How often do you fall?

[alpinegirl]

yay, i'm glad i am not the only person to acknowledge falling down often.

why, just yesterday i somehow ended up on my face. but the details of the fall are a little fuzzy for some odd reason ;)

allee knows how much i fall. she has witnessed that phenomenon first hand. i do also agree with the statement that if you are pushing yourself to an extreme that falling down is a small departure from remaining upright.

[Tabatha]

I have been told I am clumsy, in fact the running joke at work is that I am still in for the season ... they have a pool as to when I take myself out. And as a beginner, my learning curve is still steep and so I fall. There are two types of falls in my book; pushing-yourself-to-learn-more-falls, and silly falls where you are no longer in the right head-space.

As a beginner, I do believe that I need to push myself and step out of my comfort-zone, and while I have those runs that make me feel wonderful where the linked turns seem to fit and I make it down the hill without falling, I also have some nasty and very ugly runs, but I think that falling is part of the learning process on those "bad runs" and I actually feel sometimes that if I didn't fall, I didn't try hard enough to learn something.

Last year I had a bad fall on my board - broke my shoulder. I did feel pain like I have never felt it before, but I didn't realise it was broken, so I continued to ride that day and fell lots - those were silly falls and I should have stopped and re-evaluated. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and realise you are done for the day and that if you do keep riding you are going to have some really silly falls, and possibly inflect season-ending injuries to yourself.

As an FYI - the shoulder was not a season ending injury until I found out it was actually broken two weeks later! Who needs a shoulder to snowboard anyway?

[Armtron2000]

i fall a bunch! but that is mostly because i am just learning!!

as my mom always said when i was younger: "if you are not falling, you are not trying hard enough!"

[carvedog]

Ok girlz, I wasn't picking on Allee, just expressing concern that a once day back slam is too much. It might indicate more turn shape is needed. Meaning more lateral movement and less down the fall line movement, but trying to diagnose without seeing is a shot in the dark.

I answered to poll at 1-3 times per day. (I didn't catch the per run part of the question) Those are normally just slideouts of one kind or another. Some with recovery, some sliding to a stop on belly with snow stuffed down my coat to bottom of helmet.

Now seriously if you think that a big slam once a day is ok, I think you really need to evaluate how and where you are riding. This is too much.

I do a big slam once or twice a season. They suck. I feel for you if that happens every time you ride.

[Yamash]

Happy to realize that i'm not alone....

As it been said... i'm sliding almost 1 time every 2 runs.... no injury, no pain just a over confidence during turn. The biggest issues whit those fall is my snow pants!!!! after 3 years of regular backside sliding, almost went truth my pant!

For big backslash..... ouch! it's one or 2 times a year... and it take 2 weeks to get like a new! I'm maybe old (41), if I was slashing every day.... would stop a long time ago....my body can't not endure that!

And for those who says that "if your not falling....your not pushing enough" For me sliding is almost normal.... but slashing.... your will not improve if your season end in January cause a "too much pushing attitude"

sorry for my english... but in french we say:

Petit train ira loin! small train will go further!

I'm happy to realize that I'm not that "bad carver" cause I slide almost every run in black daimond, and maybe on or 2 times/day in green square.

Yamash

[steamboatrailer]

Those of you that voted "never" are lying or don't push your self.

[lowrider]

It only counts as a fall if someone sees it right?

[lafcadio]

Last year I had a bad fall on my board - broke my shoulder. I did feel pain like I have never felt it before, but I didn't realise it was broken, so I continued to ride that day and fell lots

Hi Tabatha,

I'm really curious about your fall when you broke your shoulder. How and when did you realize it was finally broken?

I had a fall on Sunday (went airborne off a heel to toe side transition unexpectedly and didn't land so well). My shoulder hurt pretty bad and I did stop for the day.

After three days of rest and lots of Advil, motion is slowly coming back. Today is the first day I can almost lift my arm over my head before the pain is too great.

[carvedog]

Those of you that voted "never" are lying or don't push your self.

This is the question:

View Poll Results: Going down an average length run on an average day, how many times do you fall?

There are quite a few folks who would fit in that category.

By definition if you voted 1-3, you are saying that you fall or slide out on every single run. I chose that because I thought the OP meant all day or I would be in never as well.

Does this mean you fall or slide out on every single run? I hope not but maybe you do.

[two_ravens]

Hi Tabatha,

I'm really curious about your fall when you broke your shoulder. How and when did you realize it was finally broken?

I had a fall on Sunday (went airborne off a heel to toe side transition unexpectedly and didn't land so well). My shoulder hurt pretty bad and I did stop for the day.

After three days of rest and lots of Advil, motion is slowly coming back. Today is the first day I can almost lift my arm over my head before the pain is too great.

I didn't break my shoulder, but took a bad fall in icy conditions last Feb and landed hard on my upper arm/shoulder. Hurt a lot. Couldn't lift it much the rest of the season, but convinced myself it was just a strain. Then got in a kayak in May and dislocated it almost immediately. It just fell out of joint really, there was nothing holding it together - only then did I wake up and realize I had badly torn the rotator cuff. Of course, dislocating it torn it up even further. Still rehabbing.....

We get pretty good at telling ourselves the stories we want to believe. :rolleyes:

Oh, and I slide out a few times a day. Bad falls - requiring time off and/or treatment - twice last season.

[Mark Brown]

As they say in small sailboat racing: if you don't turn over, you're not really trying!

[Steve Prokopiw]

I ride as hard as I can, but fall as little as I can, so I can keep riding as much as I can!

[bonzo]

It only counts as a fall if someone sees it right?

It's the alpine corollary to "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

[powell1.8]

When I was a kid learning to ski, we called it learning to fall. The thought being that if you can fall without getting hurt you will by happy accident learn to ride well. Mostly by learing what not to do. I have maintained this view of riding my whole life.

I fall a lot. What constitutes a fall for me is not owning the run. It may be a slight skid, a little chatter, sliding out, or a body slam. I prefer not to ever ever ever employ the body slam.

If I'm not falling I'm not learning or progressing, your pick. I feel no shame about it. Falling with style is a true art form.

[Tabatha]

lafcadio - don't push it too much. If you are still in pain a week after the injury, get it looked out. Some things are too important to risk (like health and a snowboard season)

I knew something was wrong because I couldn't actually lift my arm, couldn't dress myself (hard thing in winter when wear layers / jackets and are single). I suppose part of the problem was denial ... it was four days before I left for ECES and I was dammed if I would miss it, so I just kept trucking. At ECES people were really helpful with carrying my board and helping me do-up my hard boots, although I have still not been converted to step-ins! :rolleyes:

When I got back from ECES a week after the fall, the pain hadn't subsided and I wasn't sleeping well (side sleeper). While I was quickly picking up dexterity in my left side, I really couldn't do much, like drive my car or brush my teeth! So I sucked it up and went to the doctor to see about physio. At first she thought it was a bad sprain, she insisted that I have a few x-rays, just to rule out the possibility.

I was actually at Mt. Tremblant, finishing a run when she called to tell me it was in fact broken. 6 months of physio and doing the stretches as left me (almost) as good as new. But I had to give up yoga for 10 months, and swimming this summer wasn't easy.

The key to knowing you have an injury is that it HURTS, and the pain doesn't go away quickly. Sometimes the need to be on the board overrides the reality that you are seriously over-compensating the injury. You just don't know until you have had it checked out by a professional. Sure Avdil numbs the pain and brings down the swelling, but sometimes that can make things worse.

Oh - and for the record the fall was on semi-powder. I was taking a lesson in carving and I hooked into this really sweet turn around a small knoll, but with the heavy snow, I just couldn't pull myself out of it and flipped. All I remember is lying on the snow saying to myself "breath, don't throw up, this is only run two of the day, BREATH!" I suppose the feeling of needing to throw-up really should have been the give-away!

[Big D]

I don't feel I fall that often (4 day trip 7 falls in all, which included 2 in 16" of heavy fresh with a crusty sub-layer) primarily because I am so out of shape I am constantly monitoring the old personal Fall Meter. When the quads are giving in I dial it back, when I am fresh I push it. Funny as that is when I get most of my falls and that is ok with me as I would rather fall when not fatigued than when low on juice and unable to enact counter measures.

[dano]

I put 1-3, but what I notice is that once I fall once, I'm MUCH more likely to fall again and again that day. Almost always a wash out on a heelside carve, followed by a nasty butt slam that may or may not readjust my spine...

If I avoid that 1st one I'm usually good all day...

[Zone]

I was following Bruce for part of 8:30-4:30 last week. I don't think he fell once, and that's not from lack of carving hard. I think he was riding some kind of magic Coiler 'no-fall' board designs.

[Mike T]

I was following Bruce for part of 8:30-4:30 last week. I don't think he fell once, and that's not from lack of carving hard. I think he was riding some kind of magic Coiler 'no-fall' board designs.

Never seen him fall either, in an OES and an SES. That said, I have one of those "no fall" Coilers too (NSR+Asym 182). I have to work pretty hard to go down on that.

I voted wrong... I voted 4+/run, what I meant was 4+/day. And again, my definition of fall is "anything that causes me to stop unintentionally" which includes bleeding off too much speed in a turn, heelside hipslides, etc.

If I were to only count falls that hurt, I probably average one of those every 6 or 8 days out.

[b0ardski]

The 1st few yrs of hardbooting maybe 5-10 per day from simple slide outs to bodyslams (especially learning to ride switch).

Nowadays I might slide out once every few days if there's icy spots. On deep snow days a head roll is often a given, usually on a jump or big drop.

With 20 yrs of practice body slams are getting pretty rare.

Average day on average run? never

[Zone]

Never seen him fall either, in an OES and an SES. That said, I have one of those "no fall" Coilers too (NSR+Asym 182). I have to work pretty hard to go down on that.

.

Mind you I only ever saw him fall once and ...he broke his ankle.

So I'd rather not see him fall again, cause when he does, he does it good.

[lafcadio]

lafcadio - don't push it too much. If you are still in pain a week after the injury, get it looked out. Some things are too important to risk (like health and a snowboard season)

I hear ya. If I'm not feeling okay by Sunday, I'll be seeing the doctor.

The conditions were soft packed powder and kind of deep. I really had no business trying to carve on this stuff, not to mention I was pretty tired from the day before. But it's really difficult to stop when making so much good progress.

[Tabatha]

Lafcadio; Hang in there - and do what you got to do, just hoping it isn't a season ending injury.

I just got back from the hill and didn't fall AT ALL. Was pushing it, but the conditions, while a little chewed, were fantastic and things just worked. I just felt the board and let it to what it needed to do. Although my Thursday nights after work tend to me a little more chill.

[xxguitarist]

I also dont fit neatly into these categories. I probably wash out on a heelside and sit down between once per 8 runs - once per 2 runs depending on conditions. Biggest injury that usually results, is some snow in my beard or down the neck.

Around once per 5 sessions I take one that requires a minute to shake off. Not usually anything damaging, but I might be able to feel it later that day.

In several years I've had one fall that resulted in taking days off, and those days happened to be a few months actually. Knocking on wood that it wont happen again. I've learned to avoid the trio of flat light, crowds, and chopped up trails.

[bonzo]

Caught my toeside edge last night in a crevasse sized rut. Sent me over the handlebars and I cartwheeled twice on the steeps. I think that I have strained my peroneus longus (muscle on outside of lower leg, front foot). Have an orthopedic consult this afternoon. I have a week long-trip to start in 8 days.

Worst boarding accident I have had in 17 years. I blame this thread for my misfortune. This is America, I have to blame someone, I can't take responsibilities for my actions ;).