surfing vs snowboarding

[Ak_pride]

So I've never surfed, and would love to try. Not a whole lot of opportunities living in alaska and montana believe it or not. I've boogie boarded quite a few times though and had a blast. I've been snowboarding for 10 years. I was just wondering do any of the skills transfer over to surfing? balance etc, Do you think I could pick it up quicker or would it be no help at all? thanks

[Brocktoon]

It might help when you get comfortable surfing, but the initial learning curve is a lot steeper with surfing than snowboarding. There is no analogy in snowboarding for the most difficult part of surfing to learn: going from prone to standing up on the board in moving water.

[MarsB]

There is very little crossover between the two. The balance and coordination you develop from snowboarding will help, but like nugget mentioned, the hardest part is learning to make the drop and get to your feet. Board control, timing, currents, and ability to read sets are dynamics completely unique to surfing.

[nutcase]

Some of the skills will definately transfer over to surfing ONCE you are able to confidently paddle into a wave, make the drop and make a couple of turns. When you start to feel more comfortable doing those things it will be easier for you to learn to manuever the surfboard effectively. Many of the surfing movements like the roundhouse turn, snapback and bottom turn are similar in a lot of ways to snowboarding moves.

As mentioned by others- it is going to take you quite a while to get to the point where you will be comfortable enough on a surfboard to be able to use your snowboarding skills.

[bio-smear]

I want to bring back the word "snurfing."

[fortysix&2]

Cool thread...My wife and I are heading to Oahu in May. I was bumbed that I'll misss a week of spring riding here in CO, but realized I will have the opportunity to try surfing. So, I'm stoked! I'm getting in the pool to get the swimmers in shape. I'll be happy if I can just get up a couple times.

[bakers_dozen]

Make sure you wear a life jacket

[Ak_pride]

I've actually spent a little time in the ocean, maybe 50 days total, boogie boarding and catching 3-4 ft waves. Am a fairly strong swimmer as well. I'm sure the potential is there to get worked harder on a surfboard though.

[tuffy109]

I'm sure the potential is there to get worked harder on a surfboard though.

there's no tomahawking down cliff lines.

[Long duc dong]

The balance from snowboarding will help you after you learn, but it will not help you in the initial stages. More than anything surfing is about getting in position to ride, not actually learning to ride. When one learns to ski or snowboard, one points down the hill and learns to ride the mountain. To learn to surf, you must first judge the wave, then paddle fast enough to get into the wave, then learn to popup, then learn to ride.

[mcSnurd]

I spent a week and a half in mal pais, costa rica last fall, and the waves were overhead to double overhead most of the time. They also weren't clean sets. I have been riding for about 10 years, and I do something athletic 5-6 days a week. Learning to surf in those conditions was seriously humbling. As others mentioned, there is so much to go through before you are up on a wave and are able to use your riding skills.

I almost think that you need to live somewhere where you can surf days when the waves are clean and of an appropriate size for your skills in order to get good. To me, learning to surf as a touron is the equivalent of only being able to learn to snowboard on powder days - if that makes any sense. You can't just necessarily go out there any day and make much progress.

[Big E]

I have a whopping life total of 3 days of surfing - 1 session (ie, 2 hrs) about 5 years ago, and then another 2 sessions on consecutive days 18 months ago. I think that being used to the feeling/balance of standing on something while the ground is moving beneath is definitely a help earlier on. 2 of my 3 times out were part of a group lesson, and I consistently stayed up longer than the others in my group. Could be coincidence, but probably not entirely.

However, as you will quickly find out, riding the wave once you've caught it is actually the easy part (at least, at my level). In those lessons, the instructor is standing out there and at the beginning lines you up, tells you when to paddle, gives you a shove into the wave, and tells you when to stand up. For 45 minutes, I caught and rode pretty much every wave he sent me into, even as he was progressively giving me less and less and finally no shove at all. However, as soon as he said "okay, you guys got 30 minutes on your own, have fun!" none of us caught a single wave. My last session, I just rented a board and stayed in basically the same spot where we had the class the previous day, and in 2+ hours, I managed to actually paddle into, stand up, and ride a whopping 1 wave, which I considered a huge success!

It is fun, though, and no matter how bad you suck, you can't complain about coming out of the surf and striking up a conversation with any of the hotties on the beach.

[BigDaddy]

Even as a windsufer, I still find surfing difficult. I love it, but man... it's a different game. I guess I need "handles" (the boom), but I love waves while windsurfing. You get to jump them going out and then riding's easy coming in... (as long as the waves aren't bigger than me!) This may be the year I actually get a surf board, but how many toys can fit in a garage?... Anyone else make the transition from windsurfer to surfer? Laird Hamilton, you out there?

[boarddad]

Snowboarding - weight forward
Surfing - weight back
End of comparisons.

Surfing is the hardest thing I've ever learned to do - PERIOD. Learning to properly duck-dive takes even longer. It took me two solid weeks going every day before I could really catch a wave and turn the board. Someone else told me I would fall 200 times before I got it - that's about right. There's nothing else like it though so give it a try. Just be aware you won't get it in one day.

[GheePup]

Surfing vs. snowboarding.

Fall off your surfboard and get pounded by waves to get back out beyond the break only to compete with a bunch of others for another chance to stand on a wave vs. fall on a snowboard and stand back up to keep going down the hill?

Sharks vs. avalanches. I am pretty sure more peeps get killed every year due to avalanches than get digested by a great white (otherwise known as "the landlord").

Waves vs. mountains. Waves move and create the power that propels you with a little bit of gravity involved, while mountains stand still with gravity as the only source of power.

Water vs. snow. You can drowned in both but in the ocean you better be a strong swimmer while most of the time you just have to stand up while on snow.

Conclusion. They are totally different sports but cross over very nicely.

[tuffy109]

i snowboarded a few weeks back.

the answer is no.

[GheePup]

Once up and riding on the face of a blue-green face of a wave for the fleeting few seconds of your existence you will understsand. There is nothing like it.

Stand up and make your first bottom turn and hear the thunder behind you with that smooth face ahead just waiting for you to make a carve on it.

Oh, wait, Joe Fuckhead just dropped in out in front of you and pointed it or maybe he just paddled in front of you and left you no space to get around. Don't be Joe Fuckhead (otherwise known as a kook) and read this: http://www.surfline.com/surfology/su...borl_index.cfm
It will help you to not get your ass kicked and make your surfing experience a little more enjoyable.

Have fun and a smile followed by some polite conversation goes a long way with the local rippers.

[cj001f]

You live 1,000 miles from the ocean. You are a kook by definition. Stay in the shore break.

If you don't surf regularly (daily, if you are really good weekly maybe) you will always suck. Even if you surf regularly, if you didn't start young, you will be mediocre your whole life. Why? Because you have to work for every wave.

[Humble]

from alot of articles i have read and people i have talked to it seems like surfing went mainstreamish and now with the crowding of wave breaks all over the world this once very nature oriented, "soul sport" has turned into a macho political turf war.

i would much rather board than surf, but thats just a personal preferene.

as it relates to transerfing, surfing is like doing wheelies or riding some deepish pow surf style, yet neither sport can really ever compare with the other as they deal with 2 different mollecular forms of water (solid, liquid)

RADICAL!

[GheePup]

Mr. Humble. The turf war started a long time ago and certainly was not caused by surfing going "mainstream". Surfing now is much less localized than it was back in the late 70's to early 80's. Its been a long time since I seen people throwing punches at each other while riding down the face of a wave.

[Humble]

i dont know, it just seems like the attitude has changed

not as mellow as before. and i aint talking about santa cruz type shit either.

[hop]

After today, I've had approximately 7 runs (runs, not days) on a snowboard and perhaps close to 100 (for probably a total of 2-3 minutes of actual wave riding) days in the surf, and I'm already a much better snowboarder than I am surfer.

[GheePup]

Dude, Santa Cruz to IB used to be much more localized than now. You can now pretty much paddle out anywhere and get by with a smile and a comment like "hey whats up dude". Just don't drop in on anyone or you might get a serious tongue lashing unlike the olden days when you woulda got your ass kicked into a bloody pulp.

[Humble]

if there was a perfect set coming in, i would still be stting on the beach with a corona =)


i am very intruiged by the whole surf society, or i guess how it used to work. care to enlighten me with some old-school history?

[TBski]

So I've never surfed, and would love to try. Not a whole lot of opportunities living in alaska and montana believe it or not

Alaska has more coastline than the rest of the US put together, there's lots of opportunities but it requires dedication and exploration and a good wetsuit.
The only thing that transfers from snowboarding to surfing is having your pants around your knees,tatoos and being so mainstreamalternative...