alpine snowboard: best windsurfing alternative

vtm81 · Joined: 03 Aug 2009 Posts: 11

Hi folks,

I just want to share an opinion and experience here with the windsurfing community.

I lived in Quebec for a few years and most of my windsurfing buddies were doing alpine snowboarding during the winter time. I gave the (almost underground) sport a shot and ....never looked back.

From a G-force perspective, the rush is very close to windsurfing especially during a radical high speed laydown jibe.

From a learning curve point of view, it a bit better than windsurfing but still very technical.

Here is a video example of alpine snowboarding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1l8e8r9m4Q

Some resources to the sport
www.extremecarving.com
www.bomberonline.com
http://www.pureboarding.com/index.php?id=filme

Enjoy your winter....
Cool

speedysailor · Joined: 11 Sep 2007 Posts: 463

Snowboarding has no similarities with windsurfing. You are deluded into thinking that it does. That learning curve garbage only hides the facts that snowboarders are too young to be responsible as a rule, they are dangerous to themselves and others, that the common injuries they inflict and sustain remain too life altering to support it as a legit sport, and that they should be banned from lift service ski areas.

acidland · Joined: 09 Nov 2003 Posts: 39

Thanks for the snowboard video vtm81, I am getting excited about doing some boarding soon. Don't pay any attention to Bruce as he seems to be a very opinionated and cranky old guy. I myself am 59 years old and have been snowboarding since before they had edges on them back in the 70's. Back when the sport first began, we were banned from the slopes of many resorts. Bruce should be banned from all forums but is allowed to continue because he steers up controversy. Snowboarding is a great way to develop balance and movement on both sides of the body, since you have to turn left and right. I've seen a few windsurfers who have trouble making jybes because they have not been able to develop their weaker side. Snowboarding forces the issue as there are no POLES to assist.

speedysailor · Joined: 11 Sep 2007 Posts: 463

Let's see, having been slammed from behind and clipped above the knee by a punk snowboarder, I have had an acute sense of the increased dangers snowboarders have added to downhill slopes. You run a much more serious risk of head concussions on one than any other type of sporting good.
Even when wearing helmets, I have heard of terrible horror stories regarding snowboarder head injuries. Then there's the larcerations caused by the metal edges. Again, personal attacks don't ever expose the truths about equipment.

pueno · Joined: 03 Mar 2007 Posts: 796

89Spring · Joined: 24 Jul 2003 Posts: 183

yup there are never ever any asshole skiers. Its only the snowboarders that cut people off. Every single skier out there is an angel. You sound like a grumpy old bag. i skied from very early childhood and eventually progressed into snowboarding and eventually into plates, hard boots, and skinny flat tail boards. Alpine snowboarding rocks. Highspeed pure carving turns with your chest a couple inches off the snow. I have collided into a skier. Brucie I have a question for you. Who has right of way on a slope, the uphill or downhill rider? To be clear I was the downhill rider and god forbid I was on a snowboard and the other rider was on skies.
I feel that all board sports are loosely related, emphasis on loosely. Alpine snowboarding rocks.

EzzyCzar · Joined: 08 Jul 2006 Posts: 56

I have skied my whole life. Don't alpine much any more, but when I do go I telemark. I own a carve board. When I skied a lot I would only use the crave board as an alternative to no powder days.

Carve boards are fun but I think pretty limited in their scope of use. Also it hurts bad when you get nailed. That is your nose carves too hard and you flip upside down onto your head, similar to going over the handle bars in windsurfing.

Do you have your full circles down yet?

I personally find telemark skiing the most technical and rewarding of the downhill genres. No fakeemark!

kevinkan · Joined: 07 Jun 2001 Posts: 676 Location: San Francisco

heh, broke out the alpine board for the first time in over 10 years... i also used to correlate alpine carving w/ carving a surfboard/sailboard. there are some similarities... here's pretty cool toy i've used for fun.

http://www.carveusa.com/index.php

I've used this board on hills, w/ a sail, and w/ a kite (larger trainer).

FredFX · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 2:08 pm Post subject:

speedysailor · Joined: 11 Sep 2007 Posts: 463

The topic is would snowboarding be the best alternative to windsurfing. I know two windsurfing shops that carry snowboards. It's a great shallow minded sell that has little substance. On the safety issue, would you want your local police to carry automatic weapons instead of revolvers? Skiing is hard to learn so that's why so many kids go for the boards. The fact that they can access the whole mountain in a short time only makes the fact that they have no knowledge of the hidden dangers of their equipment only more acute. Skiing opens a lot more terrain to the accomplished athlete. Thank god I can take my skis off piste and away from the horde of geeky snowboarders. Nevertheless, that probably won't be this year in that Windsurfing is the best alternative to windsurfing.

pueno · Joined: 03 Mar 2007 Posts: 796

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 5171

Maybe for surfing, alpine snowboarding is close, but dirt biking uses far more WSing muscles.

Brucie, the last guy I deliberately put in an ER was a skier, not a snowboarder.

Mike \m/

kevinkan · Joined: 07 Jun 2001 Posts: 676 Location: San Francisco

sailingjoe · Joined: 06 Aug 2008 Posts: 583

So vtm81 like most canadians comes here and tries to sell his favorite product to a bunch of naive Americans who are still wet behind the years and haven't finished school. They buy it, hook, line and sinker.

hodad.andy · Joined: 28 Jun 2008 Posts: 293 Location: Cape Hatteras, NC

This may be considered sacrilege, but I'm a pretty big fan of snow kiting on frozen lakes or wide open snowy fields. Or, if you've got the high quality ice, then the skateboard-like-windsurfing-rigs are pretty bad-ass too. Either of them get you out in the fresh air, being pulled along by the wind, which is what it's all about, right?