Park Change-ups: For Better or Worse

"We have record snow accumulations, and a park that doesn’t stay the same for more than a couple weeks which is my favorite part about of this resort.

The set-up changes so much that it’s like you get to ride a new resort every week. There’s nothing worse that hitting the same rails and boxes, week after week, month after month.

No need to worry though, you’ll never know what that’s like as long as you ride Bear."   

-- Bear Mountain Blog, February 20 2010

When I read that quote on Bear's website one morning, I couldn't help but remember the times I'd been right on the cusp of landing a trick only to be disappointed the next day when the feature was nowhere to be found.

Of course once I got a taste of whatever replaced it things were quickly forgotten, but you have to wonder can there possibly be a downside to riding a park layout that constantly changes?

When features are left unchanged and consistent you open the doors for creativity at all levels; it doesn't matter if you are a beginner to an advanced rider, hitting the same rail over and over lets you progressively learn tricks.

A new rider can start with one basic trick, land it over and over, then look to familiarity with the feature for the confidence to push forward with another.  A feature that never moves leaves very few surprises.

That means while advanced riders may have all of the tricks, they'll have to rely on imagination and their sharpened skills to create new variations that keep a stagnant rail fresh and poppin'.

On the other hand new features inspire trick consistency.  Now, nobody wants to be that guy that only does one trick, but for an intermediate rider with even just a few tricks under his belt, any changes to the park are an opportunity to get those tricks fully dialed.  Even an advanced rider is going to find kinks in tricks he thought were bagged; you could say keeping the park fresh promotes mastery.

If feature consistency aids progression, and park change-ups mastery, then the logical thing to do is maintain a touch of both. Resorts like Bear Mountain already do this:

Their basic features, commonly known as beginner parks, are left almost untouched throughout the season. Meanwhile their more advanced features are moved around piece by piece to give more experienced riders their "old-faithfuls" along with plenty of variety.

In the end I suppose just as in life, sometimes things change for the better and sometimes they change for the worse; it all depends on what trick you were you close to landing beforehand...

Balance Board Training

 

Pushing further into spring, we have ushered in the era of slush; with the size of jumps shrinking in proportion to the amount of speed you can't get to clear them, springtime works great for getting reacquainted with the various jibs our resorts offer... Take advantage of these sunny skies and all of that soft slush by using a balance board to really step up your rail game.

Balance boards provide a safe, controlled way to practice all of the precise movements needed for today's standard rail tricks.  Being able to try these tricks mere inches from the ground takes the pain out of getting things wrong; play with and perfect your body position and weight displacement with very little consequence when things go bad.

Now, owning a Vew-Do or an Indo balance board would be nice, but that's a lot of cash money for what is essentially a skateboard deck and pipe.  Speaking of, find yourself an old skateboard deck and buy a 4"+ diameter PVC pipe at your local hardware shop. Add straps to the deck for that snowboard type feel.

OK, it's trick learnin' time!

If this is your first time on a balance board, or you are not comfortable ollieing into boardslides on a box or rail, you may want to start by setting the board on the pipe and rocking into things; this is a mellow way to get familiar with how a balance board moves while improving your balance. From there you can even add an extra progression by hopping onto the board while it is placed in position.

For those riders comfortable with most spins and slides, try jumping right into tricks.  Visualize the PVC pipe as a rail and set your approach accordingly.  Build your confidence to try any number of tricks; boardslides, 50-50s, spins on, spins off, and don't forget nollies and switch.

Pay attention to your shoulders, where you turn your head, the placement of your arms, hips, and your overall weight distribution (more on your toes or heels, etc).  Most important play with these things to see how they help or hinder your tricks.

Finally, take it on the hill.

First things first, if you are new to sliding then you want to start with wide ride-on boxes.  Take the time to get used to the sensation of sliding so you will be able to adjust your balance accordingly when try more advanced tricks and features later on.

With that out of the way you can trust yourself to slide; all you need to focus on is manipulating your head, shoulders, hips, and arms the way you practiced on your balance board.

Any trick you land on a balance board can be done on the hill.  Just like a bicycle, it's easier to balance in motion than standing still, so if you can land 270s on a stationary balance board then you'll have the upper hand when you take it to a real feature.  That PVC is also round if you haven't noticed; flat boxes and rails are a way more stable sliding surface.

As always, make sure you pick the appropriate feature and trick to your ability. Balance boards are a tool to aid progression; they won't help you skip steps.

Otherwise, get creative! Really, anything you do on a balance board will translate into more control and stability the next time you strap in.

Bear Mountain 4.18.10 - Closing Day

Typing the date almost feels like engraving the death of a fallen comrade on his tombstone.  Today Bear Mountain shut down the lifts one final time, and while Mt. High and Snow Summit continue to operate for one more week the flame of the season down here--along with most of the nation--remains barely lit. 

Riding my last laps and Bear, I couldn't help but think about all of my experiences this season: New tricks, new friends, old friends, and let's not forget the snowfall of the decade here in Big Bear, CA. So, looking back I asked myself, "What did you learn about snowboarding this year?" And here is what I came up with...

Be As Friendly As Possible; You can learn something you didn't know from anybody you talk to in one five-minute chairlift ride.

If You Really Want It, Wake Up Super Duper Early for Powder; Right after the five foot dump up here, the skies opened to bluebird.  Too bad I woke up five minutes before the lifts opened, and after wading through waist deep powder, digging out cars, etc. I rolled up to the hill at just about noon. Guess what? I didn't slash much powder, poor me.


It Pays to Play; I stayed out of the park for the majority of these last few years snowboarding.  I spent a lot of time playing around on groomers, testing out what I could get my snowboard to do; ollieing, pressing, buttering, flatground spins, basically having fun.  This year I moved to Bear and figured, you know, "When in Rome".  I've learned a lot, a lot of tricks this year without any serious injuries and it's all thanks to time spent mastering my snowboard elsewhere.

Patience is A Virtue; don't end up with a downed kid and a broken board.  Especially try not to lose your temper over every little thing other people do; they are going to do it all the time, and it's easier just to worry about yourself.

Enjoy It All; A ridiculous amount of time has flown by.  Bear Mountain opened in October, and since then each day found me fixated on features I wanted to hit and tricks I wanted to try--you can't blame me, it's hard to do otherwise riding Bear.  So, it's not that I didn't have fun but that I rarely stopped to realize it. It really doesn't matter how much snow you get, if you are snowboarding you are someplace incredible doing something amazing; don't forget to drink it all in every now and then.

Superfeet Green Insoles

I've used my Vans Hi-Standard boots for a very long time, something far over one hundred days.  When I started noticing a change in control: snowboard not responding appropriately, an inability to support myself in a proper riding stance; and with immense pain and fatigue setting in early on every day, I had to find a way to breathe new life into them while I waited for a warranty on new boots to go through.

Pulling out my old insoles revealed a foam impacted to paper-thin thickness. Since, aftermarket insoles have quickly earned a reputation for their very positive effect on comfort and performance in boots, I decided to invest in some.

So what's all of the science backing the theory of aftermarket insoles? Superfeet claims that their insoles are specifically designed to facilitate proper alignment of the heel and ankle, as well as provide sufficient support to your arches in all of the right places.

Believe it or not, even right out of the box stock insoles don't offer much.  Poor design and weak materials leave a lot to be desired, and all to often cause your arches to collapse leaving your ankle bones and ligaments to carry that weight.  Over time you see where this would become a problem, especially if you spend more than thirty days a year on hill; nobody wants to be twenty-five and walking like they are eighty.

Superfeet Green are their all-around insole meant for most athletic footwear (I chose not to purchase the snowsports specific model as their only difference was heat retention, and my boots get toasty enough). A quick trace of the old insoles and a trim with scissors gave me a brand new insole that fit my boot perfectly.

Superfeet and the shop rep warned that there would be a few hours of mild pain/hot spots while my feet adjusted to the shape and support of the new insoles.  After two days of riding four or so hours, I made it through the break-in and was left with unparalleled comfort and performance.

I never thought my beat up old Vans would feel so good! Standing and walking didn't cause fatigue or cramping anymore, and riding felt even better! Having more support keeps my feet reactive; I'm more on my toes, adaptive and ready to react instantly.  Where I used to apply pressure with little to no result, now my movements transfer right away giving control back to me where it belongs.  My turns initiate quicker, ollies pop on demand, presses flex higher, and I'm able to approach and land bigger kickers with more stability.

The results I've had with a $34.95 pair of Superfeet Green leave me wondering why I put off the purchase for so damn long.  If the $150+ for a custom pair of insoles sits a bit far from your budget (and you are not alone), I'd highly recommend these to any rider from the weekend warrior to the seasoned pro.

To learn more about Superfeet insoles, click right-a-here.

Woodward At Copper

They might not boast the year-long snow of northern camps or the deep powder of inverted winter in the southern hemisphere, but if you aspire to take your park game to a whole new level this summer,  Woodward At Copper sets the standard for high-tech snowboard training facilities.

Woodward from Forrest Miller on Vimeo.

Woodward at Copper is a 19,400 square foot snowboarder's playground with enough toys to make an Olympic gymnast jealous.

The training facility, called the Barn, features everything a rider needs to progress new tricks safely: Snowflex jumps and cliff drop, a snowflex rail course, Olympic trampolines, three foam pits, a giant spring floor, and if you get tired of snowboarding you can hop on a skateboard and cruise the bowls, miniramp or micropipe.

Summer camp at Woodward gives you all the goods; daily practice time in the Barn followed by on-hill riding complements of Copper Mountain, which sets aside some snow to build a private course for campers.  Start hucking tricks on a trampoline, strap in and take it to the snowflex, and then claim it on snow later that day.

On top of all of this state-of-the-art stuff, Woodward at Copper's coaches--aka professional riders--will always be right there ready to toss you a few pointers.  There really is no faster and safer way to dial in any trick from your first boardslide on a downrail to your first double cork. 

Once you get tired of snowboarding, Woodward lined up a ton of things to keep you busy; you didn't think they'd let you just lie around all day?  When you want a break take your pick between go-karts, bumper boats, rock climbing, trips to local skate parks and much more.

Overnight campers can rest assured they will be pampered to no end.  Lodging comes as close to "private" as can be, with only two campers to each room/bathroom--no bunk beds for Woodward at Copper.  Food is prepared by Copper's professional chefs and served in a small cafeteria; three hearty meals a day catered to how insanely active you'll be during your visit. 

Now if you are like me, you can't be disconnected from the internet for too long. Woodward knows how that goes, so internet fiends can get their quick fix on any of the computer workstations set up in the lounge.  Of course there's also a huge TV with luxury seating for when you run out of energy, or you can burn what little you have left on table tennis or pool; did I mention they have video games too?

One last note for all the teenage guys looking to learn tricks this summer. Woodward has such amazing facilities that they just had to share it... with cheerleaders!  Yes, Woodward at Copper has a cheer camp, and let's just leave it at that.

Camp starts June 17th and runs through July 28th, 2010.  Woodward offers several sessions ranging from 3-day to weeklong camps, which depending on duration and whether you want lodging will cost anywhere from $699 to $1799.

For more information on Woodward at Copper, dates, and prices click right here.

2010 Nitro Swindle

The demise of my 2009 Swindle found me distraught to say the least.  I loved that board so much, the first thing I did was call around looking for this years' model.

Even so, I would be lying if I said I wasn't just a little reserved about going from camber to zero camber. Yes, with the advent of alternative camber and the Swindle being intended as a rail deck, it was a natural progression for Nitro. Since I needed a new board desperately and the price was right, I decided to take a chance.

This was my first opportunity to compare two generations of the same model, so I made sure to check out all of the differences between them.  Aside from their camber, Nitro thinned the 2010 Swindle just a tad for a softer flex, which worried me.  I loved the 2009 because it road way more like a park deck than a jibstick; maybe Nitro thought so as well, since most of the changes seem directed towards better performance on rails and boxes.

Cruising groomers with this deck remains just as enjoyable. Now that it is a bit softer the ride is more playful, which makes for more fun.  Nitro elongates the contact points in the Swindle so a smaller size will stay in control through turns, so as far as carving goes there isn't much difference from last year.  Thankfully, a softer deck didn't mean a change in control at speed (maybe we have zero camber to thank?); the board can point a mild diamond slope without getting too squirrely.

Nitro built the Swindle to jib, so don't expect to send anything bigger than 30 feet--and that is on a good day with no chop or slush. Zero camber seems to be a happy medium for jumping; I didn't need to adjust my pop like with full reverse, nor have I found the board booting me out of control at any time.

For ollies this board performs standard.  Zero camber means you don't have to pre-load, so you can pop on demand.  The Swindle isn't stiff enough to really boost, but I've had no trouble getting on to the features at Bear Mountain and Snow Summit; it even hopped the occasional snow gun cover.

I've ridden this board in soft boots, soft bindings, stiff boots, and stiff bindings; it slays jibs even with the worst possible combination.  This doesn't surprise me since that is what Nitro built this deck to do.  It pops nicely onto any rail, box or barrel; and if you like to butter your way from jib to jib zero camber eases right into presses.  The flex is forgiving for those sketchier slides, and a perfectly flat base makes locking on almost effortless.

The bottom line: A lot of Bear's local park stars have been spotted with the Nitro Swindle, and there is a reason.  The deck is perfect for everything Bear throws at it, from their mild jumps to their technical jibs.  The responsive pop and playful flex make even the flattest groomer fun, fun and more fun.  If you are a park kid not looking to huck double corks off 60-footers, this board would do well in your quiver.

For more information on the 2010 Nitro Swindle, head on over to Nitro's website by clicking...here.

Respect Your Elders

Many of us wondered would Robot Food ever reunite?  It seems they finally have in a sense.  Mastermind Travis Parker and friends--now dubbed Resourceful Gnome Productions--have come together once again, this time teaming up with the creative riders on the Airblaster team to present Respect Your Elders:

"Respect Your Elders is a movie project currently being filmed by a bunch of yahoos that go by the name of Resourceful Gnome Productions.  Founded by Travis Parker and friends, Resourceful Gnome Productions is a group of talented riders, cinematographers, and friends who have worked in various capacities with Robot Food, the Airblaster movies, and My Own Two Feet, among other projects.

Respect Your Elders follows the adventures of Brandon Cocard, Ben Lynch, and a slew of todays most rippingest young pro snowboarders as they travel to the best snowy places in the world to board and learn from the likes of Travis Parker, Josh Dirksen, Temple Cummins, Mikey Basich, and other legends of shred."

Respect Your Elders (Web Snack #1: Travis Parker rips the Dirksen Derby) from Resourceful Gnome on Vimeo.

Age has been a really hot topic for professional snowboarding.  Rumor has it that when you reach thirty you are way too old to snowboard.  It should be fun watching the biggest names in snowboarding today learn from the "old" guys of snowboarding yesterday.

Check out the first "Web Snack" from Resourceful Gnome, and be sure to keep an eye on their website for more to come.

Spring Tuning

With April well underway, Spring is in full effect for the Northern Hemisphere.  Flowers are blooming, allergies are running rampant, and the sun is making more frequent appearances.  This part of the year can be good and bad; on the one hand no more freezing or miserable overcast days, and on the other the impending close of snowboard season.

Riding after next week may not be a sure thing, but at least there is one constant in spring riding: slush slows you down. Here are some last second tips to keep you chugging along in the slop of yesterseason...

Most riders go straight to waxing when things stop moving, making the logical assumption that it's the slush that is slowing them down.  This is partly true, but before you spend any money on wax take your board to get a spring structure.

Spill some water on a flat surface and place a plastic card over it.  The water seals the card to the surface. Really, snowboards aren't gliding on the snow but a thin layer of water; the card is like your snowboard without structure. A shop structures a deck using a stone grinder to create small grooves in the base.  These grooves channel that water, which lets you charge through the wettest, slushiest conditions spring throws at you.

That should keep you moving on snow, but right now amidst the good stuff lies all of the dirt and diesel sludge left throughout the season; who would have thought snow cats aren't environmentally friendly? If you love sliding rails and boxes, you get double the sludge--jibs scrape the crap off of other boards and pass it on to yours.

If you've been riding recently, take a look at your base. It might seem a few shades darker than you remember.

Spring sludge means two things:

1. Once you've had your board structured, you should clean the base daily with orange cleaner. Spray it on, wait a few seconds, and take one smooth swipe with a paper towel. Repeat this until the paper towels come off with little or no dirt.

2. Don't bother waxing.  Really, the carpets to get up the hill plus salted corn snow in the morning will scrape the wax off first run; more importantly things in springs are so dirty, waxing will just seal layers of sludge into your base. Just make sure your base gets cleaned daily and you will stay sliding.

If you really want to wax, make sure you do a hot scrape first--lay a coat of wax and scrape it without letting it cool.  That pulls all of the crud out of the pores in the base, so you can lay a nice clean coat.  Don't forget to rebuild the structure by using a nylon brush nose to tail after polishing.

Video Post 2010 - Bear Mountain Edition

Bear Mountain and Snow Summit have always operated on a last-second basis.  In other words, they like to announce opening and closing two days before the fact.  While they won't set an official date for the end of the 2010 season here in Big Bear Lake just yet, Bear Mountain now operates on weekends only and I predict both Bear Mountain and Snow Summit will close their doors April 25th.

With the California sunshine in full effect and only a few weeks of riding left, everybody seems to be taking full advantage of the leftovers of an abundant winter.  Here are some 100%-filmed-here videos to send Bear off into next season with nothing but love.

The first video is a 32 Spot Check at Snow Summit. Snow Summit has gotten the majority of my days this year as Westridge has been off the hook all season; big jumps, perfect lips, all of the rails and Chevy Blazers you can handle, and almost no lines. Chris Bradshaw agrees, and here he shows you that contrary to popular belief Westridge is still alive and kicking.

I've seen Drayden Gardner cruising around, hitting things that cause my testicles to rescind just looking at them. No surprises that Bear Mountain produces some top-notch groms, actually I think three or four or five of them went to USASA Nationals this year. Anyway, here is a ten year old from Bear Mountain that shreds better than you do.

KR3W ASHBURY FINDING NIMA DEMO from KR3W DENIM on Vimeo.

The KR3W/Ashbury teams put on a little demo a few weeks ago that left "the scene" at Bear Mountain in the most creative layout of the season. No one can deny that the KR3W/Ashbury team absolutely shreds and with such a unique set up to session they got to bring out all of their skills. Enjoy.

2011 Arbor Coda

While everyone else has only recently hopped on the "eco" bandwagon, Arbor has been building snowboards of green materials like bamboo since the very beginning. After trying out the 2011 Arbor Coda, being eco-friendly isn't the only reason to consider Arbor.

I got my hands on the 157, a slightly bigger ride than I'm used to.  If you factor in that the Coda is also a stiffer deck than I normally ride and reverse camber to boot, I was expecting things to take some getting used to.

Though the Arbor Coda is officially classified as an all-mountain deck, I felt it best to mount my softer Union Contact binders considering Bear Mountain is 95% park.  Since the Coda is a directional twin with a 1" setback (nose 1" longer than tail), I also pulled the back binder up to give me a centered true twin stance.

Arbor re-designed the 2011 Coda in some pretty significant ways: First, they decided to go with true reverse camber throughout the deck, and second, they implemented their new grip-tech technology.  Grip-tech is basically an added contact point underneath each foot, which makes this reverse camber board steer like magic.

Bear Mountain held together fairly well today,  so I had a firmer snow surface to test this deck on.  The Coda gripped edge to edge remarkably well for being a full reverse camber board; possibly due to Grip-tech, the edges have just enough bite to keep you from sideslipping your way down the hill but not so much that the board controls you. Speed wasn't an issue for me on this board; even as Bear softened up into deeper slush, the Coda kept on charging regardless.

One area you won't see this board excel is on jibs, which is OK because that isn't what this deck was made for.  This doesn't mean the Coda can't do jibs at all; the core is bamboo, and pretty playful.  With reverse camber as well, it isn't hard to get a press out of it.  There were two areas I felt sketchy, and this in my opinion is all on the board being full reverse camber, 50-50s on rails and any feature thin enough you would need to lock on to boardslide.  I still threw several boardslides on it, all successfully, but don't expect a stellar performance from this deck when it comes to rails etc.

Jumping was where I expected this board to excel, and I wasn't disappointed.  I'm usually skeptical about hitting jumps on a full reverse, especially in the beginning of the day, but I really didn't notice on the Coda.  The bamboo core made this deck super light with awesome pop, and since the board handled well at speed it was game on as far as jumps were concerned.  Because of how light it is, you can really throw this deck around for some tweaked out grabs and killer spins.  I also noticed that the deck was very forgiving during sketchy landings; not a lot of reverting happening with this board.

The 2011 Arbor Coda is a solid all-mountain deck. It can go fast, rail turns, launch booters, slide the occasional jib, and thanks to its full reverse camber you can even take it into the pipe or powder.  I've ridden some really funky full reverse camber decks in my day, and I'm stoked the Coda wasn't one of them.

Click Here for More Information on Arbor Snowboards