Snow Patrol

Right now i am writing this entry on my Treo using Word To Go.  I also finally got around to reading and responding to comments left on the site since I left on Thursday night.



This past long weekend, i went snowboarding with my roommates in Vermont.  joe and his friend jen came to join me on the slopes.



Snow sports and i don't have the best history.  In high school, my first ice skating trip with fellow runners resulted in a sprained ankle that caused me to miss the county indoor track championship mysenior year.  While living in San Francisco in 2001, I went snowboarding in Tahoe towards the end of the season (March); I left completely sore, with sprained wrists and a mild concussion.  In 2003, I took a day trip to Hunter Mountain to give skiing a try.  That was a similarly humiliating late-season debacle - I took a break from greens to try a blue, and that was a huge mistake.  This was when I discovered that falling in skis hurt less that falling on a snowboard...but it took a LOT longer to get up after falling in skis.



After that trip, I figured I was done with snow sports forever. Then a couple of weeks ago, one of my roommates presented the option of a house ski trip with free rentals and discounted tickets, and I jumped. Why?  Well, most of my friends know that I've long made a habit of doing things I never thought I would do (see the list of places I've lived).  Plus, I don't like to fail at anything, so i got some redemption juices flowing.



Regardless, I was not conviced this was a good idea.  I told my supervisor at work that my main goal was 'survival.'  When one of my roommates asked me why I was bringing my wallet to the slopes, I said "So they can ID the body."  I figured that if I never had to get picked up by the snow patrol, I'd have succeeded.   My goal was to keep my degradation and humiliation to a minimum.



Here's probably the biggest reason I don't board: it's too damn expensive.  Lift tickets for a half-day off-peak at Okemo were $33.  Full-day at Killington the next day were $72.  $72!!!!  Think about it: all you get for that money is a lift ticket - no equipment or anything.  Rentals?  Another $30 per day.  And that's not even talking about the gear you have to wear.  Here's a list of stuff I had to wear just to feel decent on the slopes:

• Waterproof pants ($50 - $200)


• Long underwear ($30 - $65 for one top or one bottom)


• Skiing-grade waterproof parka ($80 - $300)


• SmartWool socks ($15 a pair)


• Sock liners ($10 a pair)


• Glove liners ($10)


• Waterproof gloves ($25 - $100)


• Balaclava ($15)


• Goggles ($25 - $100)


• Hat ($25)

Add up low-end gear, and you hit $400 petty easily.  And that's just the bare minimum.  Snowboarding pads cost about $50 each set for butt, elbows and knees; by the end of the weekend, I wished I'd had them.  All this for a sport that is brutal at the beginning because you fall so much.



Friday, we went to Okemo for about an hour after picking up my roommate's brother.  I fell a lot; thankfully, I rented and wore a helmet.  Helmets are underrated; I have no idea why everyone doesn't wear them.  They keep you warm by keeping the snow off your hat and head.  If you're snowboarding, you'd be a fool not to wear one; even experienced boarders slam their heads by falling backwards at least once a day.  I guess there are a lot of fools.  Joe bought one after getting his bell rung the first day. 



My equipment from the resort was crap (step-in bindings, boots too small, board too long and stiff).  So on Saturday, I rented a nicer board with strap-in bindings and decent boots from a ski store for the same rental rate the resorts were charging.  Best move I made all weekend.  I had a ton more control, it was easier to get up, the boots were more comfortable, I could use my feet more...it was much better. 



Too bad I wasn't much better.  I only did one run on Friday.  On Saturday, I did only 2 during a full day's worth of resort time.  I took a nasty fall on my tail on a hard patch of ice and earth, and it really shook me up.  By this point, every muscle in my body was sore, and I realized I was using them in ways that I never had before.  My tailbone had a huge bruise. 



Because I was only comfortable leaning on the front of my board, I never shifted my weight from my toes to my heels...which meant that my toes and balls-of-feet were exhausted quickly.  I am actually more comfortable going backwards down the hill - that way, I can see the ground very nearby in case I have to crash to avoid a person or obstacle.  It also prevents me from landing on my ass. 



Saturday night, we went to an awesome Italian place called Garlic in Killington.  Then on Sunday, I was a game-time decision...but I decided to go to Okemo for a half-day's worth of boarding.  I did 3 runs in only a half-day's worth of time....and something clicked.  I started to block out the extreme pain I was in.  I started brushing off my falls and resuming boarding much faster after each one.  Instead of being totally out of control, 90% of my falls were deliberate.  Things were starting to make sense.  Unfortuantely, I was still useless on my heels - and my muscles were unaccustomed to this type of activity.  Anyway, I had fun and took a lot of ibuprofen. 

Due to poor planning, my group had to abandon the bed and breakfast early Sunday evening.  I think they might have gone boarding again in the morning.  But I had Joe and Jen there to ride back to New York with (and from there I took a train back to DC).  So I got the room all to myself on Sunday night, had a leisurely Monday morning, and rode home.  I even managed to meet Tom Kim and Caroline for dinner in New York that evening. 



I'm still pretty damn sore today, but am in shockingly good shape all things considered.  Maybe I'll get into snowboarding some more, or maybe not.  Either way, you'll be the first to know.

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