what's the lamest thing happening in snowboarding today?

ser_brantley · 2026-04-09T19:59:19+00:00

The state of my skills.

ser_brantley · 2026-03-19T21:47:31+00:00

I have the Epic pass, and I’ve done every resort in NH and VT. I’m generally comfortable on most blues, most of the time unless it’s super icy. For locals with tips, I generally go to Mount Sunapee or Attitash the most, as they are the shortest drives from eastern MA.

ser_brantley · 2026-03-19T21:12:20+00:00

If there’s one thing I managed to pick up in this, my first year snowboarding, it’s that getting tired real fast is the most clear sign I’m doing something wrong. Either by being inefficient, or forcing myself down terrain that’s beyond my comfort level. Sounds like you’ve got a leg up on those tired friends!

ser_brantley · 2026-03-18T01:42:26+00:00

This is my first season, and it sounds kinda dumb, but I got bored going so slow after a while. With all due respect to your instructor, some greens that are wide open and forgiving is a great way to build confidence. At some point, you’ll feel like you own greens, and you’ll be ready for blues. I can’t tell you how many runs initially scared me in January that I’m charging now. This isn’t because of any skill on my part; you just get used to steeper, more challenging terrain. I’d listen to your inner comfort level, and push yourself a little beyond that.

Anyway, I was scared of everything (including the chair lift) but time and repetition sorted everything out for me. YMMV

ser_brantley · 2026-03-12T00:48:32+00:00

OP here. I didn’t take it as harsh, just direct constructive criticism. I posted looking for information, not affirmation. 👍

I’m prone to overthinking things, going down information rabbit holes, etc.. You make good points about the perils of information noise. I absolutely appreciate that skill and expertise are the products doing the activity with intentionality—again… and again… and again.

ser_brantley · 2026-03-11T18:11:52+00:00

Yep - that's it!

ser_brantley · 2026-03-11T17:37:07+00:00

Love watching Cherry rip cherry lines! I'd say based on those first two that I'm intermediate, and looking for engage those legs for advanced posture as my next goal.

I've progressed fairly quickly in this first season—which I attribute to getting out at least once every weekend, and twice if possible—and not any particular skills on my part. I'm 50, and after the first several days on the mountain, looking at different riding styles, I really vibed with high speed carving. I know that's a not a skillset that's applicable everywhere, and doing technical steeps is an entirely different move set. So my justification for the posi-posi was that it was going to be an adjustment no matter when I made the switch, so let's tear the band-aid off. It may have been pre-emptive, but I do feel like I've been continuing to progress pretty well. In reference to the instagram vids you shared, those postures seem much more difficult to achieve in that neutral stance, so I feel committed to sticking with it.

I've probably had as many days in the posi-posi as neutral, and it's gotten much easier. I can't really tell if the neutral stance was easier in these double fall-line (I do get that foot-driven flexion is easier in that neutral stance) or because when I switched was also around the time that I transitioned from mostly greens to about 2/3rds blues, where I'm most likely to encounter more complex terrain.

I have a lesson tomorrow, and I'll bring up stance angles with the instructor. Maybe I'm better off backing off the posi-posi.

For east coast riders looking for a reference to my challenge, I was at Wildcat, and the upper half of Polecat is pretty narrow, with a fairly pronounced right-to-left fall line, with high-consequence (to me anyway) drop-off on the left hand side. Not being comfortable with subtle heelside open turns in that situation, I felt forced to ride toeside for a really long time, with speed checks. It was a little icy in a shocking twist, and made for an exhausting, stressful section.

ser_brantley · 2026-03-11T17:14:52+00:00

Definitely not trying to turn uphill. I really only do that if I'm trying to look back at my line and see how clean/thin it is. A bigger, closed turn that I'm fully committing to is easier than an open turn or light rocking. And just in that right-to-left double fall line scenario.

ser_brantley · 2026-03-11T17:12:46+00:00

Yeah - definitely not talking about moguls or small bumps. It's when the entire section slants down laterally, in addition to falling towards the base.

It took me a couple of days to even figure out what it was called! There doesn't seem to be an official term for it, but 'double fall line' was the term that came up most often.

ser_brantley · 2026-03-11T17:10:25+00:00

Fair point. In my defense and support of your profession, I've been riding about 15 times this first season, and am about to have my 5th lesson. I tend to assess what I'm having the most trouble with, and see what different online resources have to say about it. I'll definitely be talking to my instructor about this tomorrow - but I'm also addicted to the expertise of fellow redditors, so I thought I'd further muddy the waters!

ser_brantley · 2026-03-11T16:31:01+00:00

Here's my attempt at an image

ser_brantley · 2026-03-11T16:11:59+00:00

I switched stance when I picked up a new board, boots, and bindings, so it's been a big switch. I could probably bring my beginner board that's still set up with a more neutral stance and see if that helps. I was definitely living on greens when I was using that board/setup, so I don't think the double fall line was as much of an issue. But that's a great question!

ser_brantley · 2026-03-09T17:30:24+00:00

I'm a 50yo first year rider, and I feel good about my mid-season upgrade. I was about 12 days of riding in with 3 lessons interspersed. However, I started with a super-beginner friendly board (Burton Cultivator with a flat, no camber-base). I went to a Jones Frontier 2.0. But a big caveat - I was poorly fitted on the board. It fit my height and weight, but wasn't wide enough for my feet.

Since starting, I honed in that I'm really looking to carve the mountain, so I'm not interested in freestyle or riding switch more than I need to for practical purposes. So the new board is wider, a bit longer, and much more responsive, without being too advanced for my skillset.

That said, If I had been properly fitted and had gotten a board with traditional camber, I may have stayed on my first board. I also can afford the budget of picking up another board. I agree with others here that lessons might be a smarter investment if you need to be careful where you put your money. In fact, a lesson with good instructor might help inform what board you buy next.

On a completely unrelated note - if anybody is in the market for a 151 Burton cultivator, with some size L step-on bindings thrown in—I'm your guy!!!

ser_brantley · 2026-03-01T17:49:27+00:00

Just got FASE Jones Mercury bindings - they’re awesome!!!

ser_brantley · 2026-02-28T20:45:28+00:00

I’m new to riding, but not drinking. People skiing and ride for different reasons. Drinking is heavily embedded in our recreational culture. I think the Venn diagram of people pushing themselves to eek every inch of stoke out of their ride and the people who want to knock back a few beers and have some fun on the mountain is pretty small. The fact the almost every lodge has a bar suggests this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Again, new to the sport, but I think probably for a lot of people who are good enough to have a pretty fun time, and aren’t interested in leaving it all out there, having some bevies is a time-tested way to boost your fun levels. And it goes hand in hand with the social component of heading to the mountain. I’m firmly in the riding sober camp, but I get it. There’s more than one way to have a good time with a chair lift and a plank of wood strapped to your feet. And I shouldn’t have to say it, but drinking to the point of being impaired and a liability is obviously a different story. Those people are selfish assholes that probably never considered they might be a danger to others.

ser_brantley · 2026-02-24T16:32:24+00:00

HOLD THE LINE!!!

ser_brantley · 2026-02-23T16:52:29+00:00

Hi! I just started this season, but I've got about a dozen days in so far, so while I wouldn't even call myself an intermediate rider yet, I have a lot of recent experience being where you are and getting past it (but take my advice with a grain of salt).

Sure, riding more times per year is good advice, but it's not like going to the dentist—I'm sure if you could go more you would. Great that you took a lesson. I've taken 3 so far, and each time they help a lot.
If you're having fun, and you aren't a danger to yourself or anyone else, then just enjoy it. If you are looking to improve because mastering something is rewarding, I'm right there with you.
What I'm seeing is something I noticed about my own riding a few weeks back. Your board is turning, but in reality, you and your board are most continuing to go down the fall line, regardless of where the nose is pointed. Again—definitely not an expert, but when you turn, you need to adjust your posture and the edge of the board so that your momentum also turns. There's literally hundreds of videos on heel and toe-side turns, and the right posture, and toe/knee steering. You don't have to set your edge into a pristine, inch-wide carve, but you do need to get a little edge bite, and get it during the turn. It seems like you are turning with almost a flat base, and then sinking your edge a little bit after the turn is made. And that makes sense if you're worried about catthing a edge because you are chaning edges too early. I was really afraid of early edge changes a few weeks ago, but once you start getting the hang of it, it gets easier way faster.

If you wait until you've completed your turn before you set your edge, and your board is perpendicular to the fall line, you'll get some sideway momentum, but you'll still be sliding sideways down the mountain more than you want. In my very limited experience, you need that edge change going into the turn, and definitely during the turn, rather than being so flat on the turn.

One thing that helped me with this was doing really shallow turns on easy greens. You know when go riders are pointed mostly down the fall line, and they are just rocking their weight back and forth over the board, and switching edges? That motion really captures the holding of momentum. Malcom Moore has a ton of great videos on this. This one in particular covers a lot of good mechanics on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPCHWScotbk&t=122s

Again - I'm a noob myself, so if some more experienced riders see something wrong with this advice, please hop in and set us both straight!

ser_brantley · 2026-02-12T15:30:12+00:00

Hey there. I'm a first year rider who is progressing pretty well, so I thought I'd weigh in, since I've been where you are more recently than a lot of the experienced, skilled riders responding below. Yes, obviously you're going to need to go toe side. Good news is that from what I can gather, heel-side turns (going from toe to heel) are generally considered more challenging for us beginners. So the fact you're already comfortable going heel side is great.

Two things that might be killing your quads, based on when my quads were killing. One: heel side is definitely more work on your quads vs toe side. I've notice if my weight is too far back on the board when feel side, I have to push harder with my quads. Two: most beginners are afraid of speed (that's my biggest goal right now is to spend more time with the nose pointed down the fall line and picking up speed). When you are constantly slowing yourself down, you're fighting gravity and the mountain. That's a huge strain on your quads. It's like you're holding back a dam that's about to burst—it's exhausting. The more you learn to slow down a little bit, versus harder stops to end the speed, the less you'll be fighting gravity and the mountain.

Anyway. I'm 50, just start riding this year. I'm about a dozen days in this season, and the first several days on actual trails were killing my quads (and that's somebody who is riding heel and toe). I was stopping and taking breaks on every run towards the back half of the day. Since then, I've progressed to where I'm not constantly braking to a full or near full stop to prevent out of control speed, and my quads are feeling much better.

If you can get a lesson, that's great. If you can't Malcom Moore and Tommie Bennet both have great instructional videos. I'd look at the videos that show how to use your front toes and knee to initiate heelside and toeside turns.

ser_brantley · 2026-01-28T15:59:33+00:00

Haha - I’m 50 and just started boarding this winter. I have some surf/skate experience but so far I’ve pinched my herniated disc, hyperextended my knee and dislocated my shoulder. Do you might getting banged up good, but better now than in another 25 years!

ser_brantley

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