i didn't go to the snow as a kid. My first trip was when i was about 14 or so. I was always envious of those young kids on the slopes.

 

So when/if i have kids they will be on the slopes and in the waves as soon as possible!

Link to post
Share on other sites

same here.

 

I can't help myself, I am going to have to tell another long story, sorry.

 

I was lucky with surfing in that i got an early start and had an enthusiatic dad. I had the poorest equipment available for a few years, but it didn't matter to me. Nothing worse than seeing spoilt brat kids not appreciate the expensive stuff that they had. My old man and I would go away camping once a month on a weekend seeking out new waves along the coast. We would 4WD down beaches and camp in great spots. I was the envy of all my school mates. Most trips I would take one of my mates along. Then dad started taking me to competitions when I hit my early teenage years. I usually got beaten pretty easily but sometimes I made it through the heats to the finals. One time I made it to the last round and woke up for the 7am meeting the next day before the finals kicked off. We rocked up down to the beach, all nervous, and it was a solid 15-20 foot after a small day before. I was in the cadet division (really young) and everyone was crapping themselves. All morning I watched boards getting broken and dudes getting triple overhead barrels on the inside section. The cadet final was limited to the beach break as it was too big out the back for us. Dad got one of his mates boards for me, a 6'8" board. To me it was a big wave gun as my board was a piddly 5'6" tooth pick. I was stoked until I hit the water and found that I couldn't duckdive it. There were 4 of us grommets in the final and two of us decided to head out a little further. The beach break was about 5 foot in a protected corner and was crap but there were ten footers reforming into a rip so we headed for them, hoping to paddle onto the reform. The rip dragged us right out past the reform and you guessed it, we were in the line up! Me and this other kid were hooting, although the fear level inside me was way, way off teh scale. We had already had 3 waves on the inside and you were judged on your best 4 waves, so we had to get one more each to have a chance of winning. Both of us managed to paddle onto a 15 foot wave each, and made it. I was so tiny at the time and this monster was trying to eat me. All I managed to do was turn down the line once I eventually made it to the bottom of the wave. I rode this wave all the way into the channel. That wave remains the biggest buzz of my life. We were severely scolded by the officials when we eventually made it back to the shore (20 minutes after the hooter had gone off). My dad was stoked though. He let me have a beer with lemonade at the presentation ceremony in the local pub, which was pretty radical given he was a conservative accountant. The other kid won and I came second. I got a crap quicksilver bag and t-shirt for my efforts. I was so skinny the t-shirt didn't even fit me.

 

Dad and I still go surfing together 20 years down the track. It will be a sad day when he says he is too old to go surfing anymore.

Link to post
Share on other sites

How old were you when you started db?

 

I reckon some of the nippers you see on the slopes are a hazard to themselves and other people, and wouldn't be mature enough to avoid trouble in a public park, let alone on a snowy mountain.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Blackadder - don't take this too hard, but you are a little behind the game there.

 

Ocean - I started surfing when I was 9 but didn't really do much until I was 10. I first skied at the age of 12 and stopped when I was 19 or so. I am 30 now. I would only go skiing perhaps 3 times each year when I was that young.

 

I agree that the very youngcan be a danger to themselves. It would be nice to retort with the statement that more experienced and mature riders on the mtn should be aware of young kids and take care not to hit them, but I doubt it works that way. I certainly think that there is an age that is just too young to be on busy slopes.

 

I would have thought that 3 days per year at a small crap local resort would be more than enough for a young person. That way when they reach the early teens they are able to ride and can tag along with dad a few more times each season. By the time he is in his mid to late teens he will be kicking dads butt and teasing you for converting to skiing!

Link to post
Share on other sites

That's exactly right db. It was a thing my dad and I did together. He stuck with me for the majority of the time, occasionally going off for a run or two by himself. But he would go up other times by himself or with friends when he wanted to do the more challenging runs. We never went more than a few times a season, but eventually I got to the point where I could keep up with him on anything and then we could take ski vacations for a weekend and really have a lot of fun. We actually both snowboarded for the first together and he liked it as much as I did. My lifestyle allowed me to really devote myself to the sport while he still makes it up only occasionally, but it would be fun for the two of us to go up now. I think back on those early years with a lot of fondness.

Link to post
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...