Ready For The Mountain
Thanks to my friend Todd, my board and I are ready for the mountain! I am not sure if I officially mentioned it here or not (other than in my 2009 goals entry), but I decided to go snowboarding with several of my co-workers this winter.
I own my own board, boots, and bindings, which is why I agreed to go in the first place. However, it turns out that large advancements have been made in boot-making during the seven or eight years it’s been since I last snowboarded, and it would have been lame and uncomfortable of me to use my very old, very sad boots. Who knew? So I found boots on sale. They’re Burtons, black with purple accents.
Then… it started to become clear that the bindings currently attached to my board, courtesy of my younger brother(s), were not going to cut it. They were the “clicker” sort, which my boots were not compatible with, they were old, and they were the wrong size. Dang. So I found bindings on sale. They’re white with gray-ish green and silver accents.
My board is this hilariously small thing, bright navy blue with a bright yellow bottom. I joke that it’s a kindergartener’s board, since it’s so small and primary-colored. It appears to be just the right size for me so I’m not complaining too much – I got it used about ten years ago.
I’m self-taught and I ride goofy-foot. I can’t carve to save my life, so if it looks like I need to carve, I swoosh my board around so I end up riding regular-foot. Then I swoosh it back. Sidewinding back and forth like that seems weird when I explain it, but it was much easier for me than learning to carve because I stay heel-side the whole time instead of moving forward onto my toes.
Wish me luck this season! I hope to start going up this weekend. Woo!
5 Comments
I’ve never tried snowboarding, but I’m hoping to try sometime this winter. One would think that after seven or eight years, your equipment might be outdated… I still skate in my older brother’s old skates, though, and they’re at least seven years old
Good luck with snowboarding, and have fun!
I went skiing yesterday for the first time in two years and forgot about how absolutely awesome it is to be one bad bump away from tumbling down a steep hill, going increasingly fast and only slightly knowing how to slow it down, balancing on two pieces of wood that I only sort of know how to control…
You’re going to have so much fun!!
Aw, you can do it. Try just going down the whole hill totally toe-side. Nice and slow since you cant seen anything (facing up the hill.) You’re body will remember the feeling.
Then later when you get in a flatish spot practice going from usual heel side, to physically swinging your body into that toe-side position. It’s a total body hurl and turn. I did that over and over in small slopey area, totally slowly, till I felt comf with that move. After that, you’re carving!
Have fun! I’m jealous you’re getting up on the Mtn this year! Delicious powder.
Good luck!! I’ve never done any kind of snowboarding or skiing , and I have a feeling I’d be terrible at it. I admire anyone else who can do it, haha! I’d rather just go down a hill on a sled.
I go like once a season so I haven’t learned to carve yet either! =(