# Question about skating



## freetheanimals (Jan 31, 2013)

I'm so glad I discovered this forum. I'm brand new to snowboarding (started at the end of November and have put in 24 days at the slopes of Whistler so far) and have found this site invaluable!

A bit about me: I'm 51, very fit from years as a rock climber and a few years of doing P90X and Insanity workouts. Until last November I had never tried snowboarding or skiing. So, I decided to give it a try even at this ripe old age! LOL. Thus far, I am loving it, though I'm probably a bit more tentative learning the sport so late in life.

My question: Getting off the chair lift is still a bit of a challenge for me. I've been spending my time at Whistler's learning area but discovered the chair lift there is pretty fast and the dismount is steep! I've only bailed once at that chair but I nearly wrecked my knee when I did so. My question is how does one practice skating (with just one foot in the bindings) on slight inclines without twisting an ankle or a knee? I'm fine on the flats but I tried practicing skating on very slight inclines and found I have no control of the board and that it frequently slides out from my back foot, forcing my front foot to skid forward and causing me to do the splits and/or twisting my ankle and knee. The instructors at Whistler told me not to practice with one foot in the bindings even on gentle slopes because of risk of injury. But I really want to feel confident getting off the chair lift.


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## freetheanimals (Jan 31, 2013)

*I should clarify...*

I have my back foot on the stomp pad. When I'm going down a gentle slope with just my front foot in the bindings I feel like I have no control over the board. Often, I fall and that causes me real concern because the fall tends to twist my front ankle and/or knee. I want to practice skating with my back foot on the stomp pad but I'm so afraid of wrecking my ankle or knee when I fall.


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## BigmountainVMD (Oct 9, 2011)

The best way to get used to going down a ramp with one foot is to go down a trail with one foot. The more you skate around on a slight hill, the better you will get. But for starters... lets just get you down the ramp without killing yourself.

I always tell my students 2 things when getting off the lift. 1. Keep the board straight. This is harder than is seems, especially if there are other people on the lift. Just keep the damn thing straight, don't try to turn it, and you should be successful (assuming there is no crazy exit.) 2. Get that foot on the board (while keeping it straight) and push the outside of your foot against the back binding. This provides extra grip if you don't have a stomp pad, but more importantly, it gives you something to focus on that has nothing to do with turning the board... remember turning on lift ramp = fall (until you get better.)

So just keep her straight with NO ATTEMPTS TO TURN OR CONTROL THE BOARD and keep that pressure between the outside of your back foot and the back binding... you should just slowly coast to a stop, assuming it is a properly maintained beginner lift. Some people may say keep weight on your front foot... but this is only important IF YOU WANT TO TURN. You can have weight on your back foot if it is flat, IOW as long as there is no toe or heel pressure that causes turning of the snowboard. Focus on going straight and you should be all set. 

As for getting better at skating...

I would start with the back foot out on the bunny hill, and then position your board pointing downhill. Throw that back foot on the board and put some pressure against the back binding with that back foot. Imagine trying to push the back binding off the tail of the board using the lateral (outer) side of your foot. That pressure should keep your foot in place. Now just as you start moving, try to get some pressure on your heels (mostly front foot) and see if you can get the board to turn and start skidding like a normal heel turn. If you can't already heel slide down the bunny hill with one foot out, make sure you can do that first, and then attempt the above. If you start to feel out of control, just pop the foot off before you get going fast and you can save yourself. 

I'll add: Make sure you can slide down the hill on toes and heels one-footed before you attempt an actual one footed turn like described above. I tell people to start dragging their free heel on heelside, and free toe on toeside, to give a bit of friction and speed control to your skid. So on your heelside, let the back 1/3 of your foot drag a little line in the snow behind your board as you skid down the hill. On the toeside, let the front 1/3 of your foot do the same. If you go too fast, just let the foot slide off to catch yourself.

Hope that all helps.


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## freetheanimals (Jan 31, 2013)

*Thanks!*

I appreciate all that great advice. For the most part, I am staying straight when I get off the lift and have not been falling as much. The problem with the Whistler learning area chair lift is the exit is STEEP and the chair doesn't slow down! So I bailed badly recently. 

My concern is when I do fall with one foot in the bindings how do I prevent injury? When I fell at that particular lift my board turned suddenly, forcing my front foot to slide forward while my back foot came off the stomp pad. That twisted my ankle and knee badly. Now, I'm a bit nervous about practicing one foot in even on gentle slopes because if I fall I could injure my ankle and/or knee.

As a newbie, I'm aware that even if I heed every bit of advice I'm going to occasionally fall. So how do I protect my knee and/or ankle while skating with just one foot in?


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## luckboxing (Nov 16, 2010)

My girlfriend wanted to improve her one footed riding at Whistler also.

Instead of strapping up at the top of Big Red, she started riding from there down to the learning area/family zone under Emerald. It's a pretty long area where you won't get going too fast and nobody is going fast enough to cause a serious collision.

Just doing that a couple times a day will definitely give you a lot more confidence.


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## freetheanimals (Jan 31, 2013)

*I've been practicing at the Whistler learning area...*

for the past few days. It is a fantastic place to practice fundamentals. But damn that chair lift exit is steep and fast! 

I've been practicing skating with my back foot on the stomp pad on very gentle slopes at the learning area. But sometimes the board slides out from under my back foot and I end up doing the splits. A few times my front foot has gotten twisted in the process.

I tracked down the teacher I had at Whistler and he advised me NOT to practice one footed because of the potential for injury. He said, "That is a popped knee waiting to happen." So, how does one practice with one foot in the bindings on gentle slopes without risking injury to one's ankle or knee.

BTW, the instructors and the learning area at Whistler are amazing! I love that area because I can really focus on fundamentals without worrying about crowds. And I've been getting lots of practicing getting off that chair lift!


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

when practicing 1 footy, keep your back foot on the stomp pad...period. Now you can have you boot slighty over the toeside or heel side...depending on how you like to stop. However leave the rear foot on the board until you stop. You also might try putting your rear foot up right next or closer to the front binding to help you make sure ur weighting the nose. The movements of skating or gliding around 1 footy is more subtle and you need to pay attention that your hips and shoulders are closed and knees are bent and relaxed, you are in a netural alinged and stacked posture and all body parts are in the imaginary ceral box.


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## Soggysnow (Sep 11, 2012)

freetheanimals said:


> I appreciate all that great advice. For the most part, I am staying straight when I get off the lift and have not been falling as much. The problem with the Whistler learning area chair lift is the exit is STEEP and the chair doesn't slow down!



I assume you are riding Olympic chair at mid station which. Does have a pretty steep offload.
You have two options. Practicing on the very slight incline where the magic carpet is, you could incorporate using your foot to drag to slow down or even mixing that with light edge pressure to get used to the feeling of only having one foot strapped in

Or- head up to the top of the mountain and ride Emerald chair. The terrain the the family zone (ego bowl) is much the same but the chair offload is not as steep.

The bunny hill on Blackcomb has an easy chair too.


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## freetheanimals (Jan 31, 2013)

*Yes, the Olympic chair at mid-station*

And while I was there today I nearly bought it dismounting that chair lift. One of the instructors asked if one of his students could ride the chair with me. I agreed. The little kid was about 10 and had never been on a chair lift before. When we were exiting the chair he skied right in front of me. I have little ability to steer my board with just one foot in the bindings. It took all my limited skill to steer clear of him but I came close to falling and having my board skid out from under my back foot - the very scenario I worry about because of the potential of a twisted knee.

I did practice skating near the magic carpet today and am feeling more confident with one foot in the bindings. Still, I feel nervous about the board slipping away and I end up doing the splits and hurting myself.


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## freetheanimals (Jan 31, 2013)

*I have boarded from Roundhouse...*

to the Emerald chair and done a lot of the green runs. But after reading many threads on this forum and watching boarding lesson vids, I decided to work on fundamentals at Whistler's learning area. I was worried I was getting into bad habits being on the main runs with so many other people (e.g. doing the falling leaf for far too long because I was nervous with so many others whizzing by me). At the learning area I can focus on certain skills (skating, straight runs, Garlands, J turns, and getting off the chair lift) without dealing with crowds. Plus, I don't get so distracted at the learning area.


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## freetheanimals (Jan 31, 2013)

*BTW, thanks everyone!*

Your advice and thoughtful comments are a big help. I was at Whistler again today and really practiced with one foot in the bindings and concentrating on keeping my back foot on the stomp pad and up against the back bindings. That helped a lot.


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## BigmountainVMD (Oct 9, 2011)

freetheanimals said:


> Your advice and thoughtful comments are a big help. I was at Whistler again today and really practiced with one foot in the bindings and concentrating on keeping my back foot on the stomp pad and up against the back bindings. That helped a lot.


I think the best way to keep from getting injured is to focus on this. Most people have a mini freak out/lapse of focus and let that foot slide and that's when it slips off and you can get hurt. I don't even have a stomp pad, but the pressure I apply to my back binding with my free foot keeps my foot in place.


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## Easto (Feb 25, 2012)

I am still in the beginner stages, but I find if I get off and coast straight most places have a large enough spot were I can coast to a stop.

Otherwise, I like to sit on the far right side of the chair so I can do a gradual toe side J-turn and come to a stop.

The worst part about the chair lift is the people who stand at the off load and you have to dip and dodge around them.

Best case scenario for me is the area is clear and I can just coast to a stop..... so I feel your pain, LOL


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## ThomasOwen (Mar 8, 2011)

I too started snowboarding in my 50's and my early experiences with the chair were the most difficult of all. Every time I would fall at unload.

Where I learned in Colorado, the beginner area had a very quick double, non detachable. The exit snow ramp was built up very high up under the chair, I guess because 90% of the beginners at this location were under 6 or 7 years old and short.
The problem I had was that, being 6'2", as I placed the board on the ramp it would be very close to the bottom of the chair and I would be in a crouch position.
As I came up out of this crouch i would push the board off to one side or another. It became so bad I knew I was going to fall and would just stare at the board (not good) during exit, rather than looking ahead and down the ramp (good).

My instructor advised we go off the beginner area to the other lifts where the exit was not designed for smaller people. Never fell again.

My advice: 

Get out on the *edge of the chair* and position the board straight ahead. 
Put the back foot over the stomp pad and up against the rear binding, but *Do not look down* and stress over this.
Relax, and continue *looking ahead and down the ramp* where you want to go as you stand.
Good luck -


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## freetheanimals (Jan 31, 2013)

*Thanks, everyone, for all this great insight*

I've been practicing at the Whistler learning area a lot lately and my one footed skating is getting better. Still nervous that my back foot will slide off and twist my knee or ankle. So I've been ever so gradually trying skating on slightly steeper grades at the learning area and trying J turns.

I had a near epic upon unloading from the chair yesterday. A crowd of skiers was standing in the offload area. When I got off the chair I literally had no where to go. I can steer - slightly - with one foot in now but there was no way I could avoid the skiers. So I just yelled - nicely - at them to move and put out my hands. Fortunately, I didn't knock anyone over.

Putting pressure on the stomp pad and against the back binding helps. But sometimes the board pivots and then the toe side edge catches and my back foot pops off. This still worries me because of potential injury. I'll do what folks here have suggested and keep practicing one footed.


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## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

One way I find helpful like on a cattrack where I may get some speed but I don't want to strap in...instead of pushing my back foot against the back binding, I will put it right next to my front foot. This forces me to really steer from my front binding since all the weight is there anyways...sometimes having that back foot out back there can make your legs want to do skidded turns that you really aren't going for.


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## Mooernator (Feb 11, 2013)

don't know if this is relevant or not but when i try to make a turn after after getting off the lift, I usually signal with one of my arms which direction I will be turning to avoid people riding into me from behind.


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## Oldman (Mar 7, 2012)

Welcome to the forum and feel good about being a part of the select group of us that started this great activity a little later in life. ( 49 for this guy ) Rest assured that you are not alone in this challenge. We all experienced the frustration / embarrassment of the dreaded chair lift offload.

Getting your feet comfortable is key. Looking ahead and not down, vital, but when doing so, keep your board straight from the moment you stand up and (this is critical to success) *keep your shoulders in line with your board*. Any little bit of shoulder twist is going to mess you up.


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## edlo (Jan 24, 2011)

I try not to depend on my stomp pad , if I have so much weight there that I need a stomp pad, my back foot will probably want to swing around. How about rear entry binding , just kick your foot in as you leave the lift you'll have at least toe side.


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## edlo (Jan 24, 2011)

Oldman said:


> Welcome to the forum and feel good about being a part of the select group of us that started this great activity a little later in life. ( 49 for this guy ) Rest assured that you are not alone in this challenge. We all experienced the frustration / embarrassment of the dreaded chair lift offload.
> 
> Getting your feet comfortable is key. Looking ahead and not down, vital, but when doing so, keep your board straight from the moment you stand up and (this is critical to success) *keep your shoulders in line with your board*. Any little bit of shoulder twist is going to mess you up.


Why don't you tell him your true secret of cinching on the chair lift


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## KrisBKreeme (Dec 31, 2012)

just dropped in to say all of these "i started snowboarding in my 50's" posts are making me glad I still have ~30 years left of riding if I keep my health up. :laugh:


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## jdang307 (Feb 6, 2011)

freetheanimals said:


> I have my back foot on the stomp pad. When I'm going down a gentle slope with just my front foot in the bindings I feel like I have no control over the board. Often, I fall and that causes me real concern because the fall tends to twist my front ankle and/or knee. I want to practice skating with my back foot on the stomp pad but I'm so afraid of wrecking my ankle or knee when I fall.


That's because you are probably steering with your back foot still. Once you start steering with the front foot (start right now!) it is easier and you won't even need a stomp pad.

Just ride the board straight down (no edging) and the slightly press your toes or heel on your front foot. Trust me. It works.


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## freetheanimals (Jan 31, 2013)

KrisBKreeme said:


> just dropped in to say all of these "i started snowboarding in my 50's" posts are making me glad I still have ~30 years left of riding if I keep my health up. :laugh:


Better late than never! I started rock climbing in my late 30s. Every decade I add another extreme sport to my activities. When I'm 60 I'm trying surfing! 

Again, all thanks for the help. I continue to practice with one foot in the bindings. Had a bad fall off the lift the other day because a bunch of people who had just gotten off the lift just stood in the offload area. Because I can't steer that well, yet, with one leg in I tried to move away from the crowd. That resulted in my board spinning and catching an edge. Took a bad fall and sure enough twisted my knee a bit. Fortunately, nothing too serious. Just sore.


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## edlo (Jan 24, 2011)

freetheanimals said:


> Better late than never! I started rock climbing in my late 30s. Every decade I add another extreme sport to my activities. When I'm 60 I'm trying surfing!
> 
> Again, all thanks for the help. I continue to practice with one foot in the bindings. Had a bad fall off the lift the other day because a bunch of people who had just gotten off the lift just stood in the offload area. Because I can't steer that well, yet, with one leg in I tried to move away from the crowd. That resulted in my board spinning and catching an edge. Took a bad fall and sure enough twisted my knee a bit. Fortunately, nothing too serious. Just sore.


If you see you have nowhere to go you can try to wave at the lift operator up and down with two hands to slow down the lift to clear out the people. If you are out of control and about to run into someone, at least try to give them a warning or give a yell look out, being blindsided really sucks. I had the board spin out on me once when I put my back foot on the snow getting off the lift . It was a combination of turning toe side, trying to stop with my rear foot and doing the splits , it was ulgy, so I try to always keep my foot on the board with very light pressure. 

Turning very hard can also act like a hard brake causing fishtailing, it is like you have to go with the flow with just small steering adjustment.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

edlo said:


> If you see you have nowhere to go you can try to wave at the lift operator up and down with two hands to slow down the lift to clear out the people.


Or you can yell "MOVE YOU FUCKING MORONS!!!" and ride straight at them.

There's "inconsiderate" and there's "just plain stupid". Stopping at the exit of the landing area is inconsiderate but you can get around it. Walking right through the landing area for instance is just plain stupid and those people need a wake-up call. I've run right over the equipment of people who do that, and actually straight-armed one guy.

I'm not normally a rude fuck a la BurtonAvenger but the guy's got some good points on some issues. There are people who are so dense that saying something polite like "Excuse me kind sir. Could I trouble you to move your Grey Poupon elsewhere?" just does nothing.


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## kaborkian (Feb 1, 2010)

*Padding for old guys*

I'm an old dude snowboarding as well, just turned 46. I've been boarding for a lot of years, but generally only a few days a year, since I don't live by mountains. I've become what I would consider intermediate-advanced on all activities that don't involve leaving the ground...old remember?

For skating, or more accurately, sliding with 1 foot in, what helped me was something that has already been mentioned: push HARD against the back binding so your back foot is locked. Slide your foot a LITTLE bit towards the edge you need to use, then put even weight on both feet. Consciously use your front foot to lift the non edge side of the board, and also use your front foot to hold that edge.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is protective gear. I would guess most 20somethings will say suck it up, but for us older crowd, it HURTS to fall in hard pack or ice. Even something as simple as falling on your ass getting off of the lift can jar my back and make the rest of the day suck. I now wear padded shorts and knee pads. Falls like I'm describing hurt a LOT less. Instead of getting all twisted up and wrenching a knee, I just fall on my well padded ass.


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## edlo (Jan 24, 2011)

Donutz said:


> Or you can yell "MOVE YOU FUCKING MORONS!!!" and ride straight at them.
> 
> There's "inconsiderate" and there's "just plain stupid". Stopping at the exit of the landing area is inconsiderate but you can get around it. Walking right through the landing area for instance is just plain stupid and those people need a wake-up call. I've run right over the equipment of people who do that, and actually straight-armed one guy.
> 
> I'm not normally a rude fuck a la BurtonAvenger but the guy's got some good points on some issues. There are people who are so dense that saying something polite like "Excuse me kind sir. Could I trouble you to move your Grey Poupon elsewhere?" just does nothing.


Wtf -I'm not saying try to run into them but if you are out of control and about to blind side some it is better from them to know that you are out of control. This thread is about someone who has control issues coming off the lift. If someone was about to crash into into me which they have, I wish they gave me a "look out " or some warning,as their kid crashed into me.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

edlo said:


> Wtf -I'm not saying try to run into them but if you are out of control and about to blind side some it is better from them to know that you are out of control. This thread is about someone who has control issues coming off the lift. If someone was about to crash into into me which they have, I wish they gave me a "look out " or some warning,as their kid crashed into me.


Not a question of "out of control". Even someone with good control needs a certain amount of room to maneuver. I consider myself pretty good with the skating actually, but I've had situations where I've bumped someone or someone's bumped me, and those are generally pretty mellow. No one gets mad, often everyone apologizes. Shit happens, it's a crowded mountain, and you accommodate. But there are also the people who seem to be totally oblivious to the fact that there are other people on the mountain, some of whom may be getting off lifts. At Seymour we have a problem at the top of Lodge because there are not only a lot of noobs, but also a lot of lookeyloos (parents, pedestrians, snowshoers, etc) who just wander around. You can get off the Lodge chair three times out of four with no problem, then the fourth time there's an entire family just wandering through the landing, and sometimes I mean RIGHT THERE! Sometimes the lifties will come over to say something, but often the liftie is some 18 year old girl with no command voice whatsoever. So out comes something like "please sir and madam, do you think you could move?". I on the other hand can bellow, and I'm not the slightest bit reluctant.

And sometimes you can be setting up for a nice normal dismount and some asshat will choose that moment to cut through the landing area. If I don't have time to bellow or evade, I'm happy to run over his toes or shoulder-check him. The point is not to assume that you are the one at fault and that _you_ have to accommodate. If someone does something stupid I _absolutely_ will not sacrifice myself for their sake. My wife did that on boxing day and she's _still_ not back on skis yet. So if it's me or you, you're going down.


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## sb60 (Oct 5, 2010)

For getting off the lift what helped me the most was to think of 2 things: keep my board straight and reach for the front of my board with my front hand. Keeps the weight forward. To turn I put my toe over the front of the board. You can drag that foot hanging over to slow down. 

I just look forward, where I'm going. I had a habit of focusing on some ice on the side of the lift and freaking out. I always wear knee pads. My husband has been riding a long time and he always wears them. These are pretty small foam ones. Not only to they help if you fall, they're warm for sitting in snow. I used to wear the hard plastic ones. They're good too.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

If you are getting off the chair and there is a pile up...if you are on the side just do an immediate cut right or left or just do a controlled sit down and then roll off to the side...thus avioding plowing into others and/or an uncontrolled fall and injuring yourself or others. Its a hassle but better than ruiniing your or somebody elses day or season.


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## freetheanimals (Jan 31, 2013)

*Still struggling with steering the board while skating*

I have been practicing LOTS at the Whistler learning area and focusing on some fundamentals, including skating with one foot in the bindings and forcing myself to face my demons with the chair lift often. Today, I did have another bad fall while offloading, though I didn't tweak my knee badly. Again, several skiers stood in the offload area. Since I am still not proficient at steering with just one foot in I did focus on straight ahead. And that worked fine, until I realized one of the skiers just stood right in front of me and stared at me not moving. To avoid hitting her I ever so slightly put pressure on my front foot to try to maneuver the board to the right. The result: I did go right but my board caught an edge and I went flying forward. This really scared me because I met a guy the other day who said he wrecked his knee by falling while he had one foot in the bindings. I will keep practicing but of all the skills I'm learning, one foot in the bindings while skating worries me the most because of potential injury.

On a more positive note, my turns are improving! I had picked up a bad habit of kicking my back foot to finish the turn but have worked hard to avoid doing that and relying more on the front foot. I'm also doing better with straight runs even though the speed freaks me out a bit.


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## edlo (Jan 24, 2011)

You caught an edge while turning right and fell forward, is your left foot strapped in? If so it sounds like you are leaning over the edge of the board and just falling over. You shouldn't be able to catch your toe side edge with your weight on your front foot only. Also if you are going too slow and trying to force a turn , you'll just fall over. Strap your board on carpet and and pickup your rear foot , rock heel and toe side. This is how it should feel getting off the lift. 
After reading your other post I wonder if you leaning on your rear foot when you get nervous off the lift. If you lean on your rear foot , it will bring the rear foot around and you WILL catch the edge, Bad. Knee pad will help with impact, a brace can also be used as a preventive measure.


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## Lamps (Sep 3, 2011)

freetheanimals said:


> I appreciate all that great advice. For the most part, I am staying straight when I get off the lift and have not been falling as much. The problem with the Whistler learning area chair lift is the exit is STEEP and the chair doesn't slow down! So I bailed badly recently.
> 
> My concern is when I do fall with one foot in the bindings how do I prevent injury? When I fell at that particular lift my board turned suddenly, forcing my front foot to slide forward while my back foot came off the stomp pad. That twisted my ankle and knee badly. Now, I'm a bit nervous about practicing one foot in even on gentle slopes because if I fall I could injure my ankle and/or knee.
> 
> As a newbie, I'm aware that even if I heed every bit of advice I'm going to occasionally fall. So how do I protect my knee and/or ankle while skating with just one foot in?



Beginner chairs are often fixed chairs, i.e. the chair doesn't slow down when you exit. They make the slope steep so that if you fall down the chair goes over you rather than hitting you. This is cold comfort for you as you have to skate down a steep slope but there is method to the madness. 

I haven't read the whole thread but you seem to be getting lots of good advice, it gets better over time, and remember you are one lucky dog to be able to go to whistler so frequently.


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## stillz (Jan 5, 2010)

Confidently riding one-footed takes a lot of practice, and I don't claim to be an expert at it. I do know that any rotation in the upper body will eventually transfer to the board (pivot). This often results in a heelside washout, so keep the shoulders steady relative to the board.

Also, I can't edge aggressively with my free foot. I have to be gentle with the free foot. Instead of trying to apply pressure to my edges per se, I pressure more toward the center of the board, but on the heel or toe side of center to shape turns, like I'm using the back of the ball of my foot and the front of my heel instead of the ends of my boot. That may be a clumsy explanation, but hopefully it makes some sense. It's just a different mental approach to steering the board, but it has helped me.


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