Snowboarding at Forty...and I do not mean 40 mph!

Snowboarding at Forty...and I do not mean 40 mph!

by Jay Homola

Publication Date: December 1998

To many of you reading this article, snowboarding may be foreign. It may even seem scary! Both of your feet attached to one board that appears no one over the age of 21 is allowed to ride. You have to wear clothes that are so baggy you are sure to get more snow inside them than was made while snowmaking the night before.

Well, I am here to tell you that snowboarding is for everyone...even for those of us born before rock and roll! You don't have to listen to alternative rock bands like Pearl Jam or Smashing Pumpkins to enjoy the thrill of carving that is uniquely the realm of the snowboarder, or as Warren Miller has come to describe us all - Snow Riders.

Learning to snowboard is a very interesting adventure, especially for someone as technical about skiing as I have become over the years. I could easily (from my lofty chair lift ride) dissect the carving turns of a snowboarder and determine when one of them had really made a great carve (trench). I could also understand the mechanics and when standing quietly at the top of the beginner rope two on Bunny Meadows could mimic my instructors. Only when I began my first descent did reality hit...oh yes...and then I hit the ground. I didn't understand. I did exactly what my instructor said and what I saw others doing. Why did I fall? Where was the quick learning curve I had heard so much about on snowboards...and besides, what was I doing here anyway?!!!

Let me explain. As a part of my duties at Paoli Peaks Ski Resort in Paoli, Indiana, I am a trainer for the ski school. We ask that our instructors be versatile and able to teach both skiing and snowboarding. On this day, I was assigned to work with our snowboarding staff - to introduce them to the finer points of skiing and ski instruction. Normally this would have been a very enjoyable task, but as so often happens, today six of the instructors had never been on skis. So, my challenge was laid out. They would commit to learning my sport only if I would commit to learning theirs.

That first day of the 96/97 season was tough for me. I came up with a number of reasons throughout the remainder of the season for not getting back on a board. Some were legitimate - I am well over 40; and some not so legitimate - I might hurt myself and not be able to finish my certification for Level II at the end of the season. But, basically I was embarrassed to keep falling with my instructor jacket in plain sight for everyone to see. Time marched on to the 97/98 season, and I committed myself to learn to board and figure out what all the excitement is about. I had learned to carve with my shaped skis. At times I could feel my elbows touching the snow as I trenched across Graber's...just like the snowboarders, but different. They seemed to flow more than I could, and they had a stronger base with that wide board...and I would never attempt Jurassic Park on my shapes...but even a novice seemed comfortable on a board. I needed to unlock the secrets of boarding, and I had all season to perform this magic.

Well, it didn't take all season - it only took two days. I am by no means an expert, but I have made some turns. Now I must admit that I fell more in those two days than I have fallen in the last ten years of skiing. However, as I have said many times, "If you are not falling, you are not learning." Well, I learned a lot!

First of all, the mechanics are very similar to skiing. You need to weight and unweight just as you do with skiing. You need to make your movements subtle, just as you do with skiing. Your equipment needs to be set up correctly, and you need to find out if you ride goofy or regular (unlike skiing). Simple test: Stand with your feet together and arms stretched out in front of you. Have someone pull you off balance by grabbing both your arms. The foot you catch your balance with is the front foot on the board...left is regular, right is goofy...simple. There is a very different language and culture to snowboarding that will come with time - heel side, toe side, trenching, click in, etc. Don't be intimidated. I'm not. It really is logical. There are other similarities - you need to have good gloves and you need to be in control and follow the snow rider's responsibility code.

Riding a lift? Now that is a little different, but not impossible. Getting off the lift...well, just take your time.

I must tell you that the first time you carve that toe side turn, the rush is incredible. The sensation of speed and power is difficult to match on skis. The freedom afforded your upper body without the encumbrance of poles is also pleasant and liberating.

In summary, the learning curve is quicker; the language is no stranger than ski language; the clothes are baggier, which is not bad for those of us without our youthful physique; and the ride is fun. We are all snow riders. So, the next time you see a sixteen-year-old on a board, remember you too can have that SMILE...but, I would hold off on the tattoo and earrings until after you retire!