Quote:
Originally posted by red-beard
I started when I was 26 - oh so long ago. And I structed for a couple of years in my Ski Club.
#1. get knee pads. Buy skateboard ones which you can fit on the outside of your ski pants. One of the "natural" rest positions is kneeling.
#2. Take lessons. The balance is "forward/backward", not side to side like skiing.
#3. It is _less_ dangerous than skiing, despite what the others say.
Exercises. Similar to skiiing. Deep knee bends. for sure.
Practice rolling from the balls of your feet to standing on "tip toe". Do this in sneakers. As you move to your toes, scrunch your toes into your foot (Like making a fist with your foot). When you roll on your heel, stretch your foot out like you are stretching and spreading your fingers.
Are you right handed or left handed?
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Excellent advise there, red-beard.
I started boarding around 22-23. Got so good I broke my leg BIG TIME! I spent six month total in a combination of casts and braces!
Some more pointers:
- Don't force the board - read the mountain and go with it. If you hit a patch of ice, try not to change whatever you're doing - go through the patch BEFORE you try to turn or slow down!
- Look down the mountain, not down at your feet!
- Knee pads, as mentioned above, are vital.
- So is waterproof clothes!
- LEAN FORWARD! This stablizes the front of the board and will prevent face plants! (You turn with the edges on the back of the board, not by the front edges!)
- Once you figure out if you ride regular (left foot forward) or goofy (right foot forward), I recommend you learn on a race board. Why? Because the back edge of race boards are flat and that will prevent you from constantly spinning down the mountain, which is a typical 'newbie' method of surviving the bunny hill!
Good luck!
-Z-man.