Cool Sports

[KingRichard]

I'm looking for something to do in order to break up my busy schedule. Was thinking about snowboarding but I don't really want to lay out a fortune on gear before even starting. And it seems an expensive hobby.

Surfing is out because I live in one of the only parts of the UK without any decent beaches (according to a surfing forum I checked out!).

I like the idea of climbing but I went bouldering once indoors and got massively bored very rapidly. I like team games but having played Rugby for a bit, I am realistic enough to admit taht I shouldn't be joining any teams unless I can commit to playing the games at weekends (which isn't that easy).

So really it's got to be fun, be seen as cool etc and I need to be able to just pack up some stuff and jump on the train/plane or get in the car and go off for a few hours / days / weeks or whatever I feel like or am able to fit in.

Any suggestions?

I'm not playing Golf!

[ewenm]

Mountain Biking?

Short rides on the bridleways near home, longer rides further afield, and some cracking trips to the hilly bits of the UK/Europe/World.

No need to spend bucketloads on a bike (initially anyway...).

[Nic Jones]

Sailing?

I don't mean the boring kind of sailing, but with a bit of practice you can be in high performance dinghies in no time and be sailing toys like this

Edited by Nic Jones on Wednesday 16th January 15:43

[KingRichard]

ewenm said:

Mountain Biking?

Short rides on the bridleways near home, longer rides further afield, and some cracking trips to the hilly bits of the UK/Europe/World.

No need to spend bucketloads on a bike (initially anyway...).

Ok that's a possibility - I have a GT mountain bike that I rode once and got fed up with. It was an experiment to see if I could do without a car... doomed from the outset

How much does it cost to get involved in sailing and wouldn't I need to buy a boat?

[TTwiggy]

Fencing? Swords are cool

[KingRichard]

TTwiggy said:

Fencing? Swords are cool

YEah but it's a bit gay dancing about with a piece of wobbly wire and shouting 'On Guard' and 'Touche' all the time...

Unless they've invented neon swords, in which case I'll play luke skywalker

[johnfm]

Snowbaording gear is not too expensive - but the weeks in Chamonix etc can get pricey. Much more exciting than sailing IMHO.

[thewave]

Mountain bike (you can put blocks on the pedals )

Sailing is great, but expensive if you want a boat, there's always someone after crew though, an RS400 should within reach fairly quickly.

Kiteboarding, equipment not cheap again.

[TTwiggy]

KingRichard said:

TTwiggy said:

Fencing? Swords are cool

YEah but it's a bit gay dancing about with a piece of wobbly wire and shouting 'On Guard' and 'Touche' all the time...

Unless they've invented neon swords, in which case I'll play luke skywalker

I never thought of it as gay when I was representing Great Britain...

but, if it's a bit soft, there's always Kendo... (big bamboo sword, and lots of shouting in Japanese)

[Blue Meanie]

Come on.. who else got a colander and a broom handle and fenced with friends when you were young?

[CJ-311]

ever heard of powerkiting ?
damn good sport

just noticed the waves post, mentioning kite boarding
for a beginner on landboarding you can pick up a good set up for about 300 quid

Edited by CJ-311 on Friday 18th January 18:45

[KingRichard]

Think I'm going to give snowboarding a go.

I'm dead close to a couple of ski centres that do lessons for £30 an hour, I'm gonna give them a ring tomorrow

I've been checking it out online and it doesn't seem too horrendous to start with. Obviously the trips to Banff will be a few quid and boards and proper snow gear is expensive, but I don't mind so much if I already know I like the sport...

Plus the youtube vids look

[deevlash]

theres looooaads of snow up here in scotland this year

[KingRichard]

deevlash said:

theres looooaads of snow up here in scotland this year

What?

I didn't know it snowed in scotland! Not like that anyway...

Can you go Gatwick to Edinburgh?

[ewenm]

I've skied on Cairngorm - was excellent but VERY cold in the wind.

[stimmers]

KingRichard said:

I'm looking for something to do in order to break up my busy schedule. Was thinking about snowboarding but I don't really want to lay out a fortune on gear before even starting. And it seems an expensive hobby.

Surfing is out because I live in one of the only parts of the UK without any decent beaches (according to a surfing forum I checked out!).

I like the idea of climbing but I went bouldering once indoors and got massively bored very rapidly. I like team games but having played Rugby for a bit, I am realistic enough to admit taht I shouldn't be joining any teams unless I can commit to playing the games at weekends (which isn't that easy).

So really it's got to be fun, be seen as cool etc and I need to be able to just pack up some stuff and jump on the train/plane or get in the car and go off for a few hours / days / weeks or whatever I feel like or am able to fit in.

Any suggestions?

I'm not playing Golf!

Richard, snowboarding gear doesn't have to be expensive and if you buy right, you'll not have to replace it for a long time (unless your a fashion whore)

Skiing and Snowboarding doesn't have to be too expensive either. Cheap Flights are always around and you can find some seriously cheap accomodation in good resorts if needed. When i go i spend all day skiing, the from some apres ski, back for a shower and change of clothes, dinner and then out to the bars, clubs - crash out, then up again !!!!

These places do dorm rooms for about £14 per night but also have private single and double rooms.

Hotel Bahnhof, Zermatt - Switzerland
Riders Palace , Laax - Switzerland
The Bunker, Verbier - Switzerland
Raging Elf, Fernie - Canada

I own some luxury Apartments in Bansko, Bulgaria. The transfer from Sofia at the moment is a masive pain, but Bansko is a really good resort and seriously cheap. You can have an awsome dinner in one of my all time fav restaurants, loads of booze for £10. Or most local places charge about 4-5 for 2 course meals. Most expensive beer is in the 5* Hotel at 70p per pint.

My 2 bedroom split level apartment goes for 150 Euro's per night (4 people = 37.50 Euros each per night)
My 1 bedroom apartment goes for 50 Euros per night (2 people)

The block has swimming pool, sauna, bar, restaurant, ski hire etc. Its 5 mins from the main lifts and 15 mins to all the bars and restaurants

So you can ski and Snowboard on a budget no problem - hope that helps

Edited by stimmers on Saturday 19th January 21:53

[KingRichard]

stimmers said:

KingRichard said:

I'm looking for something to do in order to break up my busy schedule. Was thinking about snowboarding but I don't really want to lay out a fortune on gear before even starting. And it seems an expensive hobby.

Surfing is out because I live in one of the only parts of the UK without any decent beaches (according to a surfing forum I checked out!).

I like the idea of climbing but I went bouldering once indoors and got massively bored very rapidly. I like team games but having played Rugby for a bit, I am realistic enough to admit taht I shouldn't be joining any teams unless I can commit to playing the games at weekends (which isn't that easy).

So really it's got to be fun, be seen as cool etc and I need to be able to just pack up some stuff and jump on the train/plane or get in the car and go off for a few hours / days / weeks or whatever I feel like or am able to fit in.

Any suggestions?

I'm not playing Golf!

Richard, snowboarding gear doesn't have to be expensive and if you buy right, you'll not have to replace it for a long time (unless your a fashion whore)

Skiing and Snowboarding doesn't have to be too expensive either. Cheap Flights are always around and you can find some seriously cheap accomodation in good resorts if needed. When i go i spend all day skiing, the from some apres ski, back for a shower and change of clothes, dinner and then out to the bars, clubs - crash out, then up again !!!!

These places do dorm rooms for about £14 per night but also have private single and double rooms.

Hotel Bahnhof, Zermatt - Switzerland
Riders Palace , Laax - Switzerland
The Bunker, Verbier - Switzerland
Raging Elf, Fernie - Canada

I own some luxury Apartments in Bansko, Bulgaria. The transfer from Sofia at the moment is a masive pain, but Bansko is a really good resort and seriously cheap. You can have an awsome dinner in one of my all time fav restaurants, loads of booze for £10. Or most local places charge about 4-5 for 2 course meals. Most expensive beer is in the 5* Hotel at 70p per pint.

My 2 bedroom split level apartment goes for 150 Euro's per night (4 people = 37.50 Euros each per night)
My 1 bedroom apartment goes for 50 Euros per night (2 people)

The block has swimming pool, sauna, bar, restaurant, ski hire etc. Its 5 mins from the main lifts and 15 mins to all the bars and restaurants

So you can ski and Snowboard on a budget no problem - hope that helps

Edited by stimmers on Saturday 19th January 21:53

Cool, thanks for the info. If I can get up in time for it, I'm going for my first lesson tomorrow (sunday). My mate has already done the intro, so I'm thinking do a couple more lessons and then if I like it book up somewhere with some snow.

By the way... my name is Dave

I've seen some of the guys on the snowboarding forums using special forces ski gear and stuff - Looks awesome and I bet it's cheap being military surplus

Don't get me wrong... I'm not a pauper - I just don't want to splash out and then never use the gear

I might be hitting you up for a stay in those apartments! Cheers

[parakitaMol.]

Firstly, snowboarding does not have to me massively expensive - there are ways to keep the cost down but the trips abroad to get 'real snow' do cost - however, for something you're likely to do maybe once or twice a year it's a long term investment - I got most of my kit from eBay the first year then changed it & upgraded over the years.

Do you want to do a sport that is 'cool'? how do you define that?

I like to have a range of things I can participate in, last year I learned to Wakeboard, I'd been a few times but some friends invited me along to stuff they were doing & I got the bug - luckily there are several lakes nearby & a good scene - then went off to Turkey to spend a week getting into it a lot more - utterly fabulous!! - again, as with snowboarding you need some basic kit but once you've got it you can wake up on a summer morning, go for a board & then get on with your day - it's fab! (and there are more lakes about than you realise)... It kinda replaces the kick from having an early biking blast - I'm also lucky enough to have several mates on the coast now with boats - although boarding on the sea is MUCH harder work!!!!!

In the last 6 months I've had tennis coaching, windsurf lessons, climbing lessons & sailing lessons & tried out kayaking!! *yikes* and I can't wait to do some more this year!

Why don't you try out a few things before you decide?

[Ciaran]

What about shooting?

[mat205125]

Another shout for mountain biking. Plenty of places to go around the country and europe to suit your chosen style and forced upon budget.

I back it up with road riding (can use the same bike if you want), and swimming for general fitness and CV so the up hill nasty bits can be conquered easier, therefore increasing the fun to slog ratio.