Deviant

Since we have a thread talking about overcoming the fear I thought I'd bring this up since I've had a few beers and I'm in a really good mood.

One of the things I see, and hear, on the slopes is people getting frustrated. More often beginners just learning but this can carry over into all aspects of riding. Being positive makes everything easier. Getting mad at yourself for a slam, dumb mistake, or something doesn't help. Laughing it off is a huge benefit when you're learning, and if it's a painful slam it can lessen the pain a bit too. I've also noticed that half the people that are learning turns or small jumps and wreck almost always seem to look up to the lift. For those riders reading this, don't worry about crashing or people seeing you crash, it's nothing new to the rest of us. Yeah maybe we are watching you on our way up, but we won't remember it 10 minutes later. You don't look stupid, you're just learning. Anyways, instead of the "damnit!" attitude, laugh at yourself. When you're mad you're not thinking clearly, you're not relaxed and you're making things way harder on yourself.

There's nothing better to me than a day of cruising around hitting whatever, having fun with some friends or listening to some tunes. In my experience that's when I learn new things, that's when I'm more apt to try new stuff. It's a bummer to see someone trying something new, something that they are clearly working hard for and getting mad about it, because at that point its likely to be over with, not today.

Anyways I know this sounds a bit mundane, but it's something that helped me years and years ago and I hope it helps others. Snowboarding is a mental game as well as physical. Set goals, not expectations and things will go a lot smoother.

Beer post count +1

Cavman

Totally agree.

I use a helmet cam and have lots of footage of me eating it and 90% of the time I am laughing my head off after I stack... even when I am also saying 'oooh that hurt" as I catch my breath.

I see newbs making newb mistakes and think..oh god I remember when I was at that level.... and am glad I comntinued and have improved. I can handle all runs including the black ones now and have just starting to do jumps, I get air but its not pretty hehe. I stack and still have more to learn.

The right attitude counts for so much when learning any skill.

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Snowfox

Definitely agree. And if someone yells something from the lift, it's usually in good nature (i.e. "Don't worry! No one saw that!"*). Don't let it get you down and just laugh with them.




*It also probably was me. Don't worry, next time your on the lift you'll be able to get your revenge as I eat it.

linvillegorge

For sure. Learning can be frustrating. That's not just for snowboarding, but true for a lot of things. You just have to remain positive and make it as fun as possible. I highly recommend getting lessons from a good instructor. It will greatly reduce your learning curve and help you avoid bad habits and continually making the same mistakes. You won't go from a flailer to Olympian by any means, but it will certainly get you up and riding quicker.

Also, beginners should keep in mind that learning to link turns is probably the most difficult part of the learning curve, but once you get that down, progression comes in leaps and bounds.

thetraveler

My best advice to beginners is do things gradually and just take the slams. The best way of getting over the fear of slams is to take the slams, especially as it doesn't turn out that painful anyway (still talking about beginners stuff here - different approach if you're trying something that is actually gnarly for the first time).

Thad Osprey

Actually, I dont think its mundane. Thank you OP, for bothering to post things like that. Everyone can benefit from a post like this, even non-beginners who sometimes can actually benefit from lightening up abit. Theres lots of people on lifts who jeer and throw snowballs, but for the self-conscious out there (which includes me), it is very reassuring that theres people out there who remember whats its like not being so good, practising hard, trying to get better and having to endure the slamming again and again.

In fact the fact that this Forum has people that are so helpful is one of the reasons why people keep coming back. To get news, reviews, instruction and save on expensive lessons or costly mistakes in gear purchases. So thank you, and also to people like Snowolf who bother to bother.

foamy333

possibly one of the best statements i've read in a while that can be applied just about anywhere

JeffreyCH

I totally agree with what everyone is saying, I ride away from my slams laughing my ass off. I don't really give a shit if someone yells something at me, I more then likely didn't hear it anyway as my mp3 is cranked to the max lol. However I don't set goals for myself, my only real goal is to have fun and make it to the bottom without breaking anything. I tried setting goals for my progression when I started wakeboarding years ago, I found it to be kind of frustrating trying to push myself. I found that if I just relax and let things flow it'll just come to me naturally. I apllied that to snowboarding from the start. If I'm feeling it, I hit it, if I stomp it, yipee, if not oh well, there's always next time. I guess I have set a goal of sorts for this year, and that's to sell all my crap and move to Summit county so I can ride all the time. Snowboarding has kind of ruined wakeboarding for me, it's boreing lol. Hitting the slopes is an adventure, being tied to a boat is not. I love spotting a side hit from the lift and seeking it out, exploring new terrain, finding powder stashes, and just the whole vibe of it makes me feel like I did when I was a skate punk. I'm also thankful for the people on this forum that kept me from making a lot of the stupid mistakes I made when I started wakeboarding. Buying gear is very confusing when you're getting started in this sport, thanks to all that take the time to help us noobs sort out all the bullshit and really get into this.

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NWBoarder

I love laughing at myself when I fall. It's the same thing I do with skateboarding. In fact, if I couldn't laugh at myself for falling, I probably wouldn't ride any type of board ever. Good looking out for the noobs who might not fully understand this yet Burton. Oh, and if you're laughing at me from the lift as I tumble face first into a pile of pow, I hope it's cause you enjoyed the show and are realizing that you will probably be next.

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david_z

For sure! The slam almost never hurts as badly as you think it's going to hurt. Every once in a while it does, but the more slams you take, it just reinforces what people like TheTraveler are saying. If you fall 9 times and it doesn't hurt that badly, then even on the 10th time if it does hurt, you'll be more inclined to try it again. The worst thing you can do is give up.

Hell, I ate one hard this year and although I could barely walk for a few days I was back on the slopes 4 days later. It takes time to get over those really gnarly bails but take it from everyone else that those are usually few and far between. The sooner you get your balls back, the sooner you're going to master that new trick.

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