All aboard for the new sensation Switzerland
Snowboarding technique SNOWBOARDERS were appalled this week that instructors in the Swiss resort of Klosters put the Prince of Wales and Prince Harry on snowboards wearing ski boots. Most snowboarders wear soft boots and ride freestyle boards, which are rounded at both ends so that the rider can do 180 turns.
The whole body is used in executing the turns, so conventional ski clothing can be too constricting. Baggy-pants trousers, with waterproofed bottoms and knees, are more the snowboard fashion accessory.
Devoted snowboarders urge beginners to start with freestyle boards and argue that the soft boots, which are like high hiking boots and are held on the board by straps, give them a better feel for the snow.
Some skiers who have switched to snowboarding prefer hard boots which are made of plastic, like ski boots, and clip into bindings on the board.
The Prince was on such a board but was handicapped by wearing ski boots which were too high, too stiff and designed for the skier to lean forwards.
At the age of 47, the Prince was a late starter but, by persevering, he would have been able to master the sport after three days of tumbles, as most novices do.
The snowboarding technique requires the weight to be put on the front foot while the back foot (the “feeling foot”) steers the board into the turn. Within an hour, most people can turn in one direction, usually leaning into the slope, and by the second day can turn both ways.
Snowboards cannot go as fast as skis and there is less to go wrong, so it can be argued that it is the safer of the two sports. SOME predict that in ten years snowboarders will equal or exceed the number of skiers worldwide. This season, virtually every leading British ski-tour operator tried to entice snowboarders.
Crystal, which produces a dedicated brochure, estimates that up to 40,000 Britons will go on snowboarding holidays this winter, the average age of clients being 15 to 24.
With growing enthusiasm for the sport, about 8,000 snowboards have been sold this winter in Britain, against an estimated 16,000 pairs of skis.
