# Need help, mental aspect of snowboarding



## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Getting more cautious with age is pretty normal, but it can get out of hand and paralyze you. I'm 56 and I have that in spades. My solution has been to figure out what I _can_ do without locking up (but with a fair bit of fear), and keep doing it to desensitize myself to it. Then when it starts to get routine, push the limit a bit. Mentally you have to think of it as fun rather than as woosing out.

For your specific problem with boardslides, start with doing 50-50s then throw in a slight shiftie. Gradually increase the shiftie until you are boardsliding the second half of the box. etc.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

I don't do park but
ibuprofen
vitamins
visualize
breathe

and wait till the kids start pushing you....then the fun begins


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## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

I was in your boat, even bought a board for jibbing and everything. First few boardslides and I knew I was done with it, pretty sure this is pain I'm not gonna deal with. I started the season riding with some park rats but they stopped going as much as I was and I just ended up freeriding all year.

I'll 5050 most features and I love to get air but....

The fact that I live in CO makes it so I don't have to ride park...If I lived in the east or midwest, I'd probably force myself to do it....


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## david_z (Dec 14, 2009)

I'll be 33 in a month and didn't really start riding park until just a few years ago.


For jumps, I do mostly straight airs with a few grabs, 180s and occasional 360s. I started working on jumps again this year after a bad fall a few years ago I didn't really hit jumps for 2 seasons.

For jibs I can 50/50 pretty much most rail features unless they're multi-kinked, but sideways slides are trickier and I only really do those on boxes, and just started doing like front lips or back boards on low/fat rail features late this winter -- I'm at the point where I'd rather have fun doing a handful of relatively simple tricks, or taking those tricks to new/bigger features, than spend all day trying to learn something new on a beginner box  but we all kind of determine how quickly we want/need to progress. Now that I am getting much better at these things, I might put more emphasis on progression moving forward but this year was more of a "take it in and have fun". 

You can definitely still do it, but best bet is to ride with friends who share an interest in progressing your park game, that's the best way. 

Personally, I don't like "ride on" boxes -- especially for sideways slides, because they're just too easy to pussyfoot it and not commit. A small ollie-on/gap-to box is much better, and even if you fall the first time or two, being forced to commit to the maneuver makes it easier in the long run.


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

Go fast, look at the end of the feature, and when in doubt grab tindy. Fear paralyzes you and holds you back sometimes you have to ask yourself is the reward greater than the risk. In my case it always is, for you who knows. So either sack up or start practicing them Euro carves and going fast on groomers cause that seems to be what all the old people do these days.


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## 61ragtop (Aug 7, 2012)

A lot of great advice here!! I too am in the same position. Last season I ended up with a concussion and whiplash a couple times on a flat down box. But by the end of the season I was attempting to backside board lower rails and doing them on boxes. For some reason I find back boards less scary on rails than 50/50's:dunno: 

This year I found it really hard to hit jib features and feel I am not as good/brave this season in jibbing (not that I was any good before). I am training for next year already for my core and balance so lets hope I find my balls by then to put it to use.

FYI I am 36


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

burtonavenger said:


> so either sack up or start practicing them euro carves and going fast on groomers cause that seems to be what all the old people do these days.


┌∩┐(◣_◢)┌∩┐


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## Epic (Apr 13, 2013)

Get yourself some body armor!!! Seriously. I had some bad falls when I first started doing jumps and rails, nothing broke just bad bruises that killed the rest of the day on the mountain so I was hesitant to continue. Got myself padded shorts and shirt and it helped so much with my confidence. The shirt I have has a hard spinal column so landing flat on my back on a box feels like nothing.


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

BurtonAvenger said:


> So either sack up or start practicing them Euro carves and going fast on groomers cause that seems to be what all the old people do these days.


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## SnowDragon (Apr 23, 2012)

BurtonAvenger said:


> So either sack up or start practicing them Euro carves and going fast on groomers cause that seems to be what all the old people do these days.


We old people can protest all we want, but we know he's right.:sad:


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## SnowDragon (Apr 23, 2012)

Epic said:


> Get yourself some body armor!!!


Couldn't agree more.:eusa_clap:

I wear a tailbone protector and a long sleeve body armor top if I'm in the park or get to a big mountain out west. Hard charging and tricks you shouldn't be trying at my age demand it!:thumbsup:

(Emphasis on "trying". I didn't say "doing"!)


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## Aphraidknot (Mar 4, 2013)

I'm 34, and know exactly how you feel. I ride at MTN High so I am almost forced to ride park. I took a really bad fall last year and it messed my confidence up. How am I starting to overcome the fear is to hit the lower parks early in the morning, before they get thrashed, and then if I feel up to it I would bring the same style to the uppper parks. In the mean time, I just work on buttering up the mountain any time in between.


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## Olex (Feb 20, 2013)

GreyDragon said:


> We old people can protest all we want, but we know he's right.:sad:


That's the way I am heading. I enjoy cross under turns more than park... :dunno:


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

GreyDragon said:


> We old people can protest all we want, but we now he's right.:sad:


Of course. The protest was not for the fact but the derogation 
I love to whatch the guys in the park while on the chairlift with a mixture of admiration and shudder








I'd never have the guts, even if younger.


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## BigmountainVMD (Oct 9, 2011)

wrathfuldeity said:


> I don't do park but
> ibuprofen
> vitamins
> visualize
> breathe


Add whiskey and body armor to that list. I was amazed how much some padded shorts helped me. Same goes for some JD.

I'll add that hitting the park early (as long as it is not bulletproof) helps. Park rats usually sleep late... so you can have it to yourself until 11 or so.


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## West Baden Iron (Jan 31, 2013)

snowklinger said:


> I was in your boat, even bought a board for jibbing and everything. First few boardslides and I knew I was done with it, pretty sure this is pain I'm not gonna deal with. I started the season riding with some park rats but they stopped going as much as I was and I just ended up freeriding all year.
> 
> I'll 5050 most features and I love to get air but....
> 
> The fact that I live in CO makes it so I don't have to ride park...If I lived in the east or midwest, I'd probably force myself to do it....


I'm in the midwest so I'm slowly making my way to the park. With only 300 feet of vert, I need something else to help with the fun. This season was the first time I had ever hit anything other than a jump. I'll be 40 this year and this is my 8th season or so with a long hiatus between the first few and last year.

I usually find a young kid in the park and ask for some advice or just start riding the same lines and eventually he'll help me out with pushing me or giving advice. One kid this year talked me into the trees which I had no desire to ever try. It was the most fun I'd had snowboarding.

We ended up hitting most of the park features and I busted my ass on every one. Now that is what I want to work on most of next season. I'm sure I'll progress slowly since I have a job and responsibilities, but that thrill of stomping a trick, no matter how minor compared to expert riders, is totally worth the ass busting it took get it. I also bought a few park boards to try next season. Can't wait.

Jason


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## Deviant (Dec 22, 2009)

What Snowolf said is probably the biggest part of it, but I've seen people kinda "lock up" in fear when going into something either new or something they were previously injured on. Done it myself in fact after a bad injury. Biggest thing that helped me was breathing slow intentional deep breathes before and riding up to a feature. Some can get scared to the point they will hold their breath while hitting a feature, which can tense you up even further.

You'll get it back either way. I'm roughly your age (34) and still riding park with no plans to stop so don't let your age get you down. If wearing body armor helps with the fear then go for it.


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## Jed (May 11, 2011)

Rodman1978 said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> some background information to help you explain my situation.
> 5 years ago i was heavy into snowboarding. I was an intermediate rider, i rode a lot of park. Mind you i wasn't one of the best but i had a lot of fun jibbing, started of with 50-50's,backside boardslides and frontslide boardslides on boxes. Then i took to rails where i could manage to do 50-50's. Just your basic stuff, nothing fancy. Always had a blast with friends. All this at the age of 30.
> ...


When possible always try to re-create a park scenario on a flat green run before you try the same thing in the park. That's the best way to give yourself confidence in your own technique and it's also the best way to get technique figured out before you take it to the park.

So for example, for 50/50s picture a section of snow on a flat green run and pretend it's a small box. Then approach it like how you would if that patch of snow was really a box.

Focus on a nice balanced stance, flat base and ride across that patch of snow just like you would if you were 50/50ing a box.

You can apply this same technique to build up confidence and learn basic spins before taking them to the park as well. It's all about building up your confidence piece by piece by understanding and figuring out the technique before you take it to the feature.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

I didn't learn to snowboard till I was 42 and since my memory is going this will be my 5th year riding starting winter 13/14. The last 2 years I've been working on park and jumps. 
As we get older the risk/reward IE mortg, wife, kids comes to the forefront more subliiminally than most people think. Especially for guys that start this sport later in life.

I to freeze up or last minute bail and this has both helped/hurt my park. I have started small and progressed and that helps a lot. With you having done much of this type of riding I think the skill will surface faster than you think and the fear will subside. You may still get that feeling but I'm sure you can work that out with practice.
I still get this feeling on the park jumps so I just keep hitting ones I'm comfortable on.

Like many said "F'everyone I'm having fun and doing it my way/style" Tryinig to be hip :laugh: doesn't work for me... but I am hitting what I can, having a blast and I get tons of support from many of the park guys. Kinda getting known as the dad that rides park with his kids at our local hill.
So if I'm able to do it, I have no doubts with simple progression you will be boardsliding 270 off again next season and this post will have long been forgotten.


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