Try Something New

Cross Training for Versatility

by Brian Alley

It was early November when the snow was getting deep enough to ski. The patrol was going to head up chair I the next morning to start the on mountain prep work. Roger Taggart, Jodi Taggart, and myself were told that we were welcome to come along so we could get a run in. Of course, we couldn't pass up an opportunity to get some early season turns in.

The next morning we showed up with our equipment in our hands. Both Roger and Jodi were carrying snowboards. I asked Roger why he wasn't skiing. He told me that a snowboard would be more fan in the conditions that day. It was raining on top of about a foot of new snow that was extremely heavy. I didn't have a choice of what equipment I was going to use. I had only been snowboarding a couple times before, and was definitely not going to attempt to ride in these sort of conditions. It would have to be my skis, but it would still be a great time.

We arrived at the top of the mountain and chose to go down a run that had good coverage and nothing underneath the snow that would reach up and grab us. I started down and found that the snow conditions were challenging to say the least. It was hard to keep the skis sliding down the hill. I ended up doing really active flexion and extension movements just to keep the skis moving and turning under my body. I would make one turn back on the tails, and the next turn completely on my inside ski. In other words, I was fighting to stay balanced and in control the entire run. After about ten linked recoveries, I stopped to see how Roger and Jodi were fairing on their snowboards. They looked smooth and somewhat effortless. They were yelling how good it was while all I could think was how much work this was. As I continued to struggle down the mountain listening to the two of them hoot and holler it became very clear that I would have to learn how to snowboard well enough to more easily enjoy conditions such as these.

Throughout the season, I spent a number of days out on a board trying to become more comfortable riding. Always trying to pick the perfect condition. The snow couldn't be too hard, but it couldn't be too deep either. It had to be groomed, packed powder. Finally, within the past few weeks, I started being dragged along into areas where I thought I had no business being on a snowboard. Variable snow conditions that would be challenging on a pair of skis, even a pair of wide skis, became a whole lot of fun on a snowboard. By no means am I saying that I have become this incredible rider, but I can enjoy certain terrain and conditions that I thought would take me a while to ride comfortably. I know now that if a similar situation develops next fall, I am going to be riding a snowboard.

Through our schools, we should all know a snowboard instructor. If you don't, then I recommend you introduce yourself to one. We all have an incredible opportunity to try something new and fun. Equipment should not be an issue. Someone you know may have something you can borrow, or there is always the rental shop. We, as ski instructors, have the knowledge on how to slide down a mountain with two planks tied to our feet. Why not try it with one? There are similar movements that occur in both skiing and snowboarding. Flexion and extension movements and rotary movements are both common to either discipline. The fact that you need to maintain balance while moving on an edged piece of equipment down a hill is the same. Discover a different way to enjoy the winter mountain environment. It may just surprise you how much fun you can have. Oh yeah, this can also be turned around onto the snowboarders. Skiing can be a whole lot of fun as well. Go out and try having fun doing something different.