colortv

yea its a lot of fun riding with people who are at your skill-level or higher. then you play follow the leader and just ...well follow the leader lol. its great cus everyone there encouraged one-another and we give each other like balls +10, by that i mean like ballsing up to do jumps...not organs...pervs, and you go way bigger than you normally would, which is what helps you improve. facing your fears is never easy to do, but with a couple of buddies behind your back its a hell of a lot better to confront

powershiftz02gt

I was in the same situation. I went last week and it was fine. I dont recommend doing Jumps and stuff if you are new at it if you go alone. I went off some jumps and lets just say they were a little higher then last time i went off of them. I got lucky pretty much. But if you just freeride you should be fine. i mean there is always that possibility you will hurt yourself but you'll be fine i think. Just don't do anything stupid. Bring your IPOD, it really gets you in the mood to go boarding. I put my ipod in my ear, listened to some new songs i got that were pretty high beat and as i carved down the mountain i was in the moment.

powershiftz02gt

haha follow the leader is the Shit on the mountain.

Snowolf

It seems to me that a lot of people miss out on some good boarding by being afraid or unwilling to go alone. Don`t miss out, metal up and just go if your friends are`nt willing or able. It is no big deal to drive alone and when you get to the mountain, it is hard to be alone with a gazillion other skiers and riders out there. Talk to people on the chairlift or lift line.

If you are worried about getting hurt, there isn`t really that much more risk as long as you are in sight of other people. It is the one thing that people are still good at and that is responding when someone else gets hurt. As for how to drive home after getting hurt, don`t sweat it, you can figure something out easy enough in the very unlikely event that happens. Sometimes you have to just wing it in life and worry about the "what if`s" if they come to pass.

Yesterday was a classic example; I started out the day riding solo and struck up a conversation with people and spent the whole day taking some runs with lots of different people and when I wanted to go do my own thing, I could without hassle. Ran back into the same folks and we took some more turns. Struck up a conversation at the bar with with some people visiting from out of state, so gave them a tour of the mountain and got a free dinner afterward.

You just need to be a bit of an extrovert and be willing to be the one to start a conversation. As much as I bitch about the dumb things people do and how it pisses me off, most people are pretty decent but tend to be shy and reserve. If you are the one willing to engage them, they can ba lot of fun to go ride with.

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colortv

oh hell yea dude i agree with snowolf forsure, btw as of late i've found that he's full of wisdom :].
that kind of stuff always happens to me. i'll be sitting on the lift with some total strangers and ill just strike up some conversation with em about where their from and todays condition. sometimes i ride with friends and regret not being in a chair full of random strangers because i don't get to meet new people. i personally love going on the lift with strangers because the people are usually so bubbly and talkative, which makes for a really enjoyable chair lift. go out and talk to new people! its really quite fun

indoblazin

^^
Snowolf's Guide to Picking up Bunnies on the Slopes



...ok i changed the last word there but it's basically the same principle lol

Crazy Max

I just got back into snowboarding after 7 years, so all of the guys I used to ride with either quit, or moved away. I've actually only rode once with somebody else this season. But the way I look at it, is like this: am I going to waste a good day riding, because I;m worried about riding alone? Of course not. The only real disadvantages I find-more so riding park-is that I don't have someone there to help push me, or point out the mistakes I'm making on a new trick. There's a little more trial and error, but I figure the reward in getting it done without any help can be nice at times too.

Snowolf

A little trick that works in this situation very often is to talk to some people who have been lapping the park and are obviously good riders. Ask them to watch hit a feature and ask for advice. 99% of people love it when someone asks their opinion about something especially when you start the conversation with, "I noticed that you kill it in the park and....." In no time at all, you will end up riding in someone`s group and you will get all the pushing you need to progress.

I did this at Timberline the other night only I was the guy helping a someone hit their first jumps. I took a few runs with the guy, gave him the "jumps 101" pointers and got him to where he could hit little features along the trail and he was stoked. After a few runs, we parted company and I went off and did my own thing again. I ask for tips from people all the time who are just tearing it up; everyone is always glad to talk.

On a ski slope you are only as alone as you choose to be...

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Snowolf

Funny thing is; it really is that simple.

Oh and thanks for the props colortv...

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Snowblower

I'm actually more used to riding alone than not, mainly because I'm so new, and my friends are so not, so they were going down blues and I was sticking to greens. Then I went on vacation to Revelstoke (alone), because none of my friends could come with me. No matter, it's a very calming, relaxing feeling for a beginner like me, knowing that I'm not holding anyone up, and I feel less embarassed when I bail.

Today, though, I had a blast riding WITH my buddies, since I have progressed enough to be comfortable with blues, and even flirt with portions of blacks (but uhh... no moguls, please!).