Do You Need Snowboarding? Um…Yes.

Earlier I posted about the good vibes harnessed by engaging in board sports. In this post we will dial in with more specificity the high vibe activity of snowboarding.  Indulged in by your lonesome for some solo Mama Bear or Papa Bear time and/or together with your child(ren) this recreational activity is all kinds of fun.

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Snowboarding is epic. It is smooth, it is harsh, it is fluid, it is twisty. Do you need snowboarding in your life? If you are an ambulatory well abled bodied individual who enjoys a supremely high vibe? Then that would be an emphatic YES.

I love surfing because it makes a better snowboarder, just like I love paddle boarding because it makes me a better surfer.

Once you enter a vibe where you are interacting and playing in natures playground, and doing it consistently and well, then the feels of that interaction, with our earth, the elements are some of the best vibes you can harness and can experience on a pure visceral level. I remember when I caught my first wave and felt like I had been touched by the Divine and I was as giddy as a school girl and grinning from ear to ear. That natural high lasted for hours.

I live in Canada and would frequent Blackcomb Mountain to ride. My partner did a heli boarding tour up a mountain and rode down a mountain face in fresh powder. I cannot speak for him but my guess is, that the experience was pretty epic. Snowboarding is fun. FUN and then after that, more fun and epic and then fun again.

At least, that has been my experience.

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Snowboarding Benefits:

Physical benefits of snowboarding

Engaging in the physical activity of snowboarding is a huge win for your body and physical state of being. Stabilizing your body on the board connects you with your centre of gravity and enhances your balancing abilities. Riding a snowboard is comparative to aerobic exercise and really gets your heart pumping, so increases the well being of your cardiovascular system. The muscle training for your legs and lower extremeties and the core work you implement in maintaining balance, control and direction are all an extremely good vibe for your physiology. Pushing up on your arms should you bail, creates resilience and strength in your upper body. Turning and twisting, keeps your core expanded in its mobility. Proves good for your joints and bones as it puts a good amount of weight on your feet, ankles, and knees which yields to strengthening and an avoidance of bone issues as you grow older.

Mental benefits of snowboarding

The mental benefits of snowboarding are empowering. Being able to master or participate in the successful engagement that is the fun activity of snowboarding contributes a great deal to your sense of self and increases your self confidence. It

challenges you mentally which expands your neural network wiring and pushes you to dial in your mind body connection to strenghthen your mental acuity and concentration skills. Riding down a mountain covered in snow and doing it with finesse and control and ease, takes a level of mental focus that resonates with the true power of your brain. Learning a new skill and then progressing and maintaining the endeavour, expands your mind. You are capable of doing anything. Snowboarding and getting into that vibe, is a very good mental space to encompass and will elevate you huge!

Emotional benefits of snowboarding

Welcome to a natural happy drug. That’s right! The emotional benefits of snowboarding are a very very high vibe and can be harnessed in nature, the natural way. The use of your body when you engage in riding releases endorphins. That is one fancy word for chemicals up in your brain responsible for feelings of joy, happiness and super good vibes well being. The high you gain from cruising down a massive moutain, in control and crushing it elevates your mood and diminishes feelings of stress and anxiety. Even starting to learn snowboarding can be hilarious. At least it was for me if you can maintain a good sport kind of mindset. The social benefits yield to a positive emotional state, where you can share this experience with your kids, your friends or even like minded strangers you encounter in the great outdoors.

Spiritual benefits of snowboarding

No matter how tired I am or whatever I have going on in my life, snowboarding infuses an energy within me that proves everytime to empower me in Mind, Body and Spirit. I am not a religious person but I am a Spiritual one. Whatever your beliefs or practices in terms of your relationship to the larger and unexplained aspects of our earth and the surrounding

Universe, connecting with nature – the mountain – the magnificence of the creation that is the world around us, puts an energy within you that cannot be paralleled. Call it Spirit, call it Divine – call it whatever you want. When you connnect, in deep powder or groomed tracks, amongst the trees or in open space, on the surface of a mountain that sits at nearly ten thousand feet into the vast sky – you will feel and harness a power within that will make you aware of the magic you are surrounded by and that which exists within you. Good times.

Snowboarding starter tips

Snowboarding safety tips 

Wear a Helmet. Always.

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Along with wearing a helmet it is a good vibe to follow the appropriate signage on the hills and respect your fellow riders and skiers by maintaining a decent vibe in your speed and control in the designated areas and understanding that the peeps in front of you have the right of way. Someone in front of you can’t see you coming. Give them some room when you really get going and have to overtake them.

Have a Plan to How You Will Start

It is wise idea to get a snowboard lesson. Now, I didn’t take one and I just bought the gear and toured out on the mountain with the tutilage and support of my beautiful man dude partner who was already an avid snowboarder.

His encouragement and handy tips proved to have me touring down Blackcombe Mountain within a few minutes. I have a history of water skiing, surfing and skiing, so it was pretty easy.

If you are not an extreme sports enthusiast but are healthy and want to give snowboarding a go, then getting a lesson from a trained and experienced professional is a great idea.

If you don’t want to spend the cash on this, then we live in an age where you can dial in a pretty good lesson on youtube – but human connectedness cannot be replicated and your performance cannot be observed or commented on in terms of feedback to help you improve, so a good investment to consider for you and your kids should you be completely new to the sport and don’t have any snowboard enthusiasts in your tribe.

Wearing Snowboard Gear

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Wearing snowboard gear that is going to keep you warm and dry is an investment worth making. Playing on a mountain in the snow and learning to do so can yield to a cold and wet state of being for your body if you are not clothed and outfitted appropriately. Essentially you want to make sure your layers are of good quality and breathable as well as waterproof and insulated with warmth. This makes you comfortable and ensures that your focus is not split or diminished to your discomfort and makes it more fun to engage in the activity of snowboarding with a positive mindset.

Make sure your boots are the right size. I made this error long ago when I misread the sizes and ended up riding with pinched toes, thinking “oh, no pain no gain” but it was harsh and I made it through the day but I was put off of riding because of it, until my man and I deciphered I was wearing the wrong size boots. When I did find the right size boots, I was then fully able to realize how epic and joyful snowboarding actually is. Doing your due dilligence and research on the right gear and the appropriate fit of the gear, is paramount to your success.

Goofy or Regular – Determine Your Stance

This is your snowboard stance. When I was introduced to snowboarding I heard “he rides goofy” I thought it sounded very funny and having a background in animation, and this instance having no relation to the character Goofy, I still kind of hoped that I would be goofy vs regular. 

The term is in reference to your stance on the snowboard. If you ride with your left foot forward, you are regular footed and if you ride with your right foot forward, you are goofy footed.

One way you can determine which foot goes in front, is have someone gently push you back from a neutral standing position. Whichever foot you step back and put your weight on is your strongest and should go in the rear. So if your right foot steps back, your left foot goes in the front and you are a Regular stance.

Master Edge Control

You carve through the snow on the edges of your snowboard. When starting out on a board, you will favour your back edge. This means that your snowboard is not lying flat on the ground but is up and balancing on the edge of the board. Having an awareness of your edges and mastering the movement on and off of them will be an advantageous pursuit. Many an edge I did catch, many a repair my body did need. There is value in control of your edges. You get a feel for it, it’s all good and feels rad when you get up your skill and confidence and start carving out some serious lines.

Look Ahead to Where You are Going

As a beginner at snowboarding it is common to look down at your board.  It is a good vibe to look ahead and where you are going.  This will ensure you are directed and move into the space you want to be moving. Your eyes lead your body’s movement, so if you want to be down on the ground with your board, keep looking there.  If you are into the good vibe of touring down the hill – then look forward and off you go!

Let the Good Vibes Roll

The most important tip I will offer you, is to have fun. You will exert some good energy and you will be in nature’s playground and hopefully with some good friends to enjoy it!  Keep a good attitude and have some laughs with your kids!!

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