Beginners board night

I attended the beginners board night at Tamworth tonight, with a mixture of success, failure & pain! :)
First off I wasn't overly impressed with the setup of the slope, there was only the kicker, box & gas pipe that are usually out during the day anyway but with a lot more people using them there was quite a queue for them.
That said, the instructors & fellow boarders were all very friendly offering advice every time I hit the deck!

So my experiences of the box weren't quite as great this time as last, I slipped off it numerous times either backwards which was ok or once was forwards which hurt/scraped my knees! I managed to land it several times though so that was ok.

I also had a breakthrough with the ollie, or more technically the pop, I managed after a couple of tips from my mate to pop off the flat ledge - next step is to work on larger pops and then eventually popping off the kicker.

Another benefit of last night was that my mate realised my board was set up wrong making it off-balanced and therefore less stable. We adjusted it and the difference was obvious straight away!

Looking forward to my next session now, may invest in some knee pads though!

Box!

Another session at the Snowdome today, I have identified an area I need improvement - I cannot olie! When I try to jump I end up pushing my feet out a bit and risk losing balance. Definitely something to work on.

This session did bring some advances though, I finally got to 50-50 a box. I'd been planning to try it, all accounts were that it is very straight forward, and I have to say, it is! I just straightened up shortly above it and rode straight over it, came off the side but that's no problem as you just ride off.

Next week I'm going to the beginners ramp night so I'll report back either with broken limbs or some success!

Better video footage

I managed another session at the Snowdome in Tamworth again, only 2 months since my last session and felt like I'd been on the board just yesterday. Got to wear my new sals - TJ Sessions signature pants, not a lot to say really, they work!
I took the Muvi camera with me again and this time adjusted the angle of it slightly so it pointed a bit lower down and caught more of the slopes than the ceiling!
Again the kicker, box & pipe were out so I used the kicker on nearly every run with no problems, it was a little larger than before as well so was good for practise.


The video footage was better this time, and also I've uploaded it at full resolution rather than compressing it like I did last time and the results are much better. I realised the compressed version did nothing to show the quality of the camera so was a little pointless.


Anyway, see here..
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Back once again...

Well, after 9 months off (for no other reason than being too busy) I was determined to get back to the snowdome so having waxed my board again ready, I managed to fit an hour in and head along to Tamworth. I also took my video camera with me (Veho Muvi - see previous entry) to finally give that a trial on the white stuff.

First off I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it took only 1 or 2 runs before I got my legs back and was tearing down the slope like I'd not been away - this is great, I was hoping I wouldn't be set back too far!
There were also a couple of pipes/boxes out and a quite large (for me) kicker - I avoided the pipes / boxes this time but went over the kicker a few times. I didn't ollie over it (that's the next step) because it was quite large, but just riding over it & dropping down had no problems.

The video camera fared well, I attached it to my helmet and just filmed a couple of runs (it's amazing how quickly an hour goes while at the snow dome!) - next time I will try strapping it to my arm or leg or something for an alternate view because obviously strapped to your head it keeps sweeping around as you're looking around along the way. Also I think the mounting point could do with some adjustment as it was clearly pointing up a little at the lights so when you looked down at the ground it couldn't adjust the exposure quickly enough. The video quality itself though is ok, I've uploaded it to YouTube - see here:




(it is actually better quality than this but I compressed it a little for YouTube)

I've got a taste for it again, going to try and go regularly on a Friday afternoon as, with a bit of luck, the kicker and stuff will be out every week - so I can progress onto riding them more.

Caught on camera...

My latest purchase has been a Veho Muvi camcorder, the plan is to use this to capture a but of boarding action on film. I opted for the Muvi as it is absolutely tiny at just 55mm high which means you can clip it onto your helmet, clothing or even your board.

Despite the tiny size, the 2 mega pixel camcorder records at 640x480 at up to 30 frames per second which gives a pretty decent picture. Initial findings are that the sound quality isn't fantastic but that's to be expected with such a tiny microphone and largely the only thing to record will be board scrape noise anyway. 

Bundled with the camcorder was the "extreme sports pack" which basically consists of an armband, helmet strap and a couple of other mounting options for handlebars etc. - the versatility of the mounting options means I can attach to my helmet, clothing, board, arm, anywhere I can think of really.

I'll be testing it out at a snowdome as soon as possible and post up the results to YouTube.

Another day, another slope!

Today I went for a 2 hour session at "Chill Factore" in Manchester.

First impressions, it was similar to Glasgow's Xscape in terms of the quality of snow, it also had a drag lifts just the same as Glasgow. The slope was a little wider although possibly not as long.

Half of the slope was roped off for the first hour while some sort of ski competition was taking place, then afterwards they opened up the full slope to us - obviously the new side was full of moguls but it made for a little different terrain so we stuck with it.

My only real complaint about Chill Factore was the fact that you needed to swipe your lift pass every time you went up the button lift - which is the same as real lifts on resorts abroad, except that in a snow dome with such short runs you literally get 10-15 seconds on the slope then have to take your glove off, get your pass out, swipe it, put it away, glove back on, then get on the button lift and repeat.

After a few runs I started to get a really sore foot with pins & needles etc. and after a while I realised that my inner boot was too tight - I've always made a point of tying them as tight as possible but I think once it was on and my foot had swollen a little from riding it was too tight. After loosening it I got back into it and managed to find a few moguls to get air off with varying success.

Unfortunately there were no kickers or boxes out so I'll have to save that for my next session!

One thing I did notice, when I had a go on my mate's board, was that it was noticably faster than mine - I concluded it was because mine is in need of a wax so I will be giving that a go before my next session.

Another slope!

Whilst visiting my girlfriend in Scotland this weekend we paid a 2-hour visit to the Xscape snow dome in Braehead, Glasgow - this was my first experience of a different slope in the UK and I was pleasantly surprised!

The boards & boots I have to say weren't great, not as good as those at my local snowdome (Tamworth), but the slope itself was WAY better. It was considerably wider for a start, probably about the same length but without the corner that Tamworth has near the top. However, what really stood out was the quality of the snow, it was a lot more like riding on a proper mountain - as opposed to Tamworth which was often very icy.
Also, because of the extra width, the slope had a few things on it instead of just being a straight run - it had a rail/box affair near the top, a kicker (jump) half way down & another rail setup further down. It also had... a button lift!

Just to explain, Tamworth has 2 methods of getting you up the slope, either the travellator which is just what it sounds, you stand on it and get carried to the top. Or the alternative is a rope pull, which you just hold onto and it pulls you up the slope.

Glasgow Xscape by contrast had a button lift, which is like a metal pole with a large button-shaped piece on the bottom, designed perfectly for skiers to stick between their legs and be pulled up the slope. Snowboarders on the other hand ride sideways on making it a little more difficult to use this type of lift. I'd already read up about them but was a little unclear still, until I got there and had a go, it was basically simple, you face sideways, stick the pole between your legs (it has a bend in it to go round your front leg) and off you go, dragged up the slope. I never fell off once!

Obviously I was on hire equipment so back to beginner boards so more forgiving than my new board, I soon got up to speed after a little adjustment to my bindings. Then in the 2nd half of the session I decided to go for it on the kicker (jump) - it was a little higher than the one at Tamworth I'd already done but c'est la vie.

My first 3 attempts all ended in failure, not too bad though as I just fell upon landing in a controlled manner, but I was determined and kept at it and finally landed it - I think 4 times in a row. Only then did one of the instructors on the slope come over and tell me I wasn't allowed on it without a helmet! Never mind, the session was at an end and I was very happy with landing the kicker so we called it a day.

Almost back up to scratch!

I had another 2 hour session at the snowdome today, 2nd time using my new gear and I was hoping to make progress.

After another shakey start on my new board (but luckily no falling) I started to get back into my comfort zone and get used to the equipment more. By hour number 2 I was a lot happier, had the kicker been out I would have been going for it - I even came close to ollying but think a little more practise is in order for that one!

There were however a couple of "boxes" out (I think that's the correct name for them) and I watched some of the other guys there going down them - they were clearly hugely more experienced than me & also hugely younger which I guess is just life! lol

I was very tempted, doing a 50-50 (basically riding straight onto the box, straight down it then off without turning your board) seemed like a fairly simple prospect - I know the board accelerates when you ride the box so you need to lean forward more but that's about it.

Apprehension got the better of me though and I decided it was better left until my next session as I didn't want to knock my confidence after a successful ride.

New boots & first try of new board!

Well, after 2 weeks of scouring the internet for suitable shops to try on boots (and largely failing miserably due to the time of year and most shops being completely sold out) I took my new board along to the snowdome today with the aim of trying it out using hire boots & also checking in their shop (The Snowboard Asylum) for any potential boots.

The guys in TSA were incredibly helpful & knowledgable, I had a chat with one guy and he sat down and checked out the size and shape of my foot etc. - it was a good 5-10 minutes before I actually saw any boots. When he came back he had 1 pair of boots (Vans "Andreas Wiig") and explained that it was the only pair out of all their stock that was a suitable size/shape for my feet! Well, all I can say is, that guy deserves a pay rise - the boots fitted perfectly!

I walked around the shop in them, flexed, tried different typical snowboard positions, and they felt spot on - it went against everything I'd read about trying on as many different boots as possible but I bought them straight away. The guys then heat moulded them to my feet and also kindly set up my new board for me and applied some liquid wax stuff (good for one session really).

Then, £110 lighter, I set off for our 2 hour session on the slopes.

The phrase 1 step forwards and 2 steps back comes to mind. The new board setup was clearly an intermediate setup wheras I was used to the more forgiving beginners boards that you get from the snowdome. As a result, as happy as I was with my new gear, my boarding wasn't up to the same level as last time I was there - I fell off several times, was very wobbly / shakey, and had the kicker been out I wouldn't have attempted it as my confidence was knocked a little.

I realised however that this was normal, the board was less forgiving, so I had to up my game a bit, and by the end of the 2 hours I was getting better again - in fact technically even better than before as I'd had to be more precise with my movements. So I wasn't put off, but this made me even more determined to come back again soon and get more practise!

At the end of the day, I was happy with my new setup.

Finally back on the slope & I landed a kicker!

Despite the fantastic holiday in January, my eagerness to go away again & my snowdome membership - it's actually taken me this long to get back to the snowdome and on a board!

It was a present from my girlfriend who is a skier (& knew I wanted to get back on the slope), we went for a 2 hours recreational session which I was interested to see how I managed after 4 months of no boarding!

Well, it turned out I managed just fine, got straight back into it and found my feet fairly quickly.

Towards the end of the session I even had a breakthrough, I attempted a small kicker (jump) half way down the slope - having ridden past it on every run and thinking about the one in France I wished I'd tried out.

I just slowed up as I approached, then made sure I hit it dead on. First attempt and I fell on landing - just a controlled fall so wasn't too bad really and I was determined to try again.

My 2nd attempt was much better, I took the same approach, but just somehow had the confidence as I figured I could do this - and I did! I landed it twice in a row before our session on the slope came to an end.

Needless to say, this session - and particularly the success with the kicker - totally rekindled my thirst for snowboarding, & I vowed I would try and visit the snowdome at least once a month from now on - preferably more!
I also soon found myself back on the goneboarding snowboarding forum and scouring ebay for the next purchase...

The finisher!

After another 2 hours of lessons in which I learnt to go from "falling leaf" to turning down the slope, then back to "falling leaf" again, I had my 2 hour finisher lesson - this was basically the final lesson which meant once passed I would be allowed on the slope unsupervised.

The lesson didn't start well, the hire board I had been using had loose bindings, not majorly loose but loose enough that they moved about a little and even at this early stage I could tell the difference as the board wasn't responding to me as much as it had on previous lessons.

I spoke to the instructor about it who was great and tried (in vain) to fix the problem - eventually it got to the point where he couldn't get the bindings back on the board so went off to get me another one, in the meantime I got to use one of the instructors own boards and I really saw the difference using that! It felt 100 times better!

In the end the instructor returned with another board and I continued with the lesson, this one was all about learning to link turns, so going from "falling leaf", turning down the slope, then turning right round to "falling leaf" on the other edge, so from heel to toe, then back again. This was basically the final step in being able to travel from the top of the slope to the bottom in a controlled manner.

At the end of the lesson the instructor told me I had passed but advised a couple of free ride sessions prior to my holiday in order to get the best out of what I'd learnt - I booked another 2 hours to tide me over until the holiday!

In the beginning...

These first few posts are actually pre-dated, having been written after I first took up snowboarding, but I thought I would date them as and when things happened to make things appear in the correct order!

So, a little bit of background, it was over Christmas 2008 that my friend H had suggested a snowboarding holiday with some friends. It was something I'd always wanted to do but never had done and at the age of 33 I was very much in the "can't teach an old dog new tricks" camp so had to decline (especially as they were going within a month so no time to learn).

H's response was that a month was plenty of time to learn, and that it was an experience not to be missed and a top laugh - and so my journey began!

By the 5th Jan we were booked, 1 week in Les Deux Alpes on the 24th Jan - less than 3 weeks to go!

I had my first lesson that night, 2 hours at the snowdome in Tamworth. It went really well, I first learnt to balance whilst heading down the slope on both toe & heel edges (imagine standing on a slope with your board lying across the slope rather than up/down it - heel edge is when you are facing down the slope & so digging your heels in to control yourself, toe edge is when you are facing up the slope and digging your toes in to control yourself. Digging your heels/toes in acts like applying a brake, the harder you push the slower you go)

We then learnt to do "falling leaf" which is basically the same, coming down on toe or heel edge, whilst moving side to side in a "falling leaf" motion.

It was a lot of fun, I fell over a couple of times but in a controlled manner to prevent myself shooting off down the slope at speed.

The next day I became a member of the snowdome, it was money well spent as it meant I got a third off my future lessons, also a load of vouchers for guests and drinks and stuff.

Now all I had to do were a few more lessons & pass my finisher which meant I was allowed on the slope unsupervised!