go back to Szine Newsletter IndexThe Snowboard Szine
Vol. 1, Issue 23
2/24/05
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In This Issue
1. Latitude 42 was at Hunter Mountain
2. Snowboard Diary - Fresh pow, My 2 halfpipe mishaps
3. Do you ever fall down when you ride?
4. Shout out for volunteers - Nokia World Cup Snowboarding
at Whiteface, NY
In NEXT Issue in a couple of days
(The Szine was too long so I split it into digestible bites.
Hey, we know you have other things to do!)
* Why Wax and Edges are Important
* Snowboard Theft by Professionals
* Pro Forum - Q & A on SnowboardSecrets.com
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1. Latitude 42 was at Hunter Mountain
Hunter Mountain, NY held it's "biggest free ride event ever" over the
President's day weekend. This was the Telemet Latitude 42 degree North Air
Assault. On Saturday the Rail Jam and Quarter Pipe events were held. Sunday
was the Big Air contest, and the quarter pipe made a convenient viewing
stand to watch the Big Air.
Skiers and snowboarders competed and $20,000 in prizes and cash were
awarded, including a snow vacay trip for 2 to Portillo, Chile (where you can
ride in our summer). Live bands played. There was a beautiful torch light
parade where skiers held flares and skied down in the dark. And a great
fireworks display, adding to the fun party atmosphere.
I was filming "my tv show" at the event where I interviewed the finalists
after their runs. I am a reporter for RadX Sports and I got to clamber up 2
ladders onto the scaffolding and squeeze in, where the athletes were waiting
in line to drop in down a steep ramp for the Big Air. I asked the guy behind
me in line who he was and turns out it was Mike Goldschmidt, from VT, who
finished 8th in the Winter X Games pipe.
The snow was a little slow, preventing riders from going as huge as they
hoped. RadX Sports will have good video footage of Hunter's event and it
airs on RSN, DirecTV Channel 626, Empire Sports Network, and on Hudson
Valley Cable 6 on Mon. 8pm and Fri. 7pm.
Will get pix of Latitude 42 Degrees North on my site when my webmaster
finishes his other job. Meanwhile you can see pix and results here:
http://www.huntermtn.com/event_42degrees.html
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2. Snowboard Diary - Fresh pow, My 2 halfpipe mishaps
Sunday night after Hunter Mountain's Latitude 42 Air Assault was over it
snowed 6 inches of powder. It was still blowing sideways in the morning and
some lifts opened late due to the wind. When the air calmed I got to ride
fresh pow, a treat for us in the East. It was in big soft bumpy piles when I
got to it. Fun and tiring. The hard half pipe was now coated in a fluffy
topping which turned it into a toy instead of a weapon.
I almost had a little disaster in that pipe. Possibly worse than the mild
ankle sprain I sustained in a different pipe a couple of weeks ago. Yes, at
Hunter, after a minor spill in the pipe, I looked down, and found... MY CAR
KEYS sitting on the snow! I am usually extremely careful about zipping my
pockets. Don't know how I did that. Am thinking of clipping my keys onto
that loop in my pocket next time for added safety.
Now more about that ankle sprain. It was on my second run down Stratton's
flawless pipe. I'm no ace. My goal in the pipe is merely to survive. I was
having a little trouble making a nice heelside turn. Mid-turn I spent a
split second running down all the instructions I had in the past from
coaches in the pipe. And I decided I needed to bend my knees more.
I guess it was the wrong move in the wrong part of my arc because next
thing I knew I was picking myself up off the bottom of the pipe and feeling
"a little something" in the ankle. I walked around ok off the slopes. And
then rode some more. And then... after taking off my boots at my car...
that's when I started to feel it. I drove 45 minutes toward home, and when I
stopped to buy gas I couldn't walk on that foot. It was a very slow painful
trip to the rest room!
I iced it while driving. Got home 3 hours later and barely made it into
my house. Trip to ER, X-rays, splint, crutches. Fortunately nothing broken.
Just a sprain which I "R.I.C.E.d." (rest, ice, compression, elevation) for 2
days. I shook it off quickly and got back to riding gently after a few days.
This was my first injury of any magnitude in 5 years since I started riding.
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3. Do you ever fall down when you ride? (Lauren's
infomercial)
I know I do! Even after 5 years of riding.
And I hate that feeling of my teeth clicking together when I fall on my
butt - undoing all the fine tuning that my chiropractor has done on my
spine. And I don't want to break a wrist and not be able to work. Or ride.
So every time out, I wear
Azzpadz -
http://www.snowboardsecrets.com/azzpadz.htm
and my new Flexmeter elastic wrist guard gloves
http://www.snowboardsecrets.com/flexmetr.htm
Flexmeters have been proven to reduce snowboard wrist injuries by 67%.
We've had a hard time keeping the Flexmeters in stock.
We have a new shipment of gloves and wrist guards available, and you can
order these directly online from SnowboardSecrets.com now at
http://www.snowboardsecrets.com/flexmetr.htm
They are only available in one store, which I think is all out of them.
And very few websites. So get 'em here!
Thanks for supporting our sites with your purchase!
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4. Shout out for volunteers - Nokia World Cup
Snowboarding
at Whiteface, NY - March 3-6
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. - Get up close to the action next month when the
Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) and Whiteface host the State
Farm U.S. Snowboard Cup, a stop on the Nokia World Cup tour.
ORDA is shouting out for volunteers -- riders (and skiers) -- to assist
with all four days of action from March 3-6.
Positions are needed to serve as gatekeepers, slippers, section helpers,
hand-timers, runners, manual scorekeepers and drug-testing chaperones.
In addition, there is a need for slippers during training days on Tuesday
and Wednesday, March 1-2. ORDA volunteers will receive a ski / ride voucher
for each day of volunteering.
"Volunteers are the backbone of all our events," said Marilyn Lamiman,
Events / Volunteer Coordinator. "This is an excellent way for volunteers who
ski and ride to assist in our event operations. In addition, this is an
opportunity to participate in an awesome sport and see riders that will
compete next winter in the Torino Olympics."
Please note that it is not necessary to be a skier or rider to volunteer.
Training will be provided.
If interested, call 518-523-1655 x 247 or log on to
www.orda.org.
For more information on ORDA venues and events, and to view web cams from
five locations, please log on to
www.orda.org.
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Thanks for reading The Snowboard Szine!
Lauren
Editor -
http://www.SnowBoardSecrets.com
http://www.WhatsonSnow.com
http://www.SnowboardRegistry.com
