BlueB Posted January 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 Can you teach me then?? Of course! If you came with your gear on any given Tuesday, I'm there. Make sure you request Boris. If you are without gear, I need to know in advance, to bring some stuff for you, as the rentals have none... Also, I would make the best effort to accomodate you on other days too, but need few days heads-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bora20 Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 Of course! If you came with your gear on any given Tuesday, I'm there. Make sure you request Boris. If you are without gear, I need to know in advance, to bring some stuff for you, as the rentals have none... Also, I would make the best effort to accomodate you on other days too, but need few days heads-up. I will see what I can do this winter/spring Boris. I would bring all my gear and maybe we will be able to work something out. That would throw them for a loop if someone comes up and asks for a hardboot lesson :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted January 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 Actually, every now and then, there are odd requests for alpine... In most of the cases the staff at the desk doesn't even understand what's the client talking about. I had Yoshi kid (member here) as the student last year. Later he proceeded to win his division PGS at Whistler and his mom notified the school. Somehow, they've chosen to forget about that success story... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Prokopiw Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 that you are back in gear! Way to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiveBomber Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 Hey B, heres a great idea.... Leave some of your boards at the rental shop(in sight of customers) if you can, so people can ask about it., put your name/card on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted January 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 Hi ‘booters. It’s time to resurrect this strange thread once again. It took the most unusual twists over the last few years and it culminated this season… At the beginning of 2012 I got promoted to a POD (Private on Demand) instructor, meaning no fixed days or schedule, doing my own arrangements with the clients, yet booking through the School. I still had school jacket and full staff privileges and bonus $ for on-demand bookings. I was allowed to teach alpine, carving, any kind of performance riding, but also the beginners who didn’t mind my gear and wanted me specifically. However, the School did 0 efforts to promote my service, it is not even listed on the website. It is completely up to me to self promote. I have a feeling it was the school’s way of removing me from the regular ranks and lessons, yet keeping me on the staff… One way or another, it worked really nicely for me. In the mean time, I became good at riding h/boots in (asymmetric) Duck stance, riding switch in alpine stance, jumps, moguls and all other sorts of stuff… Won a prize for Instructor of the Month, few times, too. Fast forward to this season, lo and behold, I’m a Staff Trainer! I’m in charge of carving training (what else? :) ) and might do the race training at a later stage. First module is higher performance soft boot carving. At a later stage, for instructors who feel so inclined (pun intended), I might do a hard boot clinic. Among my students, I have the main on-snow Supervisor and the main Staff Trainer/Coordinator (she appointed me to this position). I do all the demos on hard boots – started with duck stance, to be similar to what majority rode. Then, I had a clinic on stance and gear optimization for carving. From there, I’m going to my forward stance and will let others pick theirs, after a bit of experimenting. Fun! Later this year, I’ll try to make the history and be the first one to get Level 3 certified on hard boots. The L4 trainer who came to prep us for it, is the former Hi-Performance Director of Canadian Alpine Team :0 . I knew him already from the Cypress Olympics glory days. So, in the light of this sweet story, it would be in order to thank all my students, all the local riders and friends and few open minded people at Cypress organization, for the support, trust and making this happen. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crucible Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 Way to stick it out Boris! My dad always said that the best revenge was to outlive your detractors and piss on their graves.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 Good going Blue B. Why is it that it is so difficult to promote ones ability to do multi snow sports ? You have to be a skier or a soft booter or a hardboot boarder or a Skwaler. Why not try them all ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 (edited) Nice to hear that if some one is good, the best will happen. Congrats Boris, keep hardbooting alive. Edited January 12, 2016 by Hans Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 Congrats Boris, nice to hear this story has a happy ending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 Awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allee Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 I can't even imagine trying to ride duck in hard boots without a good neurosurgeon on call, but it's great that everything's worked out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael.a Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 That's phenomenal that you stuck it out that long. It's so weird that a hill where a Canadian won a gold medal in snowboarding would be so... anti-hardboot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 Actually riding duck in hard boots takes one thing out of the equation: it removes one objection to decent boots. Rather like the people who ride alpine boards switch well. Or those of us who ride powder boards. Decent boots and bindings aren't the restriction some people like to pretend they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 This is good news!! Well done Boris!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted January 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 First of all, thanks for all the congrats and well wishes! Most of the Bomber brotherhood was great moral support at the hard times I had to go through. I feel this is a victory for all of us. Good going Blue B. Why is it that it is so difficult to promote ones ability to do multi snow sports ? You have to be a skier or a soft booter or a hardboot boarder or a Skwaler. Why not try them all ? Actually, for couple of years now, the School was really promoting the dual certification. This season we had a huge shortage of staff (due to 2 bad seasons before), especially ski instructors shortage. The school has paid for snowboard instructors to do their L1 CSIA (ski). I can't even imagine trying to ride duck in hard boots without a good neurosurgeon on call, but it's great that everything's worked out! It is actually perfectly doable, just like Phil mentioned. It's all the matter of adjusting the stance for your body parameters. I can go into detail if any broather interest, or offline. That's phenomenal that you stuck it out that long. It's so weird that a hill where a Canadian won a gold medal in snowboarding would be so... anti-hardboot. Ha, ha, no they let us ride. There was just a perception problem of hardbooter teaching the softbooters... But also, take a note who is coaching me towards my L3 :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Boris, not only is this awesome for you - congrats! - it's a small victory for the sport we love too! Thank you for sticking it out!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b0ardski Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Keep showing them how it's done Boris, your my hero Actually riding duck in hard boots takes one thing out of the equation: it removes one objection to decent boots. Rather like the people who ride alpine boards switch well. Or those of us who ride powder boards. Decent boots and bindings aren't the restriction some people like to pretend they are. well put Phil, I've been trying to tell people that for decades, falling on deaf ears mostly. I gave up trying to convince anybody and let my pow slashing tree threadin' switch carving bump bashing spin freak riding paint a 1000 word picture for the eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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