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Getting old


jtslalom

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It seems as the years go on that my snowboarding lacks not because of bad technique but rather lack of stamina. It is difficult to link more than 15 or so turns together without stopping for a break. Ofcourse as the season progresses it gets better, but for now it is pretty miserable. I also find myself getting more and more lazy. I don't drive my turns as hard and don't seem to finish my GS turns in a deep knee bent position, rather a more erect one. I hope that 34 isn't over the hill for snowboarding. I guess I'm not a kid any more.

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Originally posted by jtslalom

It seems as the years go on that my snowboarding lacks not because of bad technique but rather lack of stamina. It is difficult to link more than 15 or so turns together without stopping for a break. Ofcourse as the season progresses it gets better, but for now it is pretty miserable. I also find myself getting more and more lazy. I don't drive my turns as hard and don't seem to finish my GS turns in a deep knee bent position, rather a more erect one. I hope that 34 isn't over the hill for snowboarding. I guess I'm not a kid any more.

Hmmm.... 15 turns and needing a break. :confused:

I am 58 and not in the best of shape but I can make many runs without a break down BlackComb. maybe your board is beating you up more than you think. I have ridden many boards over the years and find some boards tire me quickly and some don't. What are you riding these days?

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This season I have had no time for any cross training to speak of, so at 47 I'm a little concerned myself. I did however get a little summer boarding in, Easton glacier on Mt. Baker and my fav little N. Cascades stash, Mt Sauk, complete with a lake at the bottom, and perfect angled slopes. If I were 34 I'd be a terror!

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i notice that when im on my heelside carve and trying to drive my knees towards the snow the harder i drive the more my front thigh screams. so much so that i dont think i am getting my knees as low as i could if my thigh wasn't screaming so damn loud. is this something that will get easier as i get more runs in or am i doing something wrong?

thanks

john

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You're 34? Let's see, Jimmy Carter was just ending his term in the White House when I was that age.

At 58 I inevitably endure the ravages of time early each season. I've been doing some exercises to diminish quad burn but it rears its ugly head each December and gets less noticeable as the season progresses.

It's no coincidence that the next competitive class for me at USASA is "Methuselah".

Anyone going to be at Okemo this Friday?

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here's a suggestion. go to aspen and ride

with joey cabell. he's 65, and if you can't

keep up with him -- he does non stops

at buttermilk -- he won't wait for you.

old is a very relative term.

did i mention his knee replacement?

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I guess I'm not that old after all (comparitvely), maybe a little out of shape. It usually gets better after the third or fourth day out. I didn't do much training before the season started this year. I usually work out with my high schools ski team but to much grad school this year. By the way gawdzira, I ride a 153 RT to compensate for the small hill. When I ride the 166 Rossi, 15 turns does put me in the parking lot.

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Guest Tim Tuthill

I'm 62!! Come ride with me. Mammoth all season, will be at Aspen for the whole deal. Joey should be there also. Do the chair against the wall to a 90 degree position as much as you can each day. Work to a 60 sec or more time set. It will help your legs.Good turns!!

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If your front thighis burning, it may be that your stanceis too far back. That was my problem, anyhow... it forced me to lean forward to get my weight in the right place. Moving the bindings forward let me center my weight so now both legs burn out simultaneously. :)

It took a while to re-adjust my posture, to not lean forward so much as I did before, but IMO it was well worth it.

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yeah, quit whinning!

;)

Im 33 and I definitely dont have the energy I used to, but in addition to that being due to "getting older" (less energy due to aging...it happens) its mostly due to just being out of shape. The older you get the more you have to work at keeping that stamina up

34 is by no means "old" so dont let yourself go that route. Hit the gym (swimming is still probably the best all around exercise you can do) and work on endurance.

the chair sit thing...man...that is a thigh KILLER and will have you bangin down the hill without even thinkin twice in no time!

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I usually do them at the end of my normal workout, and then rather than do it all at once I do one minute sets (or sits, wucka-wucka) with a minute rest between them. I can't do much more than 2 minutes at a stretch after I'm done with squats, etc.

They're kinda funny to watch from the outside - just looks like the dude's resting against the wall, until you notice the sweat pouring and the shaking thighs...

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jtslalom,

Offseason training is key!!!

As a fellow math teacher I must ask...what the heck are doing during your summer months?!?!?! Put the TI-83+ Silver Ed. down and start working out!! ;)

The past several summers I did no off-season training and got spanked for the first month of the snowboarding season. Finally I learned my lesson and worked out daily this past summer. Between summer grad classes and a part-time job, I squeezed in morning walks with my dog that were fairly rigorous and at night I rode my exercise bike.

My legs are thanking me this season from the summer training. They are definitely stronger on the slopes and not as sore on Monday mornings when I have to trudge up 3 flights of stairs to my classroom.

ps. BTW, how did your snowboard/sidecut design geometry project go?

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I've been pretty good about going to the gym and doing one-legged squats while balanced on a wobble board (like a boogie board but with a fixed fulcrum). It gives the quads a killer workout and is great for balance.

Over the summer I did a lot of 12 mile rides on the unicycle. Since there is no coasting, the quads get a workout uphill and downhill. I recently learned that Bodie Miller does uphill unicycle rides to train.

Despite the workouts, my first day on the board this season was painful for the left (forward) quad. I've been taking Calcium/magnesium and drinking lots of fluids and I guess I have to accept that it just takes time to get the muscles back in shape. I'll give it another try tomorrow at Okemo.

Yikes! It's 58 degrees in Hartford.

Happy Holidays everyone!

ykt1uyksy9ykt43

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I feel like my prime snowboarding years are still ahead of me. Oh yeah, I'd like to be 24 and know what I know now, too. But, I wouldn't want to go back to age 24 without the experience of a 45 year old body and mind that I now have.

I ride my bike daily and faithfully 6-7 months a year. I skateboard at my local park and also do longboarding up in the canyons near here. I lift weights and play racquetball regularly. I drink water to stay hydrated and I stay away from tobacco (except for a GOOD cigar every now and then). I don't hang out at my doctor's office anymore with chronic sinus infections because I gave up cow's milk and high carb intake. I look at the Federal government's Food Pyramid and know to do the exact opposite for my body/blood type. I keep my carb and fat intake low, eat lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.

I didn't snowboard for about 6 years during the late-90's. Now, I'm back and on my 4th season pass and 4th season of hardbooting. I ride with my sons and several buddies and we can't wait to get to the mountains every weekend.

Mark

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