Picking up Speed

The intermediate trail and quad chair lift at night at Bear Creek
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Today my cousin Jen, her husband Ken and I went to Bear Creek. Jen and I were using the 2nd of our 3 lessons and Ken was going to do the "Learn to Ride" package. There was a Big Air Snowboarding Competition going on in the half pipe so the place was pretty packed.

Our registration for the lessons went alot easier this time. Jen and I were placed in one group since we had ridden before and could sorta do turns. Ken was with the complete beginners. We had a female instructor this time, she was a little younger than we were but really good on her board. There were 4 other young kids in our group.

And the whole time my brain is screaming "we're going too fast, just fall over...we're going to die!"

Snowboards outside the lodge at Bear Creek
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Our instructor skipped over the skating lesson and took us half way up the beginner's slope. She started with teaching turns. Once again we did heelside turns and toeside turns. It was harder to stand up on the board because we were on a much deeper slope compared to near the base of the mountain. At first I was having alot of trouble getting upright on the board. I have a brand new board that I only rode twice for a few hours and its still got its factory wax on the base so its slippy as a bitch! The girl had to hold my board steady so I could get up. After a while I got the hang of it though. Its still a little freaky getting up from a full squat and having the board take off down the mountain before you're even fully upright. We did alot of turns. I've got the hang of heelside but I gotta work on my toeside turns.

Bear Creek at night
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Our instructor taught us the falling leaf pattern and how to link turns. No one linked one though..... a few almost but everyone would fall before they got that second turn in. I guess its just practice.

From where our lesson was we could see Ken's lesson going on. We saw him roll a few times and get some turns. After everyone made it down from the halfway point of the slope we got on the magic carpet and went to the top.......which is even steeper. This is where i started picking up speed. As soon as I'd even turn my board it would take off down the mountain with me with it! Somehow I'd manage to get to a standing position while sliding down the hill, & the whole time my brain is screaming "we're going too fast, just fall over...we're going to die!" I don't know what did it but I finally started to relax and just go with it and started to lean more on my front foot and found I had better control of the board. I definately became more comfortable going faster.

People at the base of the mountain
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Unfortunately I caught my toe side edge a few times and took a few nastly landings on my ass and knees. I can't wait til my knee pads get here! Overall it was a good day. Got more comfortable on my board, figured out how to get up better and not freak out when the board takes off. Got better at some turns, nearly linked one. And I also learned to always lean on your board when on the magic carpet lift because when it stops suddenly you will almost fall on your face if you don't!

After I got home and soaked my sore and bruised body I found the Winter X Games on ESPN. I watched the pros ride all night! I gotta say where do people get the b@lls to even try some of that?! Did anyone see Vito try a trick and come down on his ribs on the lip of the super pipe?! I thought he'd broke his ribs....but he just got up like nothing! And how about Steve Fishers run in the Finals that bumped Shaun White to the Silver medal! It was a good weekend of watching and doing snowsports!