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  • Be smart

    I know a lot is said about the learning curve being really fast on skiboards and people talk about being on blacks their first day out but be smart about your progression. In the past month I have read threads about new riders hurting themselves on black runs or in glades which are generally blacks. If you have not skied or skiboarded before learning curve or not you probably do not belong on a true black on your first time out. No disrespect to those who got hurt and best wishes for a speedy recovery but smooth runs on a green does not mean you are ready for a black run or especially glades which are usually black runs with trees and sticks.

  • #2
    Here here!

    I took an intermediate run the other day that IMO really should have been labled advanced....well, it was too advanced for my comfort anyway. Ended up twisting my knee. (2nd time out on SkiBoards)
    Wasn't too bad, but it did make for a shorter day. As my leg got more fatigued I had a hard time stablizing that board & called it a day.

    Just because they are really manuverable doesn't mean you can stop on a dime, or that you won't hit a patch of hard ice, or something else unseen.
    The last thing you want to do is hurt yourself or someone else on the mountain.

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    • #3
      Very true eldiablo, I have heard/seen of so many injuries (not just on skiboards, but skis and snowboards as well) that could have easily been prevented by people not pushing themselves too far. You need to know where to draw the line. If you don't push yourself hard enough, you won't progress, but if you push yourself too hard, you'll find yourself getting injured. The key is to slowly work up, take greens until you ride them perfectly smoothly, then move on the blues. Don't bother touching blacks until you can ride a blue at a good speed, and be able to turn/stop quickly should the need arise.
      I do it because I can.
      I can because I want to.
      I want to because you said I couldn't.

      "The butterflies in my stomach have flown up through my throat and learned to love the open air." - World/Inferno

      Spruce Sherpas with Prime Pros
      '08 KTPs

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      • #4
        Originally posted by SkaFreak
        The key is to slowly work up, take greens until you ride them perfectly smoothly, then move on the blues. Don't bother touching blacks until you can ride a blue at a good speed, and be able to turn/stop quickly should the need arise.
        This will make you better faster, if you are outside your comfort zone you are probably not using good form or technique and it will take you longer to dial those in.

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        • #5
          Very true indeed, and this goes for any snow sport, skiboard, ski or snowboard. Last week, there were deaths at both Steamboat Springs and Breckenridge, and another death at Steamboat Springs the week before. Both at Steamboat were caused by people going into tree gullies and getting asphyxiated, while the incident at Breckenridge was a snowboarder hitting a jump wrong, landed on his head and factured his neck.
          Edward in NYC

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          • #6
            Skiing in the SE regularly I see it all the time. I am an all-mountain skier (I believe that anyone who says they only ski blacks are missing 2/3 of the mountain) and have seen some crazy insane stuff.

            The funniest happened (although it wasn't too funny to the guy on the receiving end) at Winter Place. As I came up to the peak of a black, I saw an older gentleman taking his time skiing across the trail. I decided to wait it out while he finished his meandering trip down.

            About that time, a kid maybe 9 years old comes up and says "I can ski this hill mister!". My first response was "go for it".

            Well, I am glad I did. He proceeded to point his toes straight downhill with no control whatsoever in a headlong, you-know-what's to the wall run straight toward the older gentleman. I watched as he took the gentleman out at the ankles and slid entangled to the bottom of the run.

            Fortunately the gentleman was spared injury. But boy was he angry at the kid! I hate to see these things happen, but it happens all the time here. Some times it is better to slow down and learn.
            H2O Junkie
            "If your cheeks aren't flapping in the wind, you aren't going fast enough!"

            Dynastar Twins, Summit Marauders, HO 720, O Brien Pro Trac, KD Evolution Carbon, Hyperlite Scape 116, O'Brien Swindle 139, Liquid Force Venture

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            • #7
              i second that, slow down and take your time. some skier/boarder just wants to tackle the black runs right away after a couple of runs on green. the 2 teenager i was sitting down with on the chairlift has just started snowboarding and decided to go up the black run. i admire the courage but not the common sense. basically we went to the same hill. and i thought i should just wait and see what they do . to make it short,they both spent their time tumbling downhill. i just shook my head and proceeded down and caught up where they were sitting and ask them if they were fine,and you know what one of them said? "holy sh*!, that was f*^#! steep!! his buddy was just speechless, i guess his trying to get his bearings back and he kept looking back at the top probably thinking the same thing. well they learned their lesson that day and i'm sure they stayed on the green for the rest the day or at the blue anyway.
              08' Spruce Sherpa 130/Pro-lite (STILL THE ONE)
              08/09 Dalbello Krypton Rampage

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              • #8
                As one of the guys that got hurt this past weekend, I can say that this post MUST be stickied and put up as a must read for ALL new members before being able to post here.

                My runs on the easy trails were so smooth that I was led to a false sense of my abilities. Yes the learning curve is extremely fast but that does not mean that you can do "it all".

                My glade run that I broke my leg on was a "blue" run, but add the dense glades and some powder covered ice. And mix in my fatigue form lack of experience, and it adds up to a black run and an unexpected and painful trip down on the "meat sled".

                So pay attention guys and girls. Let me be the painful lesson that you all learn from both new and intermediate riders.
                LINE Jedis - 90cm w/ LINE FF bindings FOR SALE, PM ME FOR PRICE!!

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                • #9
                  Wow, that kinda surprises me. Everywhere I've been all the glade runs of any kind have been black, so I just kinda made the assumption that it was on a black run. I guess maybe they thin the trees out more or that the ones here might be steeper or something.
                  I do it because I can.
                  I can because I want to.
                  I want to because you said I couldn't.

                  "The butterflies in my stomach have flown up through my throat and learned to love the open air." - World/Inferno

                  Spruce Sherpas with Prime Pros
                  '08 KTPs

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    i'm not sure how the ski resort grade their trails/runs from green,blue and single to double black,but i noticed here in western washington ski resorts some of the green runs are blue run to others, and some blue ones has like a black run feel to it. so some skiers/boarders think if they do good on this run with no problem, they should be able to do blacks(this is after a couple of runs) then they find out the the blacks are a lot steeper than anticipated. looking at their mountain maps and then riding down (comparison wise) is different. thats just my take, and sometimes i think that is why there's a lot of skiers/boarders sitting on the middle of the steeps looking confused,and getting hurt. granted everyone is different skillfully,some will get it quickly, some has to work for it, but also theres that factor of being along with your friends "up there". so they pressure themselves to learn quick so not to be mocked by them and thats how they get hurt. as i said before, slow down and take your time,even after you took a beginners class.
                    Last edited by t21; 01-30-2008, 09:42 PM.
                    08' Spruce Sherpa 130/Pro-lite (STILL THE ONE)
                    08/09 Dalbello Krypton Rampage

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                    • #11
                      Dont sboard outside your comfort zone. Learn the basics and then push yourself.


                      Boards:

                      Spruce 120s(x2), ALPs(x3), Lacroix 99's, BWPs.

                      Bindings:

                      Pro Prime Riser/Rossi Bindings(x2).

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by SkaFreak
                        Wow, that kinda surprises me. Everywhere I've been all the glade runs of any kind have been black, so I just kinda made the assumption that it was on a black run. I guess maybe they thin the trees out more or that the ones here might be steeper or something.
                        There are a number of blue glades runs in New England. One in particular comes to mind at Bretton Woods across the street from the Mt Washington Hotel. I had a friend injured there because he insisted on following me in. It is called "Aggassiz" and starts out pretty steep and leads into a nicely cleared out glade with some nice powder stashes even a couple of days out from storms. But I recommend wearing a helmet and having your ducks in a row before going there to play.
                        Last edited by H2O Junkie; 01-31-2008, 01:32 AM.
                        H2O Junkie
                        "If your cheeks aren't flapping in the wind, you aren't going fast enough!"

                        Dynastar Twins, Summit Marauders, HO 720, O Brien Pro Trac, KD Evolution Carbon, Hyperlite Scape 116, O'Brien Swindle 139, Liquid Force Venture

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                        • #13
                          ski or not to ski that is the question...
                          ppPhotobucket

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                          • #14
                            I agree. alot of the new riders are advancing too quickly without mastering the basics


                            ONE TIME I HUNG OUT WITH DAVE LYNAM IN PERSON

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                            • #15
                              What's the rush?

                              I agree on all fronts. Why the big rush to go down the blacks if all you're going to do is slide-fall-careen out of control-fall-repeat? (I'd like to be an "all mountain" rider, but I have a long way to go before I can really call myself that!) Isn't it just a helluva lot more fun to actually get to the bottom of the slope with some skill and *enjoy* the ride down?

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