2010-01-02 - Snowboarding

As mentioned in a previous entry I went snowboarding over the New Years weekend. It was fucking awesome. I had never been snowboarding or skiing before- so it was all new and exciting. Learning how to do something new in general is always exciting and it had been a while since I learned something as kick ass. A lot of my friends snowboard and love it- so now that I know first hand how great it is I'm really pissed I didn't try earlier.

First of all- it was an awesome weekend and a great way to spend New Years. Thanks to Travis for inviting us to stay at Sugarloaf and giving us a place to sleep/lending me a board- Tom for lending me some gear- Ryan for some beginner's lessons/watching me fall down a mountain- and Josh for pushing me to try more difficult routes.

Day one was pretty much just figuring out how to stand up- and falling down a ton. I never even got beyond the beginner trail but that's all I really needed. I figured out how to get on/off a chairlift, strap in, stand up and slowly slide down the hill on my heel-edge. Once I thought I had mastered stopping (at slow speeds) I tried going a bit faster and switching from a regular to goofy stance. All the while- periodically eating shit. I got really good at that- especially on ice. Another fun fact about the beginner trail is that it was littered with the bodies of fallen/falling children. A minefield of kids shuffling along on two foot long skis. (It's not skiis?) I retired when the lift stopped running and began self medicating with whiskey and RC Cola- yeah really.

Day two we got even more snow- perfect conditions for falling down all day. I started out on the beginner trail and after one run I decided I should try my luck with a real route. I got my lift ticket and started up for my first real run on a green trail with Josh. Got up to the top- and got ready to drop in. A little apprehensive at first but I soon realized that there was only one way down that mountain. Well- a couple ways really- with grace and skill or on my ass. This is the point where I developed my favorite technique- go as fast as possible and wipe out as hard as possible- and repeat until I reach the bottom. After a few runs I finally figured out how to turn on my toe-edge and starting linking turns. It wasn't until my last run on the green trail that I remembered what everyone had been telling me all along- bend your knees. Really- that's all there is to it. Have confidence, get low and bend your knees.

Throughout the learning process I would get to a point where I was about 85% comfortable with the route I was running- and once I stopped falling down constantly I knew it was time to move onto something else that would kick my ass. By mid-day on my first real day of snowboarding we moved on to my first blue trail- The Narrow Gauge. It was pretty steep- but the fear turned into excitement once I got ready to drop in. Half way down that first blue trail I thought 'I'm going to have to buy a board now' - then I ate shit wicked hard. Josh can attest to that. He was riding behind me and would periodically see a giant explosion of snow with me at the center of it. I'm the reason why skiers hate people on snowboards. I cleared the snow off about half of that trail by the time I was done with it.

By the end of the day I had conquered (using the term loosely) a couple of blue trails. I didn't want to stop- and definitely didn't want to go home the next day. It's a rough first couple of days and you hurt just about everywhere- but it's a good kind of hurt because you know you did something real that day. I now have an understanding and appreciation for it- and look forward to the next time I go. Thanks to everyone who contributed to my learning to snowboard- and to everyone who made it an awesome weekend.

In conclusion- don't be afraid - go fast- fall hard - and bend your knees.