Snowboarding lessons on Lookout

Summer Crosby

The drive up to Lookout Pass for my 9 a.m. snowboarding lesson was a bit nerve wracking. While the roads could make anyone fret, I’m more concerned about the lesson that awaits me. I spent the night dreaming about breaking my neck. Despite my concerns, I put on a smile and meet Ric Clarke, who is in charge of the ski school.

After filling out the rental form, I’m handed over to Cody Hinton, who fits me with a board and boots. Hinton explains to me that the size of the board is based on height, weight and boot size.

“You want the length of the board to fall somewhere between the tip of your nose and your chin,” he said.

As for boot size, a snowboarder wants a board that isn’t too narrow or too wide compared to his shoe size. Finally, a heavier set person shouldn’t ride on a board that is too short as the board will have a tendency to wipe out. On the other hand, a lighter person doesn’t want a long board because they will usually have problems controlling the board and initiating turns.

After selecting a board that fits me, Hinton asks if I’m goofy or regular. This simply means which foot rides in front. To figure this out, you can run and slide across the floor and whatever foot goes first determines which foot will go in front. A goofy rider, which is what I am, rides the board with their right foot ahead of their left foot. With this is mind, Hinton attaches the bindings to the board, which will hold my boots in place while I’m riding. Handing the board to me, Hinton tells me to “have fun, and not to fall,” adding shortly after that, “that falling is half the fun.”

Outside, I meet my instructor Angel Tomaselli. This is her third season of teaching at Lookout, although she’s snowboarded for many years. The first thing she has me do is rock back and forth, from my toes to my heel, to see if my heels come up out of the boot. They do. This indicates that my boots aren’t tight enough.

“You don’t want your heels lifting up out of your boots, because the control of the board is based in your heels and you want them to fit tight enough so there’s no play,” she explained.

Next, she explains that if you set your board down while on the mountain, you want the side with the binding faced down so the board doesn’t runaway and take out any skiers, windshields or individuals walking around. I learn the front of the board is called the tip, the back is called the tail, and then you have the toe side of the board and the heel side. Before strapping my first foot into the binding, I snap the leash to my shoe lace so if anything were to happen while I’m snowboarding, my board it always attached to me. With the leash in place, I strap in my right foot. I set my heel back in as far as it will go tightening the back strap first, followed by the toe strap. Again, I don’t want my heel lifting up out of the binding.

Tomaselli then teaches me how a snowboarder gets around. First there’s skating, which is where a snowboarder takes short steps, foot in front of or behind the board, pushing it along. The second method a snowboarder can use is called gliding, where one takes two quick steps and then brings their left foot up against the binding while the board glides along. Finally, it’s time to head up to the top of the bunny hill.

Mastering the rope tow is a process all in itself, but I finally manage to make it to the top. Tomaselli explains that we are going to practice heel side falling leaf. First, she has me strap in my second foot and reminds me of the “tough snowboarding chic stance”: body is quiet and still above my waist, while I am bent slightly through my knees and at my hips. Tomaselli can tell that I’m nervous and so she has me watch her first.

In heel side falling leaf, your torso faces the bottom of the mountain and to start off you apply pressure to your lead foot in the toe edge. Then, to even out the board, Tomaselli puts pressure on the opposite foot in her heel, and then changes the pressure to the toe to slide in the other direction. The technique is called falling leaf because the board is moving as though it were a leaf landing softly on the snow.

It’s important to look where you’re going and to stay centered on the board. I quickly learn that the tendency to lean back causes you to go faster and eventually to fall.

Once we’ve finished learning the heel side falling leaf, it’s time to learn toe side falling leaf. This is similar to heel side falling leaf only your torso faces the top of the mountain, you put pressure on your toes to stop and pressure in your heels to slide the way you want. I’m quickly uncomfortable with this part of the lesson.

“We can continue working on heel side then,” Tomaselli tells me, “and let you build up your confidence, but if you want to learn to snowboard you’re eventually going to have to learn it because in order to initiate and connect your turns you have to learn both. There’s no getting around it.”

I tell her I understand and I’m happy to learn both once I’ve built up my confidence going one way. It’s only my first day and I’m still having trouble stopping. At the end of the lesson, Tomaselli says that I’ve been a “willing spirit and you’ve learned more than most people your age do during their first lesson.” She takes some time to explain to me what I’ve learned and what I need to continue working on.

Returning my board after I’ve spent some time practicing on my own, Hinton asks if they’ll be seeing me again, only on the mountain next time and not the bunny hill. Hinton gives me a high-five when I tell him yes and turn down a pair of skis from the guys renting them out.

I definitely enjoyed my first snowboarding lesson. It’s a lot harder than it looks and I used muscles in my legs I wasn’t even sure I had. The morning after, I was sore from the several falls, but in my opinion, snowboarding was more enjoyable than a pair of skis. I just have to get the hang of it.