# Stance Question... Blind in one eye.



## cdrakep (Mar 29, 2011)

So, I'm blind in my right eye. This is my second season, and I've gone regular most of the time until now,but goofy feels more comfortable whenever I try it. It's pretty bad though, I have to almost turn my whole body to be able to see downhill. Anyone have any suggestions or tips? I've yet to really get comfortable leading with my left..


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## grafta (Dec 21, 2009)

cdrakep said:


> So, I'm blind in my right eye. This is my second season, and I've gone regular most of the time until now,but goofy feels more comfortable whenever I try it. It's pretty bad though, I have to almost turn my whole body to be able to see downhill. Anyone have any suggestions or tips? I've yet to really get comfortable leading with my left..


Wow yeah that'd be difficult. Its gonna be hard to ride properly twisting your body to see forward like that. I'm sure someone will chime in with some good suggestions :thumbsup:

I was gonna say periscope, but that'd be insensitive


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## cdrakep (Mar 29, 2011)

I was thinking mirror actually, lol...


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

Just keep an eye on people down hill from you. 


Personally I would force myself to ride whichever way I had my eye down hill without turning my body. You already have a huge blind spot, why add that much more risk to it.


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## Tarzanman (Dec 20, 2008)

It sounds like you have a really good reason to practice riding switch frequently.

It will make you a better snowboarder.


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## cdrakep (Mar 29, 2011)

Argo said:


> Just keep an eye on people down hill from you.
> 
> 
> Personally I would force myself to ride whichever way I had my eye down hill without turning my body. You already have a huge blind spot, why add that much more risk to it.


Yeah, I've been riding regular most of the time, it's just goofy feels a lot more natural. Any progress I made forcing myself downhill regular looked small when compared to riding downhill goofy, all the same motions felt more natural and fluid, I just kept losing my nerve because I couldn't see as well.



Tarzanman said:


> It sounds like you have a really good reason to practice riding switch frequently.
> 
> It will make you a better snowboarder.


I've been doing this a lot, it's fun anyways, but the blindness kind of forces it.


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## gjsnowboarder (Sep 1, 2009)

I would look in at your local mountain to see if they have an adaptive program. This is a program that deals with people with all sort of disabilities in being able to ride. You might be able to just walk up and ask the question.

My own personnel advice is to do both. Realize that when riding goofy your blind spot is that much larger. It means you will have to pay a lot more attention to traffic on the hill and remember the line and terrain variations when you ride. If you have that ability for SAW(situational awareness) and memory then go for it. If memory and SAW is not your thing then force feed yourself riding in the more uncomfortable manner. Overtime and with lots of mileage it will become second hand.


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## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

Imho the best advice is from the previous poster, ride both and just continue to keep your head on a swivel, as I'm sure you already do. 

My brother has one eye, and has to work extra hard I know to see everything. He always jokes about his depth perception at holiday meals and acts like he's going to pour a bottle of wine everywhere next to his glass.

Honestly if you put the effort into awareness and overcoming your "obstacle" in snowboarding as the rest of your life, you will be more safe and self-aware then 80% of the people on the slope - what's their excuse? 

Oh yea, the idiot epidemic, careful the energy drinks are spiked!


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## PanHandler (Dec 23, 2010)

I have a question. Are you recently blind in that eye, or have you been blind in that eye for quite a while?

The reason i ask is because i am blind in my left eye (in fact i have no left eye) and im left handed, and do everything left hand/footed and i ride goofy. You being blind in your right eye makes me want to think you would naturally do everything regular. This is why i ask if its a recent or long term disability. I was born this way and have been adjusted to it for as long as i could possibly remember. Ive also been skateboarding since i was about 9, and i do that goofy as well.

This is a pic of me


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## cdrakep (Mar 29, 2011)

PanHandler said:


> I have a question. Are you recently blind in that eye, or have you been blind in that eye for quite a while?
> 
> The reason i ask is because i am blind in my left eye (in fact i have no left eye) and im left handed, and do everything left hand/footed and i ride goofy. You being blind in your right eye makes me want to think you would naturally do everything regular. This is why i ask if its a recent or long term disability. I was born this way and have been adjusted to it for as long as i could possibly remember. Ive also been skateboarding since i was about 9, and i do that goofy as well.
> 
> This is a pic of me


Not too recent, I'm 27 now and I was shot in the face with a potato gun when I was 11 or 12. I still have the eye but I'm scared across the retina so its a colorful jumble mess, no useful information comes from that eye, but it puts a spot in my vision. I don't know if there's a correlation between sidedness and sight, I'm somewhat right handed, but right with both...

I dunno, riding goofy is just more comfortable.. I also have a weak right ankle, I've been injuring it since I was about 5, sprain it a bunch..


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## PanHandler (Dec 23, 2010)

if you feel more comfortable then ride that way. Being blind for that long im sure youve learned how to adapt to it fairly well, and know how and what you need to do for certain situations (like turning your head more than normal to watch for people, traffic, etc..)

I know when i ride switch, my eye is on the uphill side and i have to turn my body abnormally far to look over my right shoulder to see whos behind me, and if im not careful, my board will start to turn that way. You might experience that a lot because youre right eye blind and riding goofy.


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## Pow?POW! (Dec 22, 2011)

That is unfortunate man that your ride goofy as well as being blind in the right eye. I know my roommate is mostly blind in his right eye but he rides regular so it doesn't affect him too bad luckily enough. The best advice he said he had is to simply be cognizant of your surroundings at all times. Also I know it might suck to have to ride regular for you but in the end if you get it down pat it's only going to make you a more competent rider. 

Hope you find a solution to your issue though man as I can only imagine how detrimental an injury like that could be in trying to enjoy such a glorious sport.


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## PanHandler (Dec 23, 2010)

Pow?POW! said:


> I can only imagine how detrimental an injury like that could be in trying to enjoy such a glorious sport.


It not really detrimental at all. At least from my experience. He'll be able to do anything anyone else can. Itll just take a little more practice and a few different movements. :dunno:


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## Pow?POW! (Dec 22, 2011)

PanHandler said:


> It not really detrimental at all. At least from my experience. He'll be able to do anything anyone else can. Itll just take a little more practice and a few different movements. :dunno:


Truth I am from a biased perspective and I guess since I've had the good fortune to have my eyesight, It would be devastating to me. I wasn't trying to be insensitive, just trying to imagine the difficulty associated with both riding and coping with a blind eye.


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## PanHandler (Dec 23, 2010)

Pow?POW! said:


> Truth I am from a biased perspective and I guess since I've had the good fortune to have my eyesight, It would be devastating to me. I wasn't trying to be insensitive, just trying to imagine the difficulty associated with both riding and coping with a blind eye.


Thats why i asked him if it was a recent injury, because then it probably would be very detrimental. Since hes lived from 11-27 with it, im sure he has learned how to adjust to it. Personally ive been left eye blind since birth so there was no adjusting i had to do. i dont know it any other way, and there is no color or spots on that side for me, so im sure his situation is a bit different.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

idk, but you could do a both feet angled foreword goofy like a hard booter


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## cdrakep (Mar 29, 2011)

wrathfuldeity said:


> idk, but you could do a both feet angled foreword goofy like a hard booter


I've never tried this, but will have to this season.


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## Frozen (Apr 21, 2012)

cdrakep said:


> Not too recent, I'm 27 now and I was shot in the face with a potato gun when I was 11 or 12.


Oh for the love of christ. Flail and scream. Never stop doing this, EVER.


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## cdrakep (Mar 29, 2011)

Frozen said:


> Oh for the love of christ. Flail and scream. Never stop doing this, EVER.


I feel like I'm missing something...


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