cdrakep

So, I'm blind in my right eye. This is my second season, and I've gone regular most of the time until now,but goofy feels more comfortable whenever I try it. It's pretty bad though, I have to almost turn my whole body to be able to see downhill. Anyone have any suggestions or tips? I've yet to really get comfortable leading with my left..

grafta

Wow yeah that'd be difficult. Its gonna be hard to ride properly twisting your body to see forward like that. I'm sure someone will chime in with some good suggestions

I was gonna say periscope, but that'd be insensitive

cdrakep

I was thinking mirror actually, lol...

Argo

Just keep an eye on people down hill from you.


Personally I would force myself to ride whichever way I had my eye down hill without turning my body. You already have a huge blind spot, why add that much more risk to it.

Tarzanman

It sounds like you have a really good reason to practice riding switch frequently.

It will make you a better snowboarder.

cdrakep

Yeah, I've been riding regular most of the time, it's just goofy feels a lot more natural. Any progress I made forcing myself downhill regular looked small when compared to riding downhill goofy, all the same motions felt more natural and fluid, I just kept losing my nerve because I couldn't see as well.

I've been doing this a lot, it's fun anyways, but the blindness kind of forces it.

gjsnowboarder

I would look in at your local mountain to see if they have an adaptive program. This is a program that deals with people with all sort of disabilities in being able to ride. You might be able to just walk up and ask the question.

My own personnel advice is to do both. Realize that when riding goofy your blind spot is that much larger. It means you will have to pay a lot more attention to traffic on the hill and remember the line and terrain variations when you ride. If you have that ability for SAW(situational awareness) and memory then go for it. If memory and SAW is not your thing then force feed yourself riding in the more uncomfortable manner. Overtime and with lots of mileage it will become second hand.

snowklinger

Imho the best advice is from the previous poster, ride both and just continue to keep your head on a swivel, as I'm sure you already do.

My brother has one eye, and has to work extra hard I know to see everything. He always jokes about his depth perception at holiday meals and acts like he's going to pour a bottle of wine everywhere next to his glass.

Honestly if you put the effort into awareness and overcoming your "obstacle" in snowboarding as the rest of your life, you will be more safe and self-aware then 80% of the people on the slope - what's their excuse?

Oh yea, the idiot epidemic, careful the energy drinks are spiked!

__________________
is it late october yet?

PanHandler

I have a question. Are you recently blind in that eye, or have you been blind in that eye for quite a while?

The reason i ask is because i am blind in my left eye (in fact i have no left eye) and im left handed, and do everything left hand/footed and i ride goofy. You being blind in your right eye makes me want to think you would naturally do everything regular. This is why i ask if its a recent or long term disability. I was born this way and have been adjusted to it for as long as i could possibly remember. Ive also been skateboarding since i was about 9, and i do that goofy as well.

This is a pic of me

cdrakep

Not too recent, I'm 27 now and I was shot in the face with a potato gun when I was 11 or 12. I still have the eye but I'm scared across the retina so its a colorful jumble mess, no useful information comes from that eye, but it puts a spot in my vision. I don't know if there's a correlation between sidedness and sight, I'm somewhat right handed, but right with both...

I dunno, riding goofy is just more comfortable.. I also have a weak right ankle, I've been injuring it since I was about 5, sprain it a bunch..