the positive aspects of snowboarding

[lil mountain girl]

there have been a few threads recently which highlight some controversy around snowboarding . . .

as a former snowboarder of 10 years (and i guess in my heart i still dream in those beautiful fluid turns), i thought maybe we could share some of the positive aspects of the sport :D !

the idea of this thread is similar to the "things i like to see" thread . . .

some things i wanted to highlight:

* how snowboarding CHANGED the sport of SKIING, inspiring ski companies to change the shape and width of skis, and add the interesting graphics we enjoy today!

* i know when i was a kid, snowboarding was "the thing to do" and if i never learned to snowboard, i never would have started skiing or exploring the backcountry and the mountains.

i definatly see snowboarding as one of the best things ever to happen to me !!!

it totally changed my life!

let's celebrate snow sliding everywhere (ski, tele, board . . . it's all wonderful!)

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Thanks, lmg, I feel like I've gotten a pat on the back (and I can't even snowboard!).

I just love watching the rooster tails a board throws up in good powder - looks so darn cool.

I especially love seeing any young person being active in any sport - with the kind of obesity issues we have in this country today, wow. Anyone who's out there doing any sport deserves a hand

 

[Robyn]

Well, for me, if it weren't for snowboarding my cousin wouldn't be up on the slopes since she just didn't like skiing and I love riding with her.

My guy boarder friends often offer to carry my skis since they've got it easier in snowboard boots and carrying their board. :p

I concur, anything that gets our young people out into fresh air, being active, rather than sitting on their duffs or getting into trouble etc is a good thing.

 

[Pequenita]

Positive aspects of snowboarding....well, here's why I want to learn:

Boardercross looks like a ton of fun and less dangerous than ski cross.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

SBX is intense stuff, especially at the corners/curves and when landing the rises (not technically jumps). There just comes a point when it begins to be a contact sport. Does anyone remember Lindsay Jacobellis throwing an ollie when well in the lead at the finish, catching an edge and blowing away her gold medal last Olympics? The crashes, though, can be nasty, no matter what equipment.

 

[SueNJ]

Anything that gets people off their butts and out in the fresh air doing something physical is a good thing!

I sometimes watch from the chairlift as the really good snowboarders glide down the mountain or playing in the terrain park, and I can't help but think how fun and graceful it looks. If I had better knees, hadn't had lower back and neck injuries in the past, and had a body that was about 25 years younger, I might just try snowboarding. Right now, I just don't think I'd make it past the first time I fell--the way I see it, you either fall forward (ouch on the knees), or on your butt (ouch on the lower back). Nope, I'll just watch from afar and stick with what I know--skiing.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Actually, the forward falling stuff usually is onto the hands, which is why all beginners are encouraged to wear super wrist supports specifically made for this purpose. Wrist sprains are very common. The butt part doesn't hurt as much, but if you really catch the heel side edge, you can fall backward hard enough to bonk the bucket. Rapidly approaching AARP status, I just couldn't take the punishment to get through the learning curve :(

 

[abc]

Although I don't really board, my taking some boarding lesson (a S.O wants to learn to board being the excuse) helped me to "get" the carving part on ski. I was very much of a "tail tosser" on my skis for quite a few years. And skiing was slowly lossing its appeal. That's when I contemplated, then took my first board lesson.

It only took about a day before I was puttint the board up and feeling the centrifugal force on my stomach -- moment of revealation!

I decided I could do that easier on ski! Going back to skis, it was obvious what I should be doing with my two skinny planks. The rest, as they say, is history.

 

[SueNJ]

Actually, the forward falling stuff usually is onto the hands, which is why all beginners are encouraged to wear super wrist supports specifically made for this purpose. Wrist sprains are very common. The butt part doesn't hurt as much, but if you really catch the heel side edge, you can fall backward hard enough to bonk the bucket. Rapidly approaching AARP status, I just couldn't take the punishment to get through the learning curve :(

Oh, yeah, forgot about the back of the head. That would do wonders on a neck that's already been through 2 whiplash injuries. I get a headache just thinking about it! I do understand that once you get past the initial learning curve and master the more difficult toe-side turns, you can progress quickly. It's just that initial learning curve... OUCH!

My SO, who has been skiing for, oh, 30 years, tried snowboarding a year or two ago. It was painful (but amusing at the same time) to watch someone who is so accomplished and elegant on skis become an awkward, rank beginner on a snowboard. The bunny slope suddenly looked too steep for him--amazing how one's perspective can change!

 

[Pequenita]

SBX is intense stuff, especially at the corners/curves and when landing the rises (not technically jumps). There just comes a point when it begins to be a contact sport. Does anyone remember Lindsay Jacobellis throwing an ollie when well in the lead at the finish, catching an edge and blowing away her gold medal last Olympics? The crashes, though, can be nasty, no matter what equipment.

Yep. The contact sport part doesn't bother me; it's the contact sport with 4 edges part that bothers me about skicross -- plus, it just seems a little weird to be doing it on two planks.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

My SO, who has been skiing for, oh, 30 years, tried snowboarding a year or two ago. It was painful (but amusing at the same time) to watch someone who is so accomplished and elegant on skis become an awkward, rank beginner on a snowboard. The bunny slope suddenly looked too steep for him--amazing how one's perspective can change!

I hear ya....that's about where DH and I wound up when we each had our respective 2 private lessons. I actually picked up the toe-side turn okay - it was transitioning to that heel-side that was unnerving and a huge leap of faith (and usually unsuccessful). Never mind getting off the chair.... DH actually got it and was linking turns. He just didn't care for it. I only wanted to gain some proficiency but couldn't take the falls. We both thought that with years of slalom waterskiing under our belts, we would be okay with both feet on one board. Scratch that. Anyway, I never even quite made it down a whole green run and really did have to demote to the bunny slope. Gave me a whole new respect for those who actually get to the top of that learning curve...