... In With the New (Board)

My first snowboard was the Burton Cascade (the blue and grey one pictured above). I purchased it five seasons ago, when I didn't know anything about snowboard technology. It was stiff and heavy, and it proved to be perfect for west coast conditions where it floated beautifully on deep powder. It was a little tough to jump and land though.

On my last day at Jackson Hole, I visited the demo center and tried out some floppier and lighter boards and found out that they performed very well in the terrain parks. Then I returned home to tax-free-shopping Delaware and on my first day off work purchased the Burton Custom (black, blue and yellow). Anxious to try out the new deck, I called all my friends who lived within a six hour radius to come to Blue Mountain with me. Three days later (yesterday), I was cruising and hopping on my new board.

Blue Mountain was where I learned to snowboard five years ago. It had the longest continuous pitch in Pennsylvania and was a great cruising mountain back then, perfect for practicing my turns. Yesterday, I found its character had greatly changed. Now, nearly 50% of its acres were terrain park (a smart move for an East Coast resort, which didn't offer much in natural snow or natural terrain). Now, it was perfect for practicing my jumps. I learned something very important. A board designed for jumping didn't necessarily make me a better jumper. Bill, who came with me, told me I got great air, but my landings were ugly. I even hit another snowboarder on my landing once. In my defense, it was a crowded weekend day and the guy was sitting within the landing zone.

Blue Mountain was still a great cruising mountain and we still had plenty of opportunities to ride at top speed screaming like idiots. We had the added fun of dodging the masses of weekend skiing/boarding warriors. Bill has gotten much faster, by the way. I remember once turning around to give him time to catch up and finding out he was just a few feet behind me.

We also went with Will and Nadia, first time boarder and skier, respectively. Like all first-timers, they fell every ten feet. However, both were among the most positive learners I have ever met, raving afterwards about what a good time they had. Well we all need practice, so I'm looking forward to going with them again. Hopefully, Megan, learning to board, can go too.