Surfing on snow not just for kids
The electronic Encyclopdia Britannica describes snowboarding as a “winter sport that evolved from skateboarding and surfing. Three main styles of competition exist: Alpine, freestyle and boardercross. Developed in the 1960s, snowboarding is believed to have originated in the United States, where several inventors explored the idea of surfing on snow.”
Recently, I asked an enthusiastic snowboarder, Gayle Nyberg of Sabattus, how she would describe snowboarding to someone who had never tried the sport. I understand the part about strapping a snowboard to your feet and letting gravity pull you down a snowy slope, but I didn’t think it could be quite as easy as that.
“The challenge is to surf downhill with both of your feet strapped to a board while keeping your balance,” explained Nyberg. “You can turn left or right by shifting your weight either onto the heel or the toe edge of the board.”
Balance and gravity are the challenges faced in snowboarding – one you can learn to manage and the other one manages you. Even though snowboarding is usually compared to skiing, the technique used in snowboarding is more like that of skateboarding and surfing. Nyberg says she has experience on the skateboard. “I loved skating downhill when I was younger,” said Nyberg.
In addition to being a skateboarder and snowboarder, Nyberg is also a downhill skier, as are her two teen-aged children, Amy and Todd. How did Nyberg go from skateboarding to skiing to snowboarding? “About six years ago I was skiing with my sister Annie and the kids. We watched a few snowboarders and thought it looked like a fun challenge. My sister asked me if I would be interested in taking a lesson that day,” explained Nyberg. “I said yes! That was six years ago, and to this day I haven’t gone back to skiing. Snowboarding is a blast!”
Like her sister Gayle, Annie Thompson has two teenagers, Troy and Evan. “I spent a lot of time on the bunny slope with my children as they learned to ski. About six years ago, when they were eight and ten, they became interested in snowboarding. This was right about the time they had become very good skiers,” said Thompson. “So once again, I was on the bunny slope with them as they learned to snowboard. We all loved it!”
The sisters both adored their initial snowboarding experience. “I think Annie has returned to skiing once or twice since we started snowboarding,” noted Nyberg.
“In addition to snowboarding,” Thompson explained, “I ski and tele-ski. Every winter I try to fit in some skiing and tele-skiing for several reasons. I like the variety of the different skills needed for each type of sport, but if I had to choose one of the three, I’d pick snowboarding over the other two. It’s that much fun.”
Of the three sports, Thompson says snowboarding was the hardest to learn. “There’s a steep learning curve in snowboarding in regards to keeping your balance. In the beginning, you fall hard and you fall a lot, but once you get over the beginner’s learning stage, which can be done quickly if you’re determined, snowboarding can be exhilarating. As you learn to keep your balance on the board, you can learn some of the fancier moves and jumps.”
One theory as to why it is easier to learn snowboarding techniques is because, as Thompson said, “In snowboarding, there are two edges to control, whereas in skiing there are four edges. When an edge digs into the snow, it can cause a fall. So it only makes sense that because a snowboard has fewer edges, it is easier to maintain control of the board while moving.” Thompson also pointed out that snow conditions do not seem to matter as much for snowboarding as for skiing. “Boards seem to slice right through everything.”
Nowadays many ski parks have separate snowboard sections with areas for jumping, or catching air, and other snowboard stunts. Skiers use the snowboard park to practice their jumps, but just as often, you will see snowboarders getting off the chairlift and boarding down the slopes among the skiers. “I like the big, long curving turns,” explained Nyberg.
“Annie and I were boarding on a day when a racing event was being held. One of the sponsors was handing out free chocolate bars that were known as ‘the chocolate bar with an attitude.’ After the racers in front of us were given these chocolate bars, we were give one, too, even though we weren’t racing. We shared it on the lift. On the way down, we both did our first grind,” said Nyberg.
Does Nyberg think the candy bar had anything to do with that feat? “We called the chocolate bar company and said ‘We have a commercial idea for you!’.”
The best part of snowboarding for many is going downhill. Bumps can be fun, too. “Powder snow is the ultimate condition for boarding. We don’t get powder that often though,” said Nyberg.
What about the language, or lingo, used by snowboarders? The sisters say they do not use all the snowboarding terminology that’s out there. “I think when it comes to snowboarding lingo, I’m not very hip. I still say ‘I’m going skiing’ when I should say ‘I’m going riding.’ It takes awhile to get used to the terminology,” said Thompson.
“I’m known as a ‘goofy betty’,” said Nyberg.
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