Wish me luck. . .

[hammerwoman]

I'm a 61-year-old Registered Nurse. . . in Orthopaedics. I started snowboarding in 1990, and as soon as I could, I was patrolling on a board in ski boots, with a pair of skis sitting outside the doghouse for sled duty. Thought I would never give it up, but my (now ex) was jealous, and motorcycle racing and restoration was taking all my time. "Hammerwoman" was a name I got from motorcycle racing, and of course became my roller derby name. So, now, living alone, wondering how I ever got to hate winter, realizing I've either got to move south, or get back into it. Found a pair of old Burton Reactors, same size I wore, for $20. Found a Burton Ultra Prime with Race Plates (in a sedate 56) for $150, they should be arriving this week. I'll get the board ground, put in my bevels, tune it, and go somewhere nobody knows me to see whether my legs remember what to do- and whether the shiny titanium bits that give the TSA scanners fits let them do it.

 

Wish me luck. If all goes well, I'll be looking for new gear soon. . . and that Donek Legacy looks sweet.

[billyt.]

Roller Derby!! That is awesome. Sounds like you still have it going on, go girl.

[lowrider]

You are probably in the youth category of late starters. Good Luck !

[Henry Hester]

Just got a 23 wide Legacy. Love your story. I did track days for 7 years.

[icebiker]

Welcome back to the fold!!  

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Welcome Hammerwoman!!  Sounds like a good start. You will find allot of helpful folks here at BOL.   Don't forget to check the "Ride Board" for your area.   Fun to ride with like minded alpine riders!!!   Twist it!!!  You will find quite a few motor heads here. 

[John E]

Great to hear. Go for it!

 

I'm sure that you can get lots of tips (and gear) on this forum.

 

Keep us posted on how your re-introduction goes.

[barryj]

Hey HW,

 

Welcome,

I see your in NH,  (we have a house in Franconia) Get yourself and your gear up to Bretton Woods resort............best user friendly resort for learning/relearning....even on weekends.  Cranmore would be my second best suggestion for ya....great easy/fun runs on the back side....very poular on weekends but doable.

I would avoid Cannon, Waterville Valley until your feeling back in the drivers seat on the board.

 

Loon has some mild runs but is a zoo on weekends  

 

Hope to see ya at ATC  aka: SES in Colorado this time next year!

[Corey]

Awesome!  The previous experience racing motorcycles will help a great deal as you already know how to look and plan ahead.  Once you remember/figure out the mechanics of turning the board, you'll develop really quickly.  

[AlexJ]

Come over to ECES in 3 weeks. Spend some time with Erik he will help get you right back in the seat. Plus you get to check out all the new gear first hand.

 

http://forums.bomberonline.com/index.php?/forum/65-2016-eces/

 

Alex

[hammerwoman]

So, this is how it went. The boots arrived last week, half-size too big, stuffed an extra insole in and wore heavy socks. I came home late yesterday from one of those working-hard, making-no-progress days on a bike build to find the board unexpectedly on my doorstep. The base was rippled, the edges burred, dull, rusty, and the bindings missing pieces. Screw it, I'm going. Between old parts I'd found in my workshop and what was on the board, I managed a working set of bindings, I bought one of those cheap edging tools (not my good files!) and got rid of the rust, slapped on some wax, and headed down to Sunapee for a half-day. It's usually nuts on a Sunday afternoon, but on Super Bowl Sunday, people were already leaving, and I parked right in front of the main lodge.

 

Over to the beginner area. . . I'm buckling in, scooting around, it just feels good. When I was last here (I don't know how many years, at least six, maybe as many as ten??, but it was for certain three lower-extremity fractures ago), I don't remember there being two "magic carpets" and a fence around it. Crap. No place to hike up, and no way to be discreet, the hardboot setup is already getting comments. Screw it, get on the damn lift. . .and then off, no problem. I know that if I can just get my brain to stop yammering at me, I'll be fine. Adaptive ski program is everywhere, blind skiers, sit skiers, ankle biters buzzing around and their parents laying down in the trail. . . lots to look out for. Buckle the back boot down. Leave the boots on "walk" for the first run. Okay okay okay, point it down the hill, angle a bit over to the right-hand trail edge, look over my shoulder to make sure I'm not going to get stuffed by a sled, and on autopilot, sink into that first heelside turn, and as I come around, come up, and roll it over toeside, I grin like my head's gonna crack in half.  Good thing that helmet strap's tight. Down into the base area, feeling good, back in the lift line. Some waspy gray-haired ski-school biddy is yelling at me, "Can you keep that board straight getting on and off?" I mean, really, bitch, I'm older than you, STFU. The little Ultra Prime wanted to make snappy little turns, but with the edges in such bad shape, she was making' promises she couldn't keep. Still having loads of fun. Five easy runs, and I'm ready for the summit, and for sure ready to get away from a lift without footrests, titanium reinforcements in that ankle or no. 

 

The crowd is continuing to thin out, but the Summit Quad is still a total shit show. . . only a hardbooter knows how much fun it is getting on a quad with three skiers that might suddenly do crazy things for no reason, and wind up on their backs, knees, whatever in the load zone. Gawd, and the ski ambassadors won't even talk to me on the chair (I later find out that they're mostly good, but this dude, in his mid-40's, was clueless). I got in five runs from the summit, taking the easiest intermediate trail, running the margins where the "snow" was piled up. The loose boots made the whole thing a bit vague, and and with the edges of the board like a dull saw she was a tad unpredictable on the hard stuff. At least a few times every run though, I found myself in clear territory where I could run big round turns. My legs are toast. Burnt toast. But I'm happy. Got to get the board ground off to bring some fresh metal to bear. Got to ask my boss if I can get a couple of days off for Stratton in two weeks to demo some gear. . . looks like my tax refund is spoken for. 

 

It's good to be back. 

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Wow! Congrats and welcome back. Love your writing style!

[Jeffrey Day]

Great story! Keep 'em coming! If you want a decent tune before you head to ECES, I'd recommend The Speed Factory in Campton, NH right off 93 @ exit 28. Unless of course you know of a good shop. Or maybe there is a good shop over in the Stratton area.

 

Keep on craving the carve!

[General Tsao]

Starting Gate in Bondville (stratton) has always done a great tune if you can't get it done beforehand.

[mo_writer]

Ha ha! And I thought I got a late start - rode in my first hard boots three years ago at age 47 and have not put on soft boots since! The first time I used hard boots, I went all the way to the top at Loveland, and then I had to go all the way to the bottom to adjust the bindings. I started conservatively and just kept adjusting the bindings to where my feet wanted them to be. Someday maybe I'll even have a chance to take a lesson. For now, my board is a novelty at the local hill. The first time I was out this year, I had several kids asking about my board - it's an older Oxygen slalom board that's almost as tall as me (I'm five feet tall if I stretch a little).

[hotracer]

Hey Hammerwoman, just one question you said you patrolled back in the day, but only used skis for running sleds, how come? It's actually easier to run a sled on a snowboard than skis!

[powdahbonz]

Is this your first trip to ECES or have you been before?

[hammerwoman]

Can't get the multi-quote thing to work . . .

 

mo_writer, I've got the advantage of being 5'10" and wearing a mondopoint 27. Somehow, stored in my memory was my old setup information (standard stance, twin cants, 51 degrees rear/ 66 front) so everything felt normal when I put it on. . . and I nearly always have a #3 phillips with me. Things get loose! I was the *only* hardbooter at Sunapee on Sunday. Ten years ago, there would have been a dozen riding together, all in black. We looked like crows coming down the mountain.

 

hotracer, I've never even seen anybody run a sled on a board. By the mid-90's, I was pretty much done with sled dog duty, anyway; I'd either be in the first aid room, on a snowmobile, or out patrolling. I'm open to running sleds, but I want to see somebody do it, first!!

 

powdahbonz, never been to ECES. Actually, I don't remember ever having been to Stratton in the winter. When I was an impoverished ski bum in the 70's and 80's, I used to tele at Bromley with the crew there, and we'd look over at Stratton -Mascara Mountain- and laugh about the upscale types that skied there. Of course, that's when a draft Pabst was still a quarter in the bar at Bromley.

[hotracer]

Hey, I started running sleds back in 95 as I can't ski, I was the first person in Australia to do and the reason it went so well was a snowboarder is in the perfect stance to side slip down the hill especially with the use of hard boots giving extra power and all the power going into one edge,

[Steph]

Hi there Hammerwoman!  Im looking forward to meeting you at ECES.  The best shop for tunes at Stratton is the Startingate.  Take your Ultra Prime in there for some tender loving care!  I just put a post up in the ECES forum about a Ladies ride.  I hope you will join us.

[hammerwoman]

Steph, I'll be there!