Will I Always Be Terrible at Snowboarding?
A couple years ago I spent a week in Vancouver at the Whistler/Blackcomb Resort, snowboarding every day for 5 or 6 days and I still was all falling leaf down the mountian.
Falling Leaf
Falling leaf is when you ride your heel edge all the way down and cut across the mountain, floating across side to side like a falling leaf. Let me tell you something about doing the “falling leaf” down a 7,400 ft mountain — don’t do it, ever. It takes hours and hours and hours. Whistler has runs that are as long as 7 miles, these mountains are huge! In fact, Ski Patrol was doing the nightly sweep and I was the very last person on the mountain. I had a Whistler Ski Patrol dude shadowing me the rest of the way down. Yes, it was kind of humiliating, but also comforting because I had started to worry about the sun going down and being stuck on the mountain in the dark all night long, just little me falling leaf…falling leaf.
A Skater, Yet Still Terrible
Flash forward three years and here I am, still a simple falling leaf. I can get to the toe edge, but there is still something critical that I am clearly missing. Moving from heel to toe edge is just fine, but moving from toe to heel edge always feels wrong and often lands me on my back. It’s pretty surprising, because I skateboarded practically every day from about age 14 - 20 and you’d think that would have provided a solid foundation for snowboarding. Unfortunately, the physics seem to be completely different.
Starting to Think “Getting Older” Thoughts
The sad part of this story was when I started to wonder if I have become risk averse?? This is a shocking realization for me — an ex-NYC bike messenger. I used to dodge traffic with 30 lbs of documents on my back, with no brakes and no helmet. Could it be that I am afraid of taking the risks necessary to move beyond the falling leaf?
Blame the Back
After retiring from messengerdome, I had some major troubles with my back. It took about two years of trying different doctors and therapies before fixing the problem, two years of crippling pain that comes with a pinched sciatic nerve (holler if you hear me, I know sciatica is really common). Luckily, my injury seems to be resolved now, as long as I go running a couple times a week I’m 100% fine. But, now I think I have this deep-rooted fear of serious long-term injury.
More than anything, my back injury had a crushing pyschological impact. I consider myself an active person, I love cycling, running, skating, etc. Not being able to do these things really affected my sense of self. My injury even got bad enough where I was missing work and could no longer make any sort of plans because I wasn’t sure what my back would be doing at any given moment. I think I would do anything to avoid a similar injury in the future, and I’m realizing now that whether I’m aware of it or not, I think this unconscious motivation is always affecting physical things that I do like snowboarding. Unfortunately, I think that hesitation often results in falls and injuries.
Some Might Hit the Bar
My friend Jason, who is ironically straight-edge, calls beer “liquid courage”. I think it’s a funny name, and I’m aware that many of the non-falling leaves that are blowing by me at 45 mph on the slopes are probably, technically, legally drunk, but I don’t think drinking is a good way for me to overcome my fear of the toe edge. I would prefer to save the beer for the post-successful-snowboarding-mission-celebration.
Or Maybe Just Take a Lesson
Oh yeah, good idea. You know, I’ve never had anyone show me what I’m suppossed to be doing! Next time I go snowboarding, I am going to start the day with an official snowboarding lesson. Look for me among the 5 and 6 year olds, I’ll be the one that’s just a little bit taller than everyone else, ha ha!
Any advice for me from you seasoned snowboarding vets? Ben and Barf, if you’re reading, I did have an awesome time riding with you guys this weekend, thanks for being patient with me!
January 18th, 2006 at 1:14 pm
I think the lesson idea is a great one. I have only been snowboarding several times but I took 1 or 2 lessons and picked up WAY more than I could ever do by just figuring it out.
I am not really one of those people that get things right away by doing BUT, I am a really good listener and learner if someone is instructing me. Maybe it’s from years of Tae Kwon Do, maybe it’s just who I am, maybe you are the same way.
The other thought, is to spend more time on the bunny slopes. I have gon snowboarding with people that were way better than me and I felt socially obligated to do the same runs as them. I was having a miserable time. I didn’t actually enjoy myself until I took several runs on the easiest slope. I think it’s the same as MTB. A beginner is not going to have the same fun one a really technical trail as an experienced rider. It’s all relative.
January 19th, 2006 at 5:10 pm
My first time skiing, I went with a dude who used to play for the Dallas Cowboys. He thought he was pretty hot $4!t and didn’t need lessons. I swallowed a little bit of pride and decided to visit with the instructor for about 1 hour total. Now I’m not great skiier, but this big macho football player guy and his model girlfriend ended up quitting and going home because HE couldn’t do ANYTHING right. Meanwhile, me and my itty bitty wife were just fine.
I’m just saying I found it easier to listen to an actual instructor rather than having to listen to 18 different people tell me their version of how easy it is.
A little bit of instruction — which was really just a short session on how to listen and control your instincts — went a long way for us.
Good luck out there on the slopes. I miss it!
January 20th, 2006 at 12:03 pm
I think I know where you’re coming from. I’m 42, still quite young-at-heart (although I know that when I was 17, I thought 42 was when you were almost dead). I never, EVER, went on a skiing holiday in my life. In my teens I could rollerskate a bit, but could never get the hang of skateboarding, which my brother rode like the pro’s. I always said “I hate snow, it’s wet, dirty, cold, just let me stay home”.
Until 2 years ago, when my fitness friends persuaded me to come along and go to France-Les Arcs. Some were ski addicts, a few were snowboard dudes/ettes. My mind was made up from the beginning: give me a snowboard and keep the ski’s. I took lessons from day 1, during 1 week for 3 hours a day. Spending more time with my face in the snow, I felt like I was the worst boarder ever. And so it went for an entire week, although I improved a bit every day. But like you, the falling leaf was my favorite descent. By the end of that week, I could turn, but very slowly and not really smooth.
Then, last year, we went again, to Austria this time. Same scenario, I signed up for the lessons, 2hrs in the morning and 2 hrs in the afternoon. I kept on improving very slowly, but at the very last day…. I saw the light. Just like you, up until that moment I was afraid to let go and really follow my board to go downhill. Always afraid of falling or not being able to turn quick enough. But we went to this glacier and I had more fun that last day than all other days together. The snow was perfect, the weather was perfect, and I was actually following the others down, at more or less the same speed, and it was awesome. I felt alive, the adrenaline rushing, and just smiling all the way down. Those who saw me must have thought something was wrong with me.
Anyhow, what I want to say is:
1) I think lessons are a must; you might learn it on your own, but it will be a lot slower (as you proved) and you’ll probably learn some bad techniques which might lead to injuries. Get a good teacher and you”re off !
2) once you get over this point of being afraid to turn, you’ll get so much more fun out of it. You’ll even be able to look at the scenery now and then. Feeling the wind in your face, through your hair (if there’s still enough left), it’s a wonderful feeling.
We’re leaving again on March 18 for a week in France-Les 2 Alpes and I can’t wait to put that board under my feet and see if I still have it.
I wish you all the best and hope to see some pictures of you going downhill the way it’s meant to be !
January 20th, 2006 at 12:20 pm
Thanks so much everybody! This thread has been a big help. And Raven, your comments have really inspired me, I can’t wait to hit the slopes again — this time with some official instruction. Sounds like once I get the hang of it, it’s going to be a BLAST! Thanks so much, I’ll let you know how it goes! And I hope you have a great trip in March.
January 20th, 2006 at 3:05 pm
In the interest of full disclosure, I was on the bunny slopes the whole time. I’m still learning too, but Sal, as I’ve told you many times already, you’re gonna love the ass out of snowboarding when you get more comfortable with it. This is so right up your alley. Take that lesson, then take the world!