Aaaaaaaooouuuch! Pain is all around. I can't move my arms. I can't bend my knees. I just wanna lay down. My muscles fail, but my head is clear. It's time to pay the tribute for two days of snowboarding.
We went skiing, but I, curious or stupid, always wanting to learn something new, went for a snowboard instead. Skateboard, surfboard and now snowboard. This is the lesson I've learned:
Snowboarding lesson
1. Regular or goofy.
"Are you regular or goofy?" the guy in the ski rental asked. I was dumbfounded. Say what? "Is this the first time you snowboard?" Nodding. "Do you skate, which foot do you have forward?" Ah, the left, which makes me a regular.
2. Carrying the board.
It's easy to distinguish between experienced skiers and rookies, just looking on how they carry their skis. The same goes for snowboarders, I suppose. I carried it under one arm, resting the underarm towards the binding. I looked like a complete idiot.
3. Getting on and off the lift.
Getting on the lift is fairly easy, if it's a chair lift at least. With the front foot in the binding you limb into position and just sit down. To get off the lift on the other hand is more difficult. The loose foot is placed between the bindings, as far back as possible and then you stand up and glide down the slope. The first 10 times you fall and they stop the lift.
4. Getting started.
Sitting on the top, the back foot is fastened and it's time to get into standing position. Sitting on the butt and getting up when it's impossible to bend the ankles and when the board starts gliding as soon as the balance point is changed, is f?cking hard. I kinda figured out to to it after trial and error, twisting my body and pushing with one hand, but it was NOT graceful. Many times I just flipped over to face the ground and get up from a kneeling position instead.
5. Turning.
The weight should always, always, always be on the front leg. The board should be tilted so that when facing downhill, you stand on your heels, when facing uphill you stand on your toes, but always, always, always with most of the weight on the front leg. The back leg should be "free" to steer with, swinging back and forth, changing weight fro heels to toes, toes to heels, with bent knees. Do you get it?
6. Stopping.
There are several ways to stop:
- Turning the board perpendicularly to the slope.
- Putting the weight on the downhill edge and falling on the face.
- Loosing balance and crash on the knees, adding bruises to the already yellow and blue skin.
- Crashing into other skiers, snowboarders or solid static objects.
7. Be brave.
Don't be a pussy. It will hurt when falling. There will be snow up your nose, just spit it out, and keep on going.
We went skiing, but I, curious or stupid, always wanting to learn something new, went for a snowboard instead. Skateboard, surfboard and now snowboard. This is the lesson I've learned:
Snowboarding lesson
1. Regular or goofy.
"Are you regular or goofy?" the guy in the ski rental asked. I was dumbfounded. Say what? "Is this the first time you snowboard?" Nodding. "Do you skate, which foot do you have forward?" Ah, the left, which makes me a regular.
2. Carrying the board.
It's easy to distinguish between experienced skiers and rookies, just looking on how they carry their skis. The same goes for snowboarders, I suppose. I carried it under one arm, resting the underarm towards the binding. I looked like a complete idiot.
3. Getting on and off the lift.
Getting on the lift is fairly easy, if it's a chair lift at least. With the front foot in the binding you limb into position and just sit down. To get off the lift on the other hand is more difficult. The loose foot is placed between the bindings, as far back as possible and then you stand up and glide down the slope. The first 10 times you fall and they stop the lift.
4. Getting started.
Sitting on the top, the back foot is fastened and it's time to get into standing position. Sitting on the butt and getting up when it's impossible to bend the ankles and when the board starts gliding as soon as the balance point is changed, is f?cking hard. I kinda figured out to to it after trial and error, twisting my body and pushing with one hand, but it was NOT graceful. Many times I just flipped over to face the ground and get up from a kneeling position instead.
5. Turning.
The weight should always, always, always be on the front leg. The board should be tilted so that when facing downhill, you stand on your heels, when facing uphill you stand on your toes, but always, always, always with most of the weight on the front leg. The back leg should be "free" to steer with, swinging back and forth, changing weight fro heels to toes, toes to heels, with bent knees. Do you get it?
6. Stopping.
There are several ways to stop:
- Turning the board perpendicularly to the slope.
- Putting the weight on the downhill edge and falling on the face.
- Loosing balance and crash on the knees, adding bruises to the already yellow and blue skin.
- Crashing into other skiers, snowboarders or solid static objects.
7. Be brave.
Don't be a pussy. It will hurt when falling. There will be snow up your nose, just spit it out, and keep on going.
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