You're afraid of taking lumps. My blunt advice is to stop being a pansy.

Are you 80? Are you in danger of breaking a hip? If a few bruises, supermans, scorpions, and starfish are too much, maybe snowboarding isn't for you.:dunno: If it's important enough to you, take the pain. We all did, and continue to do so to progress. Just because you're a girl doesn't mean you break easier.... Oh wait, you're not menopausal are you? :laugh:

You need speed for consistency and control. I can promise you 100% your fear of speed is holding your progression back. You're more prone to catches and crashes when you go slow. Speed makes edge control predictable and thus, safer.

Get reasonable protective gear, grit your teeth, and get right back up every time you fall. You're just falling from a standing position, not base jumping.

Remember, grasshopper: determination, bull-headed stupidity, and wanton disregard for your own safety are a powerful triumvirate that wins out over ineptitude when it comes to boarding.... every time. - Confucius :thumbsup:

 

With you on this, i have been boarding for about 6 years and i still constantly eat shit. Something you just have to live with because the more you progress the falls are just going to hurt even more. (Trust me, kissing a rail is no fun, AT ALL)

 

Few things.

1. It seems like you're overthinking what could happen instead of what should/will happen. If you do happen to go over the edge on a black diamond, don't worry. Seeing the edge kinda drop away from the top of the run is worse than actually being on it. It's not a cliff just because you cant see the whole run from the top, it's still just a hill. You won't tumble to the bottom like homer simpson, all that you'd have to do is sit and edge your board down till you get to the bottom. Obviously you don't want to be in this situation though and...

2. The reason you are riding worse than before is probably due to being tense, being scared of certain areas or people is going to keep you from remembering the basics. Anytime I'm hitting a new kicker or rail, I'll take a long deep breath and think about what I need to do rather than what could happen. Before you take a run, visualize what you need to do and what you've done before. You know you can do it, you've done it before. The ability is still there, it's just not as comfortable place as your home mountain/hill.

Also being more comfortable with speed will come on its own, it isn't anything you're doing wrong. In fact, many of us here will have respect for you that you aren't just bombing the hill carelessly, or going on runs you shouldn't be on yet. Grab an mp3, listen to some tunes, work on tightening up the turns on a local hill and the next time you go back you won't even think about the bad. If you can, find someone who is also learning at your pace and talk to them, ride with them. Seeing someone else going down the same run with around the same ability level and making it safely will boost the self confidence too. Heck, even make each turn an accomplishment, see how many you can link in a row without falling, then the next run try to beat the previous number, or give yourself a little mental pep-talk when you ride past a black run without going down it

Positive thinking leads to positive results (and no, you don't need therapy)

 

Thanks for the tips and words of encouragement. Honestly I was ready to sell my gear a few times today because the more I fell, the more I didn't trust myself. It was like it wasn't even me out there at some points because I just froze. Since I've started, I've already slammed my wrist against an icy hill, hit my head falling backwards down the hill(my first time out and a helmet was my first piece of gear I bought afterwards), and bruised various parts of my body and I've always gotten back up and kept going. Even my brother(who's been snowboarding for 5+ years) told me today that I clearly had the ability to do it as I could on flatter, less steep runs so I guess it's just all mind over matter(which is still something to overcome). I think I'm going to try Marmot Basin at Jasper in a couple of weeks since it's supposedly an "easier" mountain, especially for beginners.

Thanks for being so positive!

 

if you're not having fun you're not snowboarding.

my friend who taught me is pretty good, and so had no patience for bunny hills. i learned on blues and blacks my first day. i fell a lot, and im still falling a lot trying to learn more new things, but im not doing this because someone is making me. remember that you're doing it because you want to.

 

if pain is a factor, but protective gear. Like pads,helmets, or wrist guards. These types of gears will help boost your confidence( and not to mention, save you from the pain =D).

Other than that, do what everyone has told you, have a plan, take a deep breathe, and have confidence in what you're doing. But most importantly, have fun.

 

pain is weakness leaving the body....predose with ibuprofen

your are psychin youself out...anti-anxiety meds, e.g., beer, beta blockers and etc...but deep breathing is better...do a couple of breaths and go for it...don't think about it too long.

alot of it is just perspective and a mental game...come to our local hill to find out about steeps, narrow runs and dodging gapers

eating shite = having fun...as long as there is no permanet or long-term damage...love those eatin days

 

take things at your own pace. get a good feel for things. buy pads.

 

Falling (ie. sliding) hurts a lot less when you go fast, provided you don't run into something.

 

Don't give up after one bad day. There will be days like that. Even after 10 years I have days when If feel I'm totally out of synch with the board or the conditions. Often it's a matter of snow conditions being different from usual. Sometimes it's because I didn't get a good night's sleep (common at age 67) and my brain isn't in gear, or my muscles are tired. If you have a bad day, quit for the day, or just take a break for an hour or so, and try again later. The next time out you'll probably be just fine, if you don't let one bad day freak you out.

 

Wow Oldmike 67?!?! I hope I am as agile at your age and still boarding...what's your secret?

 

You ride far better when you're confident.

For example, last Saturday I was bombing through trees at probably 15-20 MPH carving in and out of super narrow spaces like I had been doing it my whole life...cuz I just felt like I could, so I did. Then something my friend said about being scared to hit his head on a tree if he tried that entered my head....I immediately ate shit and almost smacked a trunk with my board. Just have confidence in your abilities.

 

Ill just throw this out there.

Try music.

I had some similar problems early on. Once i got my audio helmet it was game on, turn on some rock or other music to get pumped and go for it. I tend to not over think what im doing when im rocking tunes, just turning to the beat. Doesnt have to be loud, just enough. It also helps drown out a bit of the noise of people coming up on you, which scared the crap out of me early on too hearing big sliding carves that sounded directly behind me but were 25 feet back.