Knuckle Dragging

Trying not to think about the sore parts...

Sunday was a beautiful day up on the mountain. Jen had just started learning to snowboard and asked me to go up. It sounded like a challenge...

We went up to Meadows and did their 'newbie' package where you get rentals, a lesson and a lift ticket for the kiddie hill all at a decent price. The lesson started with the very basics, "This is a snowboard". After sliding around by the lodge, we finally got to go up the lift.

Snowboarding hurts a lot more than skiing. When you fall in skiing, you land on your side, which is a rather large contact area. With snowboarding, you either land right on you knees, or right on your butt. If any of my readers every try snowboarding for the first time, pray for soft snow.

It was humbling being out there watching people zip past me. The tables were certainly turned... My 24 years of skiing did help, however. By lunch, I was doing fully connected turns. A carved turn is a carved turn, regardless of the equipment. I found that was easier to do the steeper sections. Momentum would let me ride through crappy snow. On the flats, it was way to easy to catch an edge.

The worst thing about snowboarding: standing in the lift line. You can't put your free foot next the one in the binding, so it is always awkward. I never looked forward to the run ending.

It was fun to try. I'll be going up Thursday with work, but this time I'll be back on two planks.