<o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com<img src=" images="" smilies="" redface.gif="" border="0" alt="" title="Embarrassment" smilieid="3" class="inlineimg"></o:smarttagtype> Hi all, I had my first season in hardboots this past winter. I’ve seen a bunch of posts on first days, so I thought I'd post mine...
Let me start by saying I only had about 7 days in softboots. The first time I was on a snowboard was about 1999 and I LOVED it. For some reason I didn’t go out again until the 2007/20008 season.
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In April 2008, I went to <st1></st1><st1><st1>Mt.</st1> <st1>Hood</st1></st1> w/a friend and his friend, who is a hardbooter. I was a newbie in softies and was semi-terrified and preoccupied with the size of Hood – so I’m not sure I ever saw the hardbooting guy really ride and got the difference, but he did give me lots of good pointers. Anyway fast forward a couple of months, the hardbooter guy and I stayed in touch and he would NOT stop talking about snowboarding. I mean, it was summer and we were at the beach! I didn’t get it…until one day, this short film “Carved” came out. You have to understand this guy is inseparable from his I-phone and would show that short to everyone..he even made my mom watch it. At some point, which I don’t really remember, I must have said I'd give hardboots a shot. Nothing would ever be the same…
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Next thing I know, I was sucked into the vortex of Bomber, of You Tube videos on carving, boards I should check out and boots. O-M-G..the freaking boots. Styles and foot measuring and BTS thingys and liner questions and emails of things to research flooding my work inbox. Are you serious?? Next thing I know, we’re buying me boots off Bomber. I remember thinking right about then “holy S****, I’m really going to have to do this!”
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So come this past November, the same three of us go out to <st1:state><st1>Colorado</st1> </st1:state>for some early season riding. Only having about 7 days on the snow ever, we took my softboots AND my new hardboots (just in case) but only my softboot board. I spent the first 3 days in my softies. I was having serious boot issues and I was really unhappy and probably not so much fun to be around. So we decided to give the hardboots a shot. My friend set my softboot board up with a spare pair of Carrier bindings he had and put my angles around 40something. We got off the lift the next morning and this is how it went:
Hardbooter friend: Make a flat spot and just step in with your back foot
Me: I try to step in and slide 10 feet. Try again and slide another 10 feet and so on and so on for about 5 minutes .
Me 7 minutes later: Finally clip in while I’m sliding unwillingly, my feet at these weird angles, slightly terrified and shout to my friend (who I’m hating at this point) “Now what??”
Hardbooter Friend: SNOWBOARD he shouts back.
<o></o> That’s all the instruction I got down my first trail in hardboots. I haven’t been in softies since. I’m hooked. I try on my gear about once a month during the off season, think the summers are to long and the winters are too short. I can’t really carve yet, but I’m determined. I even take turns extra sharp on my bike to and from work because I imagine it almost feels like carving.
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You guys are die-hard. I love it. Can’t wait for season 2!
