I got a Splitboard for Christmas and finally, after a nasty and loooong-lasting cold I went for my first ride. More so, I did my first course with our friend and I must say, it went quite well. 🙂 I was pleasantly surprised, especially after doing my first curves within short time. The thing is, with a good coach you can’t really fail, not even clumsy-me. Sometimes, a person telling you what to do is not a bad thing but the opposite. It works. My very first course was a blast. Now it’s on me to practice. A lot.
The most difficult thing for me is keeping up the right posture and returning to it after doing a curve. Anyway, it is going to work in a bit. I am optimistic. Thinking of the possibilities I now have with a splitboard in winterly mountains makes me very happy. It is what I want. I don’t want to have to stay at home anymore because I can do no winter sports. I want to be out there, up there and enjoy being outside and in the mountains in winter.
In the meantime I have been snowboarding again last week and this time it went not so well, at least that’s how I felt. My coach has been more positive though and said I did alright and that I actually did learn new things. I should be satisfied with my effort. So after some reflection I have to admit that, yes, I did quite well. We went on a more difficult piste only after my first downhill run and although I was frightened of letting things slide in the first place, in the end I managed to arrive safely at the ski-lift, more so, my boarding wasn’t totally bad – for a beginner on her second course.
Honestly, I expected too much from my second lesson. After doing so well in my first one I thought my development would be greater than it actually was and I really doubted myself and my abilities. It looks like snowboarding requires patience.
Learning new things is seldom easy. Yes, there exist talented people – like my brother – who put on a snowboard for the first time and more or less just ride it. Such people are in for the fun right away unlike people like me, who need lots of practice and perseverance while learning a new sport. We need to endure lots of pain and failures until we can actually enjoy. But in the end it’s worth it. It definitely takes some time, it may take me longer as other newbies, but after the fight comes the fun and until then I‘ll have earned it. You betcha!
Maybe….I was just thinking…I mean, after learning how to snowboard I might as well learn from a professional how to successfully ride a mountainbike (without struggling big time on descents), how to ski and how to skate. 🙂 Lifelong learning – not just a word.