connecting the pieces

I've been back to the real world for a little while now, but I've been thinking a lot about what happened on the morning of the second day of my recent trip to smuggs.

Mandy tried the teleboard again. I'd say it was something like her fourth time. She will generally do a couple of short runs, learn a little, and get back on her snowboard for the rest of the day. (Learning a new balance sport is tiring, and teleboarding requires some athleticism, so it's a good way to get started if you're not in a hurry). This time was a thrill to watch though, because the other day, Mandy connected it all up. Her first run down the half-slope was cautious and competent. She made each part of each turn deliberately. On the chair we discussed bending and/or twisting at the hips vs. the knees. I think my advice was barely adequate because I came to teleboarding from alpine skiing, instead of snowboarding.

By the end of the second run she was flying. Suddenly I was seeing rapidly linked turns. We were both happy, and we decided to skip the midway station (morse mountain), and head for the top at which point she continued to impress. Next time she rides a teleboard, she's going to look like a teleboarder, and that makes me happy.

But seeing her connect the pieces is what really excited me. I think it's just fun to be around the learning process, especially when someone conquers the basics, and suddenly has many possibilities in front of them.

The specific lesson that Mandy learned that day was to "lead with the knees" (her words). I learned a specific lesson too--that I should expect snowboarders to think about almost every aspect of teleboarding differently than I do. While some snowboarding techniques work well on a teleboard, the twisting hips and sideways-slanting shins of a skier seem to be a better basis for teleboarding. So, my next challenge with the book is to make sure I don't take skier's technique for granted, and try to speak a little snowboarder.

And, Mandy, thanks for subjecting yourself to so much analysis when you're busy learning.