Handle With Care

The old saying goes, “You get what you give”, and when it comes to snowboarding, you must give your board proper treatment in order to get its full potential. There is no way to avoid it; frequent use of your snowboard will result in damages to its base and edges. On average, the damage done to the base of a snowboard ranges anywhere from small scratches to large gashes.

Maintaining your snowboard can be compared to the way you maintain your car. After a few thousand miles, you get an oil change, tire rotation, and an overall check-up on the car to make sure everything is working properly. All this is done depending on the way you drive your car, and the same goes for snowboarding. It’s wise to check your snowboard for scratches after every use, which can be done by running your hand down the board to feel for any gashes.

Similar to a car, you can take your board to a mechanic or you can fix the damages yourself, if you have enough expertise. I prefer to take my board to a mechanic for certain types of maintenance because I trust their skills over mine. The type of damage and maintenance that is best left to a mechanic is large gashes in the board and the grinding of your edges. It’s best to have the edges of your board grinded after about one hundred uses; this has a huge impact on the performance of your snowboard. Grinding the edges is when you, or a mechanic, sharpen the metal around the base of your board which increases the speed and overall performance of the board.

You can usually handle smaller scrapes with wax that you can purchase from a snowboard shop. Waxing your snowboard is something you should do before every use because it keeps debris from collecting on your board and it also reduces the friction between the board and the snow. As well as waxing your board, you should tighten the screws in your bindings because they tend to loosen up easily. Tight bindings are important for safe riding.
All of this standard maintenance has a dramatic effect on the performance of your board. After all, a snowboard is an expensive purchase and tedious maintenance is the best way to protect your investment.

What Do You Need?

Snowboarding requires a hand-full of materials that vary in price and quality. The basic components needed for this sport are:
-A Snowboard
-Snowboard Boots
-Gloves (Quality is very important)
-Waterproof Pants
-Waterproof Jacket
-Beanie (Hat)
-Goggles
-1 Thick Pair of Socks

The quality of these basic components will vary based on the snowboarder, but its extremely important to have a good pair of gloves. Glove quality is key because you will find that your hands have a lot of contact with the ground, and having wet, cold hands is not only uncomfortable but it's starts to become painful. I have found that the brand Columbia makes great gloves for a reasonable price.
The mountain at which you are snowboarding can have an effect on what you wear. For instance you may be in a place such as Vail, Colorado where all the basic components are needed, plus two extra thermal shirts, a double layer of pants, and a ski mask. Or you could be in a place such as Whitetail, Pennsilvania where you find the temperature to be warmer, warm enough to the point that a jacket makes you overheated.
Now that you know the basic components . . . . go snowboard!

The Story Behind The Story

I was introduced to snowboarding in the winter of 2004. Over the past few years, snowboarding has become more than just a sport to me. It’s a passion. In the beginning, I could barely make it five feet down the mountain without falling, but that didn't matter because I was in my element when I had a snowboard strapped to my feet.

Of all the sports out there, snowboarding has been my one love for about five years now. I am so passionate about snowboarding that I feel like it’s a relationship to me. That may sound odd to some, but if you have ever done something that you absolutely love, and you focus time and energy to continually grow and make it better, then it is like a relationship. For me, it’s been the best relationship ever! All reality gets put on hold when I turn on my Ipod, strap into my snowboard, and hop on the chairlift to head up the mountain. Snowboarding gives me an opportunity to put all my worries behind me for a couple hours, and I have found that it's one of the best stress relievers in the world. No worries, no stress, and lots of fun...what more could anyone ask for?

I set a goal every time I hit the slopes. Whether it's attempting a new trick or just trying a new run, I won’t leave the mountain until I reach my goal for that day. The adrenaline rush I get when accomplishing my goal is almost indescribable, and it leaves me with a great feeling of satisfaction. One of my most recent goals is still a work in progress. I am teaching my nine-year old brother how to snowboard, and he is doing very well. Snowboarding seems to come naturally to him, and he gets right back up when he falls. He keeps a good attitude and doesn’t give up. These are very important qualities to have when learning how to snowboard. I am having fun coaching him, and I hope that his passion for snowboarding grows as mine has over the years.

I love to push my limits in life, testing the capability of my body and mind, both of which I can do through snowboarding. I can see snowboarding always being a part of my life because it keeps me in competition with myself, and I believe that a person’s strongest competitor is him or herself.

Trial Run: Seaason 1

Snowboarding has been a sport that has always fascinated me, even before I ever tried it out. I actually stumbled across my first chance to snowboard in the winter of 2004 when my buddy, Cliff, offered to hand down his old snowboard to me.
Most beginner snowboarders start off with a rental board they get from the mountain or resort where they are skiing. Rental boards are typically a common name brand and are of average quality. In my case, I lucked out because I started off on my own board which was made by Burton, an upscale name brand of higher quality than rental boards.
Usually a beginner snowboarder starts with a snowboard lesson, but my first day was already planned out by my friends, all of who were experienced snowboarders. As I stared down the face of the expert slope at Wisp Mountain, I felt way in over my head, but I knew I would be fine because I had my close friend’s right beside me.
My trial run at snowboarding was great! I ended up falling a lot, and I even took out a few people in the process; but, I walked away from the experience in one piece. I had such an adrenaline rush leaving the mountain that day, and I couldn't wait to get back on the slopes!