Last week, I reaching snowboarding euphoria. Things clicked and I could "steer" safely around out-of-control four year olds, carve on my heel side AND toe side and go home without feeling like I got hit by a Mac truck. I fell on my knees but once. I fell on my rear maybe three times. That's approximately 100 times LESS than ever before. Boo ya.We did a little night snowboarding tonight and we felt part of the culture. We were all blazingly awesome - fast, nimble, safe and psyched. On the drive home, as Deondre fell asleep within five minutes in the back seat, I was thinking about how far we've come over the past four years. It's become such a great family outing – and yet I see so few moms out there on the slopes on snowboards. Yes, it's scary and dangerous and in theory, straight crazy (both feet attached to 1/4" of plastic (or whatever they're made of) flying down an icy decline with PEOPLE everywhere?!?! - yeah - CRAZY!) But it's doable and I've proved it. And I would love to see other moms prove it to themselves too. Here's my quick list of 7 things to get you on your way.
1) Realize this is something for YOU. This feat requires your full attention and you don't need to be worrying if your kid(s) have to go to the bathroom every five seconds. You don't need your boyfriend/husband trying to break down the physics of balance and terjectory in grave detail. You need YOU time. YOU and only YOU. (Did I capitalize that enough - YOU got it?)
2) Take a group lesson first. Chances are - you'll get a fun little gum snapping teenager as an instructor and be in a class with 10 year olds, but that's half the fun. The teenagers will think it's "super sweet" that you're trying and they usually are teaching because they LOVE to be on the board. In a beginner group, they'll go over the very basic basics. Like how to get up once you fall on your ass. That's the best thing I learned in my first class.
3) Learn how to stop. This sounds super obvious, but it transcends obvious. Stopping is confidence. Stopping is safety. Stopping is power. If you spend the first day doing nothing but that, so be it. It's the first thing you will do where you'll feel the control of your edges and feel how to control the snow under you.
4) WATCH others. I have found that nobody has been able to explain HOW to snowboard well. In the end, it's a moment of it just "clicking" - but until then, watch people around you. Check out YouTube. Watch the instructors. Watch the awesome people. Watch the sucky people. I study people's technique every time I go up the chair lift – making note of their board positions, their body positioning, how fast they turn, etc. It is, in my opinion and experience, the BEST way to "get" the sport. And MY explanation of snowboarding? --- it's all about the back foot. Remember that and when it clicks, let me know if I'm right :)
5) Don't overplan and overthink. As women, ESPECIALLY as moms, we will plan every second of the day, damn it! We're scheduling, multi-tasking bad asses. Depending on how old your kid(s) are, a day of snowboarding really doesn't need a whole lot. (note - Deondre has been between the ages of 5 and 9 as we've learned) You need to a) get to the mountain b) pay for lift tickets c) find a place for your stuff d) find the easy trails on the map and e) eat at some point during the day. That's it. The rest of the day should be concentrating on your technique and having a hell of a time with your family. Stress + snowboarding = SUCK!
6) Don't rush it. This is my fourth season on the slopes and I'm just gaining semi-quasi-sort of-awesomeness NOW! The season is short and the sport is expensive, so you get as much practice in as you can. I know us ladies want to be great at everything we do right away, but allow this to take time. Trust me.
7) Make little goals and nail em'! Each time I go out, I make a little goal for the day. The first time, it was to learn how to stop and then it grew to more stupendous stuff like getting off the chair lift in one piece, learning toe side control, not falling (so damn much), linking turns on flats and today it was linking turns on steeper slopes. The mini things are the best to celebrate.
That's where I'm at with it, my mom friends. I'm still learning and I'll keep sharing so we can all become our coolest selves on the slopes. If you've even THOUGHT about trying it, you won't be sorry you did. ESPECIALLY when your kid, as mine did tonight, gives you a huge high five and says "good job, mom!" And then you toast over a hot chocolate. OH. YEAH.
