Sunday, February 5, 2012

Teaching Aaron, days 6 and 7

Aaron, day 6

Friday we had a great time riding at Stratton, VT. Aaron needed miles under his feet more than advice, and that's what he got. We enjoyed sunshine, loose granular snow, and chatting with lots of friendly strangers. We stayed near the green-painted signs but still managed to see some decent terrain variation.

That night Aaron's very cool Uncle & Aunt put us up for the night. We surely learned more spending a few hours with them than the three previous days teleboarding and taking notes, but that's for another blog.

Yesterday, we decided to try to save some driving time and ride a mountain that Aaron might be able to conquer. We pointed the car towards Massachusetts just long enough to get to Crotched Mountain. More sunshine and sugary snow greeted us, as well as some cheerful locals. Within a few runs we had stopped talking about fatigue from the previous days, and starting talking about making some big gains. At the end of the day, Aaron was hop-turning down "satellite summit", a nice little face marked with a black diamond.

I'm pretty proud of the transformation Aaron underwent over the last four days. Just Wednesday he was riding a conveyor belt like a box of cheerios, and now...I'm going to drop that analogy while I'm ahead.

I'm also very glad to have a friend who would willingly fly from Florida to semi-frosty New England in winter, push himself past all preconceived limits with a smile, and add bruises to his bruises--Just so I could take notes and pictures, and maybe sell 5 copies of a book someday. Aaron, if you're reading this, thanks for applying your get-it-done-right attitude to teleboarding, vacationing, and friendship.

Aaron and I came up with a short list of lessons learned or verified on our drive home:

* It's worth alternating between easy and challenging terrain as much as possible. Nailing every turn on an easy slope for two runs may keep a smile on your face long enough to succeed at something you thought you weren't ready for. When you are just starting to be comfortable with what you are doing, you are ready to take on an even tougher challenge.
* Laugh when you fall.
* Hip swivel. I tend to lead with my hips, and after trying it himself Aaron emphasized its importance repeatedly. It seems to help cut through snow sinuously.
* Steeper is easier. Yes, really. Steeps intimidate everyone at some point, but all of the basic movements of teleboarding work better when the ground is sloped.
* Stay positive or eat snow. (that sounded more positive in my head)
* If you think you are about to fall, adopt a lower stance and lean a little forward. You might stay on your board.
* Don't splay your your knees. You need both legs working together to use the whole length of the steel edge. Feeling your knees touch each other is a reminder that you have a good stance and you are about to do justice to the terrain you're looking at.
Aaron's 3rd attempt at a jump. 6 inches in the air and stuck the landing just like the first two.

* Jumping isn't a trick. It's a basic building block of good technique that you should learn right away. I mean beginners, especially. Take a meandering "easiest way down" sort of trail and look for little rises in the terrain. Not jumps, not dropoffs, just slight convexities. Get your board one inch in the air. Then keep doing it. It's fun and it sorts out your balance instantly.
* Once you jump, you can learn hop turns easily, which are great for steeps.

OK. That's all for now.

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