A New Adventure

Ok, so here's the deal.. I tend to pick up new hobbies every so often and become obsessed with them until I find a new hobby. So, why am I telling you this? Because I recently picked up the coolest hobby I've ever had - snowboarding! Seriously, I feel so cool snowboarding...that is when I'm not falling or tripping down the mountain. So, since I'm new to the whole thing I decided to do a little research and am going to share what I've found with all of you who are actually reading this.

History

First off, how the heck did snowboarding begin? I pondered the idea of maybe where it all started, initially thinking in Colorado or Russia back in early 1900's where it was invented randomly by some kid with an old piece of wood. Much to my surprise, I wasn't exceptionally wrong. Here's what Wikipedia says about the history of snowboarding:

 "Snowboarding has been around since the 1920s, when boys and men would tie plywood or wooden planks from barrels to their feet using clotheslines and horse reins in order to steer themselves down hills. Modern snowboarding began in 1965 when Sherman Poppen, an engineer in Muskegon, Michigan, invented a toy for his daughter by fastening two skis together and attaching a rope to one end so she would have some control as she stood on the board and glided downhill. Dubbed the "snurfer" (combining snow and surfer), the toy proved so popular among his daughter's friends that Poppen licensed the idea to a manufacturer that sold about a million snurfers over the next decade."

Ok, so hopefully I'm not the only one thinking this but... snurfing?!?!? Who in the world would dub that as a products name for anything?! Dude...

Snowboarding Gear

So now, what you and I need to know about snowboarding? I browsed the web for a few "snowboarding 101" tips and came up with this list regarding your gear:

1.   Apparently there are different types of boards? That's news to me. I thought boards were boards, but there are different boards you could buy depending on what type of snowboarding you want to do:

• All Mountain:  These are your most common types of boards. They’re made to go anywhere and do anything. If you haven’t ridden before, this is probably the type of board you’ll end up on. - This is the board I'd need
• Free Ride: These boards are designed for big lines, dropping cliffs, hitting kickers, and charging powder. - Never ever in a million years will I buy one of these.. Me and "dropping cliffs"? Bad, bad combination.
• Freestyle: These are for tricking out. Freestyle boards are more flexible, easier to maneuver, and lighter than Freeride boards. If you’re going to be hanging in the park with the cool kids, this is what you’re going to want to rock. - As much as I'd love to "hang in the park with the cool kids," I am far too clumsy and uncoordinated to be "freestyling." ....unless of course we're rapping, in which case I'm all over it. (definitely kidding)
• Alpine: Alpine boards are built for speed on hard-packed groomers and are typically used for racing. They will not perform well in powder or in the park, and have a very stiff flex profile. - Speed? haha yeah right. Slow and steady wins the race.... and keeps you alive.

 

**Click on the picture for this board**

 

2.   Next, there's different lengths of boards to consider based on your height and weight... ok girls, this is NOT the time to be lying about your weight, suck it up and tell the truth!

•      SIZE         Recommended Rider Weight
  1. 151cm              95-145lbs
  2. 154cm            115-165lbs
  3. 158cm            130-180lbs
  4. 162cm            140-190lbs
        5. 166cm             155-205lbs

3.   Boots! Finally to the fashion part of this sport! Ok so according to "Blister Gear Review" Boots are super important because well they are what's connected to your board and your feet are in them all day. What's key though is getting the right fit. They say "You want your boots tight, but not ridiculously so. If there is room for movement, your foot will find it and you’ll end up with blisters or overworked ankles/tendons/joints."

 

4. This is just added by me and is probably not "official gear" but if it were possibly - padding, padding, padding. I can't tell you how sore I was from falling after the first couple of times. I mean seriously guys, I was probably falling more than I was actually snowboarding. Thank you Advil

Snowboarding 101

Now that we have the proper gear, I guess what comes next is learning how to actually snowboard. Here's what I found:

1.  Take lessons. I didn't really go through the process of taking actual lessons. Like most people starting off, I snagged one of my friends who's an experienced snowboarder (is that even the correct term??) and asked them to teach me. What I've learned from this - you're better off just going alone and hoping for the best. Everyone has their own way of snowboarding and half the time have no idea how to actually explain what to do in a way you'll understand. But, that's just my experience.

2.   Determine your lead foot. There are two ways of "riding." Goofy or Regular. There are many ways from what I've read of determining this. The most affective way I found was sliding across the floor and whichever foot you'd naturally put forward to turn, that should be your lead foot. In the end just ride however is the most comfortable, and mold your style as you go.

3.   Getting on on the lift. Oh my word this part scared me to death! My first time on, I almost fell over, second time one I looked like a grandma getting on. Needless to say, I'm still getting the hang of it. What I've learned is you take off your back leg from the board then push off the snow using it like a skate board then to glide down you use your stomp pad (that thing on your snowboard in between both feet) to glide off the lift.

4.   Don't try to be a hot shot. Seriously, use the bunny slope if you're new. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people tell me they broke their arm or collar bone because they tried going down a regular slope too soon. The bunny slope has enough of a slope to give you at least 5 miles per hour of speed, which trust me is enough! I prefer to stay at around 1 if possibly! - Again slow and steady wins the race and keeps you safe. I'm convinced.

5.   Apply some pressure to your lead foot. Bend your knees and keep your back straight, so that you feel balanced. Applying pressure is not leaning your body! Seriously don't do that! Apparently you should pretend you're squashing a bug under your foot? I guess it helps. To slowdown switch to your heel edge or your toe edge depending which direction you're going down. If your facing the hill go up on your toes a little, if your going down the mountain how you should be, go on your heels a little to dig your board into the snow helping you slow down and/or stop.

6.   Balance. If you fall backwards then you've leaned too far back, but this is better than catching your toe edge in the snow and falling forwards. Hurt knees are no fun! However, a hurt bum is no fun either... all in all, just don't fall! haha! yeah... good luck with that.

7.   Switching to your toe edge. To turn your board, you will turn your torso uphill, and at the same time apply pressure to your rear leg and place your weight over your toes leaning forward a little. This was seriously the hardest part for me to learn. My friend told me I was flailing my arms around every where like there was a bee chasing me just so I could get my body to turn. (so embarrassing now thinking about it). Don't do that, you'll look like an idiot and eventually become unbalanced.

Warning!

• You will fall, be prepared for that. The first day of snowboarding is the hardest, but you will learn quickly if you keep trying. Don't give up!
• Don't fall on your hands to catch yourself, you don't want to break, sprain or hurt your wrists it's no bueno. Apparently you should try to roll when you fall, however I'm still trying to wrap my head around that because how are you supposed to roll with a board attached to your feet? Wouldn't that make you break your knee or something? But at the same time you don't want to face plant into the snow either. I don't know. Either way when in doubt, fall on your butt!
•  You will be sore, it's inevitable. Just accept it.

So, now that I've written a 1,500 word blog I am finally finished! I hope all of this helps! Let me know how ya'll do snowboarding. Remember have fun with it! Everyone has to start some where. I was so afraid to fall and when I did I was completely embarrassed. Let loose (well not too loose) and have fun!

Until next time!