Thursday, January 8, 2009

Snowboarding



This is my second season snowboarding. I started last year on Super Bowl Sunday at Mountain High here in Southern California. It was hard. The wind blew me down every time I tried to stand up. I would take lessons, hang out on the Bunny Hill and keep trying to get over my fear of standing on something that moved while I stood still.

I never skied, surfed or skateboarded as a kid so many of my friends thought I was slightly insane for suddenly taking up such a "dangerous" sport. It looked like fun and I thought, why not?

Last year after 4 sessions on rental boards, I invested in an Arbor. It was on sale, I was working, I wanted my own board. Then C very sweetly gifted me Flow bindings, suddenly I had not only a kick-ass board, but top of the line bindings as well. I HAD to get better.

This season I was lucky enough to get 3 days over the Christmas/New Year holiday in Tahoe at Mt. Rose. On my last day, I finally started to get it. I am off the bunny hill. I'm no longer taking lessons and while I'm still "working on my dismount" from the chairlift (otherwise falling on my Po every time and crawling away) I'm having FUN! I can do falling leaf more or less all the way down the run. This may not sound like much, but for me it is a little victory. Yes, I'm covered in bruises, and it hurts, and I'm often cold, but knowing that I kept trying and stuck with it is incredibly rewarding. I'm miles away from being able to do boxes or rails - and I'm not sure that it's even something I would ever try - but who knows?

Some things I've learned are:
Point the board downhill and lean in.
Good boots are important.
Falling in powder hurts a lot less.
Sometimes a face plant is kind of fun.
Everyone falls if they catch an edge.

I'm hoping to get to go a few more times this season. Would like to try Mt. Waterman and Snow Summit again, visit Mammoth and possibly somewhere in Utah. And yes, I've begun lusting after more comfortable boots that are easier to deal with.

See you on the slopes!

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