To begin snowboarding (How)...

I have a thinking that one who come to leave in Hokkaido, a place famous for its cold weather and snow, must do something relates to snow, then only having to struggle through the long winter here isn't a waste.

In March, other regions of Japan already entering the spring season, but here we are still in winter. It should end soon though, the temperature is getting warmer, snow melts sometime, while rain starts to fall again.

All these have evoked a question in my mind: "If not now, when? or it would be too late then after returning to Malaysia"
So I decided to pick up one of the winter sports while I'm in Hokkaido.
Well, skating and skiing sounds good, but don't you agree that snowboarding looks cool?
Just as I would picked Taekwon-do over Karate-do when come to martial art, for its many fancy flying kicking techniques which look cool, I have decided on snowboarding over skiing, simply for same reason - not the kicking, but it's COOL :)

To start with, I have been through an extensive internet search in order to find out what to wear and how to play.... after all, this is not a kind of sport that you can simply go and try without proper preparation. When up there at the hill of a snow mountain, with temperature around minus 6, and the dangerous slops... anything bad can happen... especially when I am going alone, for the very 1st time...
Yes, alone...

As I have returned safely from the mountain today, from my very 1st snowboarding experience, so I guess the information that I've found works, and so I decided to write this post so that if there is someone else who think of to go and explore the mountain with snowboard, alone, for his or her very 1st time, my preparations may save his or her life too :) while enjoying this cool sport.

How to wear: Go for layers...
1. Inner layer (the one beside your skin): No cotton made products! I go for a pair of long pants and long sleeved shirt made of polyester. Beside polyester, you may go for other materials for as long as it has sweat-wicking ability (it absorbs your sweat and evaporates it to the air, so that your body is keep dry, or other wise you will be trembling when your sweat gets icy - that's why you can't go for cotton because it keeps your sweat and once it's freeze you're like cover with ice).
*I hope this wouldn't make you think that I am one who didn't practice what I preach, but my underwear does made of 100% cotton :)
However, it's only the underwear... as my soaks too are made of sweat-wicking material!
I think exception for the underwear is reasonable considering that the 'thing' is made hanging outside but not inside; This means it's in our nature that we preferred having eggs-in-refrigerator than boiling-eggs kind of feeling :) Agree?
2. Outer layer: Snowboarding jacket and pant which must be waterproof!
3. Hand glove: Also must be waterproof!
4 Boot: Got to fit perfectly for your size if you think of to enjoy this sport, because it is through the boot that your feet control the snowboard.
* For items 2, 3 and 4 you should consider buying at the shop selling snowboarding products. I got mine there. While for item 1, I bought it at a shop selling outdoor activity (camping, climbing, etc.) products.

Some says goggles or sunglasses are a must, but I didn't wear them and I am fine (I do actually bring my sunglasses but didn't think of to put it on).
Personally, beside the snowboard, it is the goggles that makes me think that snowboarding looks cool :) Guess I'll get one too soon.

Other then the above lists, I did wear a neckline to block the cold wind, and a beanie because my hair seems blocking my view other wise.

This utube link provide you some information on how to wear (begin from the middle of the video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtdT3zgBPXI&NR=1

When to dress up:
I put on all that I wear for snowboarding except the boot, while traveling to the ski area. Because the boot makes walking and standing difficult. This minimized the items I have to bring and save my changing times. However, I saw many Japanese dress up completely- including the boot! So they can straight away heads to the mountain once get off the bus... These people really can't wait snowboarding!!

How to begin snowboarding:
I always believe in the important of fundamentals (for no matter what we do)...
I have been trying to find out what is the fundamental movements for a beginner in snowboarding, and my search leads to these few lessons in YouTube:
1. Beginner Snowboarding Lesson Part One
2. Beginner Snowboarding Lesson Part Two
3. Beginner Snowboarding Lesson Part Three
4. Beginner Snowboarding Lesson Part Four

These four lessons cover:
1. How to walk around with the snowboard (not about snowboarding yet, but how to move around when your foot or feet are attach to the snowboard)
2. Heal-Side Slip
3. Toe-Side Slip
4. Heal-edge Falling Leave
5. Toe-edge falling Leave
6. Heal-side-J turn
7. Toe-side-J turn
8. Linking heal and toe sides turns
(See also here)
Items 2 to 6 are names of basic snowboarding techniques for beginner (according to what I found in YouTube). So I am going to cover all these movements before considering other techniques. As for today, I have tried up to item 5, so the next should be J-turn... good progress I suppose :)

Safety:
1. Don't risk trying anything stupid!!! such like jumping down the slop which is not mean for beginner just because of you see some expert doing so.
2. Avoid supporting your fall with hand, this may break your wrest. See how to fall here and here.
*During one of the fall, it happened too fast that I don't have time to think, and my natural reaction is to support my fall with my hand... my left wrest gets really painful from that.... luckily it didn't break :) and after a while of rest, the pain gone and I continued with the rest of the slops...