any snowboarders out there?

[tonupyank]

Yep, been riding since about 1994.  Started at Mt Brighton then onto Mt Baker.........let's just say there is a teensy weensy different.  Still riding that last Vashon Island produced K2 El Dorado and LOVE IT for Baker, Whistler, Stevens and backcountry.  Now I"m looking into kiteboarding!!!

[Tommy T.]

I started in '86.  Summer camp on Mt. Hood in '89.  Taught at one of the biggest ski and snowboard schools in the country for 6 years and wrote a manual on how to train snow board instructors.  Recently, I've spent 4 months each winter renting in a ski country town and boarding big hills.  Truckee, Bozeman, Bend, Ketchum, so far.   Altogether I've boarded 90 lift served areas and have spent many days in the back country (about 54 in Tuckerman Ravine, for example).

Winter of 07-08 I logged a total vert of more than 1,500,000 feet included a personal best day over 70,000.  Here's a screen capture of the log for the 70,000+ day from my Suunto X6:




And, this is me:



Tommy T.

[Kaveh]

I started in '86.  Summer camp on Mt. Hood in '89.  Taught at one of the biggest ski and snowboard schools in the country for 6 years and wrote a manual on how to train snow board instructors.  Recently, I've spent 4 months each winter renting in a ski country town and boarding big hills.  Truckee, Bozeman, Bend, Ketchum, so far.   Altogether I've boarded 90 lift served areas and have spent many days in the back country (about 54 in Tuckerman Ravine, for example).

Tommy T.

What Manual did you write?  I started out as a snowboard instructor when I first moved up to Truckee back in '98.  I did the whole PSIA/AASI III thing, also did some backcountry and coaching certs.  One benefit that I love about being fully certified is the free lift tickets, but it seems more and more resorts here in the States are no longer participating in that program anymore 

[Tommy T.]

What Manual did you write? 

I taught at Nashoba Valley Ski Area, a 180 (optimistically measured) hill that is probably the largest ski and snowboard school in North America.  They claim #2 so if anybody argues that they are bigger, Nashoba can just walk away and say "somebody has to be."  Nashoba is located within the metro Boston area and has a population base of around 6,000,000 people within an hour and a half drive.  Management has brilliantly marketed six and eight week package lesson programs from third grade through the area colleges.  Nashoba claims that it gives over 10,000 lessons per week.  Vail, which might be #1 in terms of number of staff, probably does that in a month.

Most of the 125 snowboard instructors on staff are part-timers who are high school students.  The turn-over is about 30% each year.  They had the same director of snowboard instruction for about 20 years and he insured a good continuity of method and a reasonable training program for the new instructors, but his last year was my first.  I became a staff-trainer my third year; became concerned about loss of quality control in my fourth; and volunteered to write a manual to be given to new instructors and to be the definition of our syllabus and system.

My manual is based on the AASI syllabus and progression.  The manual, in addition to discussing work ethic because some of our trainees are on their first ever job and pedagogy because none of them have ever thought about what it means to teach a sport, breaks the entire board learning experiece from never-ever to full command of carved C turns down the fall line under all the circumstances we can present at Nashoba -- roughly just into Class V -- into a series of single steps, each of which introduces only a single new concept or skill.  At each step, the manual identifies the new skill, describes why it is essential to progress, tells how to teach it, identified the symptoms of most common errors, and offers tricks, techniques and strategems for fixing the errors.

I gave Nashoba an unlimited but non-exclusive right to the material.  Their initial thought was to hire a professional photographer to illustrate it with instructors in Nashoba uniforms and use it both as a teaching tool and as institutional advertising.  To my knowledge, they have not gone beyond using it for their own training program.

The manual was very particular to Nashoba, discussing the use of specific trails or teaching areas at different stages, listing area policies that impact teaching, and giving rather chatty tips on various local color and tradition. 

I started preparation of a generalized version with the idea that it might be published as a "Teach Your Buddy How To Board,"  but one of the reasons I retired at 55 is because I really don't have the personality to dig into somethat that boring just to see my name in print.  (I'm already in Who's Who in the World and Who's Who in America for other reasons.)

Personally, in the winter, I'd rather be out boarding in the backcountry and in the summer I hike, climb, canoe, windsurf and occassionally take 2000 mile trips on my Monster.

Keep the P-tex down (except during really well-tweaked Methods).

Tommy T. 

[Rufus120]

   I've been riding for about 15 years.  The last five I've been riding almost year round, usually 200+ days easy.  I've spent the last five years living in Mammoth Lakes, Ca.  Done the Mt Hood thing for about 8 years as a coach at one of the snowboard camps up there.  Grew up learning and riding in Vermont for almost ten years.  This is the first summer I haven't been riding, got too burned out the last few years.  I'm what some of you may refer to as a "park rat," but don't think for a second I can't ride the whole mountain.  I welcome a spirited "race" down anything and when I beat you switch don't feel bad.  Got a sled to get me out to the real good stuff if needed. 
    I have loads of equipment if anybody here ever needs some for a good deal.  Couple boards, bindings, over a dozen outerwear setups, gloves, goggles, you name it.  I should be headed back to Mammoth this winter if anyone ever wants to meet up and take some runs.  Mt. Baker has been calling my name for years, but once again I don't see the move working out.

It's snowing up high in Co from what I've read.  Can't wait for the first powder turns of the year 

[c_rex]

Mt. Baker is the most consistent mountain available for those of us in the PNW, and I'd venture to put Whistler/Blackcomb on that list.  I've never had a bad day there.  It's about 3 hours from home for me so it makes for a long day to travel up and back so I can't wait for my kids to get old enough to take them on a weekend trip like my wife and I used to be able to do.  I'm not ready for it to start snowing but when it does we watch the snow reports with great longing. 

[Tommy T.]

    Done the Mt Hood thing for about 8 years as a coach at one of the snowboard camps up there. 

Guess I went to Hood for camp before you started boarding.  Carrol Camp in '89 with Jeff Davis teaching 'pipe.  Tina Basitch was a hanger-on with the staff and I (the lawyer) reviewed her first pro contract for her.

I welcome a spirited "race" down anything and when I beat you switch don't feel bad. 

Every time I see a Eurocarver who thinks he's really hot I challenge him with that line.  "I can beat you in a top to bottom race, no air, no tricks, if I get to pick the course -- fakie through the trees."  Against a good all-round boarder with sound technique and your kind of experience about the only race I'd have a fair chance at would be a time trial format in technical terrain over 55 degrees with mandatory airs.  Between a free-fall line and an "I'm too old to die young now" attitude, I'll have a good enough chance to put a drink on it, but not much more.  I'm too skinny for anything with contact potential like boarder cross and I enjoy steep and deep too much to be well practiced at flawless carving on
hardpack.

I should be headed back to Mammoth this winter if anyone ever wants to meet up and take some runs. 

Since "Hell froze over" last March, I think I'll spend this winter between Taos and Angelfire.  I've never riden either of them although I've hiked in the Taos Ski Area vicinity on climbs of Wheeler Mountain (N.M's highest). 

It's snowing up high in Co from what I've read.  Can't wait for the first powder turns of the year

Dittos all the way.

Tommy T.

[Rufus120]

Just figured I'd bring this thread back to see how everyone's winter was going.  We've been doing pretty good out here in Mammoth Ca.  Finally started to actually snow after the 1st of the year.  Got about 10 ft in five days a few weeks ago.  Been pretty mellow since then.

Here is some footage from the storm if you are interested in see what thats like.



Hope everyone is enjoying the snow.

[derby]

Just figured I'd bring this thread back to see how everyone's winter was going.  We've been doing pretty good out here in Mammoth Ca.  Finally started to actually snow after the 1st of the year.  Got about 10 ft in five days a few weeks ago.  Been pretty mellow since then.

Here is some footage from the storm if you are interested in see what thats like.

Hope everyone is enjoying the snow.

that was a great weekend.... 

[ZLTFUL]

Been out 4 times so far this year locally...
Just wish I didn't have to drive 4 hours to get a decent hill... 

[CDawg]

I spend 2 glorious days at Silverton and a half day at Purgatory in December.  Still trying to jam in another trip, but looking difficult due to work.

[derby]

Been out 4 times so far this year locally...
Just wish I didn't have to drive 4 hours to get a decent hill... 

i have hills an hour away, but will gladly drive four hours to a mountain.

[77south]

I have a season pass at a local hill (Devil's Head) near Baraboo WI and when they don't have horrific ski lift accidents, I am there one or two days of the weekend.  I may not make it to real mountains this winter,  
I have been skiing since 1984 and have snow boarded for five or six seasons.  I taught skiing for 5 seasons at Chestnut mountain in Galena IL during and just after college.  Just skiied two days last weekend and with the fresh snow that's falling right now, it should be nice this weekend too.

[triangleforge]

this one's for you, Bick:

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/5987841/

[JEFF_H]

i had a nice couple days at Brundage (ID) last weekend

we are 30 min to Bogus, 3 hrs to sun valley

im too old to be any good at it, but i have fun.