🚀 go-pugleaf

I am a former California surfer who finds the Oregon waves delightful,
but finds the winter temperatures too painful for surfing.  I also have had
surgery on both knees, so skiing has not been possible.  I first tried
snowboarding last Thanksgiving.  Finally, I can enjoy skiing without
injury.  Although there is no release mechanism for snowboard bindings,
knees are much more protected, since both feet are planted, about two
feet apart, in a single ski that is typically 150cm long. Compare that
to a longer single ski attached to each foot.  The twisting torque applied
to a knee can be much worse with regular skis.

The most common question is, "Is it fun?"  Yes and no.  It is much more
work than skiing.  There is no beginner's snowplow.  You stand sideways,
so there are no poles.  This means that for long, flat spaces, you remove
the rear foot and skate along, slowly.  My board has metal edges, and three
very shallow fins at the tail (1/8 inch).  It is all edge control, and
you only have about 1/3 of the edges that most skiers have.  That means
that it is a lot more work to turn them.  You lean way over, front side
and back side.  You just can't be a casual snowboarder.  You are working
every second.  If you don't, a snowboard will natually turn straight down
the hill...fast.  This means that traversing across the fall line is work.

That was the "no" part.  Here is the "yes" part.  In many ways, snowboarding
is like surfing a very big wave, and the surf is always up.  Powder snow
gives almost the exact same sensation as wave surfing, leaning out over
your board, dragging your hand in the "fluid".  In powder, you turn by
burying the tail at you lean--soft, smooth gliding.  Out of powder, it
is very different.  You sideslip alot.  To turn, you unweight the tail
with sort of a hop, then plant the edge to set your direction.  In ice,
precise control is very difficult, so the better snowboarders just give
up and barrel straight down the fall line.  But surfers like me don't
know how to handle speeds over 20 mph, so ice is no fun for the
conservative.

My big worry is that too many hotdoggers will get into it for the
"challenge".  We are already fighting predjudice.  Resort operators
are afraid that people will get run over by the snowboarders.  There
were tentative plans of a snowboarder's liscencing program at
Timberline on Mt. Hood, and so far only Timberline, Mt. Hood Meadows,
and Mt. Bachelor are allowing snowboarders at all.  But the skiing
public seems to have an almost unanimous curious and positive attitude
toward snowboarding.  I hope it continues.  For me, it is the only
way to ski.

Paul Sweazey			{decvax,ucbvax,...}!tektronix!tekecs!pauls UUCP
Tektronix, Inc.			tekecs!pauls@tektronix		          CSNET
P.O. Box 1000, M/S 61-215	tekecs!pauls.tektronix@Udel-Relay       ARPANET
Wilsonville, OR 97070		Work: 503-685-2563	     Home: 503-692-5016
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Paul Sweazey			{decvax,ucbvax}!tektronix!tekecs!pauls
Tektronix, Inc			Work: 503-685-2563
P.O. Box 1000			Home: 503-692-5016
Wilsonville, OR 97070