How do I get over caution of going fast (with minimal access to slopes)?

Question

I've only gone snowboarding once (a 2-week exclusively-snowboarding holiday), about 3 years ago.

It was a lot of fun, even though I didn't manage to come right too well.

The problem was that, even though I managed to get turning and such right, I really struggled to get much further than knowing the basics, as I'm too cautious about picking up speed (even carving was a problem, although the slopes were pretty steep, at least for me - it felt like about a 30-40° incline on most of the slopes where I was - this was on the "easy" slope - the "medium" slope seemed pretty similar).

I did fall a lot at first (as I guess most, if not all, new snowboarders do), so I can't imagine fear of falling, as such, is the problem.

I did take a few lessons during the first week. I got fairly comfortable with basically just going down the slope (at least better than with my board fully horizontally the whole way) and making the occasional turn, but the next part of the lessons was carving, which, as mentioned above, was a problem, so I felt a bit stuck for the remaining week and a half.

How do I get over this caution of going fast?

I've considered:

• Choosing to ignore that little voice telling me to not go fast.

  This probably wouldn't be too difficult, but I fear that, not being particularly experienced, I may not be able to react properly to certain situations (which may include trying to slow down / stop), and risk serious injury.

• Picking up skateboarding so I can get more comfortable on a board.

  Given that part of my problem is minimal access to slopes (because of distance and price), I thought it might be a good idea to get started with skateboarding, which I can do locally. A board's a board - right? Or not?

• Just practice at the speed I'm comfortable with.

  The problem here is the minimal access to slopes. And during my snowboarding experience, I seemed to just be stuck skill-wise during the last week of my trip because of this speed problem (not being able to go straight is a bit of a problem), so I'm not sure whether this will actually help.

  I've also considered taking a really long snowboarding holiday (a month?) as to practice consecutively for a long period and hopefully get over my problem (although, if I don't, it might be a very depressing month).

• Going to somewhere with slopes with less incline.

  This should get me more comfortable on the board (allowing me to practice slowing down / stopping more safely), and hopefully this also makes me more comfortable at higher speeds.

  Makes sense, but I wouldn't even know how to find such a place, beyond just going to different places until I find one.

Any advice on my problem or any of my considerations or any other suggestions?

Or am I too concerned about this, as it's just something that comes with time, and if it doesn't, snowboarding just isn't for me?

Answer 1

First of all, I should mention that snowboarding isn't my strongest dicipline. Instead, I'm a skier - and sometimes even a telemark skier - but the general idea is the same.

To begin with, going fast shouldn't be a goal per se. Rather, your goal should be to go fast AND in control. The only way to do this, and the only way to feel comfortable doing it, is to learn the basics by heart. Before you'll be able to progress, those basics must be in your bones, in your spine, and in every other part of your body - not only in your head.

To make a personal example, I was always the most cowardly of all the children in ski- /snowboard school. However, as everyone else was going straight down, head first - I was plowing my way down the mountain in a very slow pace. As everyone grew older, most youngsters still struggled with the technique, but those of us who had gone about it slow in the past were now the ones to race down the mountain in style - despite only skiing one week every year!

What I'm trying to say is, that in order to "break the mental barrier of going fast", your instinct (which you cannot easily control) must trust your ability to stay in control while going fast. Thus, don't rush it - even though it's frustrating trying to learn, especially when older and not learning as fast as a child anymore. Take snowboard lessons a couple of days, it's amazing what that does for your development!

As for the other 50 weeks of the year, it is hard to substitute snow and board for anything likeworthy, but your skateboard idea isn't at all stupid. However, to make it more "snowboardlike", I would strongly recommend a longboard instead of a skateboard. Longboarding has a lot more in common with both snowboarding and surfing than skateboarding does.

Ride carefully and good luck!

Answer 2

Ride, ride, ride and ride some more, there's really no secret that will diminish your fears. Your fears are natural and everyone who picks up the sport will go through it in varying degrees based on their willingness to fall and get up. I've fallen countless times and still fall and can't see anyway to improve without doing so. I will say one thing tho, I wear kneepads, elbow pads, wrist braces, the best padded shorts on the market and a helmet. I've had numerous nasty falls and my protective gear I'm positive has prevented serious injuries. Get all the safety gear you can, ask for assistance from experienced riders or get a session of lessons but most importantly don't quit and go at YOUR OWN SPEED until your comfortable. YOU WILL IMPROVE if you stay with it... GUARANTEED!!!

Answer 3

Being a self-taught snowboarder (16+ years and counting) my short response is practice, practice, practice. I realize that is difficult as you do not have access to the slopes on a regular basis. So with that said, here are some opinions on your concerns.

As Qvist said, and you confirmed, going fast is not the goal. The feeling you get when you point straight downhill that causes you to get nervous is natural and a good thing. This will go away as you become more proficient and you may find that you end up enjoying turning downhill and charging (assuming you end up enjoying speed, as there is no need to focus on that aspect). So how to become more proficient?

You do not need to focus so much on pointing downhill as you do on transitioning from edge to edge (which will happen to traverse a point where you point downhill). It is that familiarity which will help you get more comfortable with speed. It is fairly rare to not be on one edge or the other when snowboarding, so edge control is what you need to progress in your skills. As you develop that natural feel for quick transition to the other edge you will be more comfortable riding any terrain as edge control lets you understand how much to dig in to stop quickly, or if you desire to carve to carve. Additionally as you get more comfortable on your edges you will be able to do your transitions in that spot where you are still pointing downhill, which is where your comfort for speed and carving comes in.

Personal opinion for other sports helping to snowboard (skateboarding, wakeboarding, surfing) is that they can only help up to a point. You use many of the same balance techniques, but the interaction is completely different. I would say wakeboarding as your feet are strapped in is likely the closest in feel.

Last but not least, if you are truly hooked on snowboarding (as I was right after I went for the first time) do not pressure yourself into thinking you need to be a 'great' snowboarder after so many visits to the slopes. Work on your turns, on your stopping, and whatever other aspect (carving, jumps, etc.) that is fun as you work up your skills. As long as you are having fun, then it is a worthwhile trip.

And BTW, I do not care what anyone else tells you, EVERYBODY falls :)

Answer 4

I'm a female 51 year old snowboarder. I think these answers here are right on the money. My strong advice is the protective gear. Also, make sure your bindings are correctly adjusted for your comfort. I just made a tiny adjustment to my stance and had a 100% better day out there. I ride over 20 days a season and I ride with my teens. Because of their ability to learn quickly and to overcome fear, they help me ride better. I'm still behind them, but I'm closing in on them! They even drag me into the terrain parks. But you may want to hold off on that for a bit! Always try to improve your riding by a small percentage each time you go out and if you ride with someone more experienced, I find that you automatically get better. Edge control is cardinal, and believe me, after only five seasons, I still fall. We all fall, no matter what level. This is a good thing. Fear is your enemy and speed is your friend when riding. I'm not saying charging down the mountain, but going too slow will cause you to fall more as well. Counter-rotation is the biggest mistake I see out there. This is when your body isn't in proper alignment, so when you hit a bump, down you go. Keep your shoulders straight, and in alignment with your hips. Bend your knees. Never stand straight up. Head faces downhill and eyes looking ahead to where you want to go. Don't look down. If you find yourself flailing your arms all over the place as you ride, grab the side of your pants, and continue that way for a run. Watch how much better you ride. Your edge transitions will come naturally with riding and mixing up your terrain. Again, as stated above, at your own pace. It will come. Want to know how to force yourself to become better at riding? Ride switch. It's slow and fun, but watch what happens when you go back to your normal stance. Also, take a run on a mogel field. No joke, you will fall, but you will go through carefully, bending your knees to absorb each mogel (we ride over, skiers ride around them). They are incredibly effective to force some fear out of you, while having a lot of fun. Just take it slow and at your own pace. By the time you read this text, I'm certain you're already riding the blacks and in the glades! Good luck. Ride on!