# Boarding Solo



## SnoBoJo (Jan 4, 2011)

So I normally go with a group of friends but they don't want to go until next weekend (we have to each drive 3 hours to meet up) I am considering just driving the 3 hours to my local mountain and going solo this sunday (my only day off)... What are your opinions of going by yourself?? I think it will be relaxing and sweet but might get kind of boring/lonely not talking to anyone and just listening to my music.

Relatively new to boarding so I want to get as many sessions in as possible so I can keep up with my park fiend friends.


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## oneshot (Oct 8, 2010)

some of my best days ever were riding SOLO.. put on the headphones and rally.. no one to slow you down..


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## snowvols (Apr 16, 2008)

I ride a bit by myself. Both for sure have their good sides. Like oneshot said crank the tunes and just have a good time.


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## tekniq33 (Mar 18, 2009)

will be riding solo next Friday and Sat AM at Loveland. Out there for a work trip and looking to get some riding in. 

I will probably take it a little easy since I don't want to get hurt while out there alone.


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## tprior (Oct 12, 2010)

Sometimes it's a great way to just refresh yourself. Noone telling what lines to ride, or when to take a break. Also, instead of the tunes it can be nice to just hear the sounds of the mountain. It's pretty damn relaxing.


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## ecks (Oct 6, 2010)

I rode solo for the first time last week and it was probably the best snowboarding day I've ever had. Was able to do more runs, stay out longer and like oneshot said didn't have anyone to hold me back or pull me toward a run I didn't want to do. I wouldn't do it all the time, but I can definitely see it being a nice change once in a while.


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## kraig4422 (Apr 9, 2009)

I actually ride more by myself than with other people. Two seasons ago I got 40+ days in and I would say 25-30 of those were by myself.


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## Bones (Feb 24, 2008)

It's a great change of pace! I love my friends, but I find more "zen-like" moments riding alone.


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## Shocktroop531 (Aug 3, 2010)

I board solo all the time. more often than not I'm solo. and even when I go with folks I usually end up alone half the time anyway. You can just put on some good tunes on your ipod and push it at your on pace. go wherever and do whatever you want. no compromising.


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## Music Moves (Jan 23, 2009)

Love riding solo... last season I did it a lot, but I've only logged a day and a half this season so far. It's so therapeutic and peaceful.........


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## Powder Keg (Dec 18, 2010)

Only if i had friends that actually do sports.... i'm forced to do it alone 98% of the time.
But it's not all bad, It's fun to listen to your favorite tracks and shred.


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## Toecutter (Oct 11, 2009)

Riding alone is only lonely if you are lonely when all alone. 

I go up the mountain 3 to 5 days per week, and realistically the only way to go that often is to go by myself whenever time permits. It would be too much of a hassle to try to coordinate every single time with somebody else. I actually enjoy it more than when I go with somebody else because I go wherever my whim takes me.

Since you are new to snowboarding, I would only caution that you don't get too far off the beaten path so that in case you get lost or injured, you don't spend the night out in the woods or in the morgue.


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## judoant (Jan 18, 2010)

Toecutter said:


> Riding alone is only lonely if you are lonely when all alone.


say that 10 times fast!

love riding alone.


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## Powder Keg (Dec 18, 2010)

Haha no worries about that, the closest thing to a mountain near me is a small hill.


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## AlexS (Feb 12, 2010)

I enjoy solo just as much as with friends. It's more chill with music, and I could do what i want.


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## Beatlesfan888 (Jul 8, 2010)

nothin better than rollon solo on a fresh powder day with the tunes.
ps. just jizzed myself thinkin about it


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

My kids and I go to the hill together but many times they bail on me, so at that point I"m solo.

The single lines are faster, I chat with tons of different people on the lift. Like many have said, I run where I want, at my pace, work on what-ever riding style I care too.

This doesn't sound like you ride solo often so go and enjoy yourself and don't let the friends that don't want to ride happer your day !!!!!

-Slyder


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## Ez2beme (Jan 2, 2011)

*Go for it*

I love to board and it sounds like you do to. Boarding solo is a mix of both fun and boring. Fun: you dont have to wait in the long line, just go to the single rider line. Boring: it only really gets boring when your on the lift.It all really depends on what kind of riding you do.


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## Wrongday (Nov 5, 2010)

i do about 2 days per week of snowboard. And all of this is alone. I put my headphones.. strap my gear on and rock n roll. It helps me to relax from the job pressure, etc. I enjoy riding down.. just looking at the snow falling.. its my relaxing moment. I do ride with my g/f but i dont NEED her to be there. If i feel a bit lonely, ill talk with other peoples on the chairlift. There is a lot of persons alone on the hill!


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## Ttam (Jan 20, 2010)

I ride on my days off of work so sometimes I end up crusing alone.. Many times I have made friends just by talking to people in the lift line.... Dont be shy. Its not hard. Plus all my friends ride so there is a good chance of seeing a few.


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## garlicbread (Oct 23, 2010)

most of the days ive ridden this year were solo and im going tomorrow solo, its hard to get my poor friends to go all the time and im not gonna miss a day of riding cuz no one can go. i enjoy it, i like that it takes less time to get there since your not picking people up and like others said, its great to just put on some tunes, zone out and do whatever you want.


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## EagleTalons (Oct 10, 2010)

Personally I love going solo. My friends always want to go on the shitty runs or the runs that are jam packed with people. I love to just go out on my own and dive into the tree runs with a little music. Its so peaceful and calming.


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## basso4735 (Nov 27, 2010)

I like going alone because I can work on technique and stuff, without anyone complaining about which trail I'm taking. I wish I had a riding buddy who was better than me though, to get some hints/tips.


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## FtCS4 (Dec 30, 2010)

I also prefer going alone. Like others have said, it's really not lonely, and speeding through the singles line kicks ass! It's very rare that I don't strike up a conversation with someone on the lift, and pretty often I'll end up riding with another person/group for a few runs before going off and hitting whatever I want. 

I got tired of dragging my roommates and ex up to the mountains last year. They would always be all excited to go the night before, then when I wake up at 6 and start loading the car they all always dragged ass. Then they would bitch about being so tired from waking up early, even though they slept during the whole 1.5 hour drive up and got to sleep on the drive back down. Glad to be done with those people.

There are only a couple of guys that I like to go riding with, but due to work and school schedules it's pretty rare that we can go at the same time. It's fun having other riders around your skill level to push you, but it seems like I make most of my progression on days when I'm alone, anyway.


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## Toecutter (Oct 11, 2009)

FtCS4 said:


> I got tired of dragging my roommates and ex up to the mountains last year. They would always be all excited to go the night before, then when I wake up at 6 and start loading the car they all always dragged ass. Then they would bitch about being so tired from waking up early, even though they slept during the whole 1.5 hour drive up and got to sleep on the drive back down.


Just reading that makes me tight-chested. I can't stand waiting for people to get their shit together. It's so frustrating. I used to ride bikes with a guy who would _without fail_ have some mechanical issue before any ride. "Hey, my brake's not working right. I need to fix it first." Grrrrrr!


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## kraig4422 (Apr 9, 2009)

FtCS4 said:


> I also prefer going alone. Like others have said, it's really not lonely, and speeding through the singles line kicks ass! It's very rare that I don't strike up a conversation with someone on the lift, and pretty often I'll end up riding with another person/group for a few runs before going off and hitting whatever I want.
> 
> I got tired of dragging my roommates and ex up to the mountains last year. They would always be all excited to go the night before, then when I wake up at 6 and start loading the car they all always dragged ass. Then they would bitch about being so tired from waking up early, even though they slept during the whole 1.5 hour drive up and got to sleep on the drive back down. Glad to be done with those people.
> 
> There are only a couple of guys that I like to go riding with, but due to work and school schedules it's pretty rare that we can go at the same time. It's fun having other riders around your skill level to push you, but it seems like I make most of my progression on days when I'm alone, anyway.


I hate that too. Seems like every weekend I want to go riding everyone parties like crazy the night before and either don't go or drag ass all morning.


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## freshy (Nov 18, 2009)

I'm happy either way, my wife and friends I ride with are all looking for the same fresh lines all day so I never feel held back or restrict my self from terrain in a group. Sometimes being alone on the lifts can be a bit of a bummer.


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## JoeR (Oct 30, 2010)

To quote a noted philosopher of the slopes:

_I ride alone, yeah
With nobody else
You know when I ride alone
I prefer to be by myself_


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## Leo (Nov 24, 2009)

I've done it a few times. Loved it every time. I tried the tunes thing, but it has never caught on with me. Like someone said earlier, I love the sounds around me. Hearing my board on the snow while I'm shredding is music enough for me. I love the sound when hitting kickers and landing them as well. Nice little poppy sound from the board you know?

The worst part about riding solo is the lunch break in the lounge. That part sucks moldy cheese balls.


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## thetraveler (Feb 24, 2010)

solo is fine but its better with friends


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Often solo, at lunch lean the chair back and take a power snooze for 10-15 min :thumbsup:.


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## xxfinnellxx (Aug 30, 2009)

I rarely go riding on my own. 

But yes, probably the best and most righteous times ever. Because you are purely snowboarding and you have nobody to wait for other than yourself.


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## KahWhyC (Nov 10, 2010)

Leo said:


> The worst part about riding solo is the lunch break in the lounge. That part sucks moldy cheese balls.


It's so awkward when its lunch break and you're by yourself.


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## Extremo (Nov 6, 2008)

I ride solo all the time. It's hard for most of my friends to find the time or money to snowboard as much as I do. It's also hard to sync up with others I know who have season passes just because of busy schedules. I like riding alone though


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## FtCS4 (Dec 30, 2010)

Leo said:


> I've done it a few times. Loved it every time. I tried the tunes thing, but it has never caught on with me. Like someone said earlier, I love the sounds around me. Hearing my board on the snow while I'm shredding is music enough for me. I love the sound when hitting kickers and landing them as well. Nice little poppy sound from the board you know?
> 
> The worst part about riding solo is the lunch break in the lounge. That part sucks moldy cheese balls.


That's why I really like my audio helmet rather than earbuds. Can have my volume set to a lower level where I can still hear my music and my board, which I prefer in the trees, or set my volume to head shaking for bombing groomers.


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

I always prefer riding with my friends because I want to share how awesome of a time I'm having. But that doesn't mean I wait for them. I go alone because I ride for me not for anyone else and if they want to join HELL YES.. if not.. their loss. 

It may be slightly lonelier however if you're outgoing and can pull off meeting the right people you can sometimes make awesome connections. If I'm on a mountain I'm not as familiar with and notice a group of decent riders I'll ask where the glades are and/or if I can shadow a run with them as I'm strapping in. This normally leads to new friends and a swap of numbers at the end of the day to add to your arsenal of people to txt to join you next time you're on that hill. Its all starts with small talk at first. 

If you do this try asking riders at the same level as you because if people don't like waiting for their begginer friend you'll be sure they won't wait for some stranger. It's all about putting yourself out there and meeting people that actually WILL be on the hill the days you want to go.

You just need to break into that bubble of people and your solo days will be less often.

Screw your lazy/busy friends. Go Shred.


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## Toecutter (Oct 11, 2009)

KahWhyC said:


> It's so awkward when its lunch break and you're by yourself.


What do you find awkward about it?


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## caneyhead (Jan 5, 2009)

I like to share the stoke. However, Most of my riding with others is skiers. They are all expert and they wear my ass out every time. I don't approach the mountain the same way they do.


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## Toecutter (Oct 11, 2009)

caneyhead said:


> I like to share the stoke. However, Most of my riding with others is skiers. They are all expert and they wear my ass out every time. I don't approach the mountain the same way they do.


One of my friends with whom I go up occasionally is an avid skier, expert level. He gets down the hill faster than I do, but the main difference that I noticed is in our choice of line. He tends to do a lot of traversing, which on the snowboard sometimes means unbuckling and skootching. He will also stop at the top of some sections, which causes an interruption in my flow and also it causes my glasses to fog up. Since he is faster than I am, I'm trying to catch up to him and end up having to try to decipher where he went through the woods. Sometimes it means going down some area that I would not have chosen on my own. When I go by myself I can usually pick a line that maintains my momentum and lets me flow down the mountain smoothly without stopping and going, stopping and going.

Edit: oh yeah, and he is not a huge fan of snowboards, snowboarding, or snowboarders. He's always trying to get me to try out some fatty skis, because for some reason he has a hard time accepting that I prefer the snowboard. C'est la vie.


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## bravo_castle (Aug 16, 2007)

I ride solo all the time.
I enjoy riding with friends & solo... both have their up & down sides.

If I only went riding with friends... I'd rarely go.


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## TranceAddictFoX (Dec 16, 2009)

I love riding solo as much as I do with friends. I feel like I progress more when I'm riding solo though because I'm more focused on myself and not worrying about where my friends are at. They also aren't as focused on progression as I am, that probably plays a part in it. 

When I ride with friends I'm just riding to have fun and enjoy the time on the mountain with them.


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## jliu (Jan 20, 2009)

This is a good question...depends on a lot of variables...ability of yourself, ability of your group, where you are riding (good ol resort you know like the back of your hand vs. something totally new), etc..

Being relatively new to the sport, I've always liked to share my progression and new experiences with those closest to me...so for me riding with friends is awesome. However, with some friends I have surpassed them in the desire to progress and challenge themselves...in those instances I can see where riding solo has its appeal. If you're riding with a group at or better than your skill level, I think thats the only way to ride...learn new things, push yourself and enjoy company. If you're riding a brand new resort thats 100x more epic than what you're use to...friends that have the same mindset of exploring everything and killing it is imo where its at. However, if you're with beginners or those that dont care of the sport and are there to "relax"...ditch em and go find some pow stashes


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## hwa (Dec 2, 2008)

Riding solo is fun but having company never hurts (for the most part anyway). I try to ride with people at my level or better as it provides good incentive to progress in one way or another.


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## Uberlicious (Jan 1, 2011)

All i've done is ride alone. however, I'm still in the beginning/learning phase. I've learned to not wait on other people if I want to do something. I will admit that it does suck alot of times seeing groups of people that all know each other yelling back at forth to each other.

I can't seem to get anybody i know to go with me, even the ones that "snowboard" 

Yet, i still continue to go alone. I plan on leaving in under 3 hours to go alone again  hopefully this time I wont smack my tailbone much this time.


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## kysnowboarder (Oct 28, 2009)

I prefer to ride with friends, but I don't have too many friends that snowboard. I think I progress better when I ride with friends or others that are better than me. 

I mostly ride solo..when I first started I would only go when friends went. This resulted in me riding twice a year. Now that I have gotten past that I ride more and see cooler places...last year I did my first trip out west, it was solo. I had an awesome time. Sure I would loved to have some of my buddies go..but had I waited for others the trip wouldn't of happened. This afternoon I leave for snowshoe I have seven hour drive ahead of me..it will be solo. Next month I doing two week trip out west, solo. None of this happens if I rely on others. I want to snowboard and I will never be this young again! I will talk to plenty of people on the lift...


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## Toecutter (Oct 11, 2009)

kysnowboarder said:


> Now that I have gotten past that I ride more and see cooler places...last year I did my first trip out west, it was solo. I had an awesome time.


Being comfortable with being alone opens up a load of possibilities. No longer do you have to rely on others to have the same schedule and goals. I do find that camping alone in the woods gives me a bit of anxiety though. "Was that a squirrel, a bear, or a murderer???"


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## EagleTalons (Oct 10, 2010)

Toecutter said:


> Being comfortable with being alone opens up a load of possibilities. No longer do you have to rely on others to have the same schedule and goals. I do find that camping alone in the woods gives me a bit of anxiety though. "Was that a squirrel, a bear, or a murderer???"


I get that same feeling sometimes too! I find its from eating the local mushrooms though. Here is a song for you. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBWGdv_7IFU


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## notter123 (Nov 11, 2010)

I have only been snowboarding for 2 years and just two days ago I went for the first time by myself and can say I progressed in 6 hours more then I had every before, I went from being able to only consistintly land 10 foot airs to trying 360's on 20 footers. It is so peacefull, for the first 2 hours i listened to music then my headphones started really bugging me so I took them out and just listened to the "hill" the very last hour, i decided to try something.

I Started at the lift just ahead of this group of park rats and decided to count how many more runs I did then them in only a half hour. Mind you the hill I snowboard at takes a minute to hit 2 jumps at the park and a box and then your back at the lift. Anyways In only a half hour I got 6 more runs then they did. thats 12 jumps and 6 box hits. every half hour..... I finally understood why my progression came so much faster.


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## Toecutter (Oct 11, 2009)

notter123 said:


> I have only been snowboarding for 2 years and just two days ago I went for the first time by myself and can say I progressed in 6 hours more then I had every before, I went from being able to only consistintly land 10 foot airs to trying 360's on 20 footers. It is so peacefull, for the first 2 hours i listened to music then my headphones started really bugging me so I took them out and just listened to the "hill" the very last hour, i decided to try something.
> 
> I Started at the lift just ahead of this group of park rats and decided to count how many more runs I did then them in only a half hour. Mind you the hill I snowboard at takes a minute to hit 2 jumps at the park and a box and then your back at the lift. Anyways In only a half hour I got 6 more runs then they did. thats 12 jumps and 6 box hits. every half hour..... I finally understood why my progression came so much faster.


I can definitely get in more runs by myself than when with others. I just ride wherever I want without having to discuss it first, and grab whichever lift I want. It's just buckle and go.


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## Bones (Feb 24, 2008)

kysnowboarder said:


> I Next month I doing two week trip out west, solo. None of this happens if I rely on others. I want to snowboard and I will never be this young again! I will talk to plenty of people on the lift...


Same boat here. I tend to have to be the organizer if I want anything to happen otherwise the idle chatter never turns into anything concrete.

That said, I've organized enough day-trips, weekenders, week-longs to have collected a pretty lengthy list of reliable companions. 

One thing that helped when I first started riding was to take a 9-10 session set of lessons at a local hill. Super cheap around here, gave me a guaranteed same-level group to ride with regularly and a few of them were in the same boat: no friends that ride. Took a couple of seasons, but I now ride regularly with a dozen or so people, and some combination of 3 or 4 of them are always up for session.


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## shredder07 (Oct 18, 2008)

i mostly ride alone. i just slap on my noise isolating headphones, crank my tunes and go to work. nothing like listening to your fav tunes while working on new tricks. it's also a good way of meeting new people.


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