ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, December 23, 1996 TAG: 9612240010
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JON CAWLEY STAFF WRITER
SNOWBOARDERS! Maybe you've seen them before. They often are portrayed as wild young men obsessed with the search for "extreme" thrills.
In reality they are both male and female, from many ethnic groups. They range from the single-digit age groups to those close to retirement. They may even include your mild-mannered next-door neighbor.
Many snowboarders don't even have a single tattoo or body piercings.
Snowboarding has been around since the late 1970s, but it took a major slide into the mainstream only recently. As little as a half-dozen winters ago, it was shunned by many, if not most, resorts.
Much of the rise in popularity can be attributed to the recent openness of resorts to snowboarders. Most of the former holdouts, including Wintergreen resort in Virginia, are aggressively marketing themselves to snowboarders.
``Less than 10 percent of resorts don't allow snowboarding," said Rik Beital, the Southeast sales representative for the Burton snowboard company.
But what is the draw to snowboarding when skiing has reigned as king of the mountain for so many years?
Many people say they just got bored with skiing.
"It's like you're a kid again. It's the best winter activity you can do," said Mark Sypher, a bike messenger from Washington, D.C. He skied for about five years but now only snowboards.
Even young children have an answer.
"I think it's more challenging than skiing," said Jody Starr, 11, of Snowshoe, W.Va. She began skiing at age 3.
Despite all this, some people on the slopes refuse to give in to the hype.
Snowboarders ``are young, grungy and raucous,`` said Ray Rogers, 62, of Blairsville, Ga., a skier for 30 years. ``They seem to have an attitude in general, but maybe that's not the case. I haven't been out in a few years. That's the way it was the last time though."
When asked if he would ever consider giving snowboarding a try, Rogers replied, "Definitely not. It doesn't even look aesthetic to me."
Others have more tangible complaints. One woman, registering a complaint at Snowshoe Mountain Resort, said she would like to bring her young children to learn to ski, but wouldn't think of it as long as the snowboarders are allowed to use the same slopes as skiers.
That won't likely change anytime soon. Snowshoe has a long history of snowboarding acceptance, being one of the first Eastern resorts to allow boarders on its slopes.
I recently went to Snowshoe to try my hand at snowboarding for the first time and see what all the excitement is about.
Before my trip, I was told by snowboarding friends that the learning curve is much shorter than skiing. Learning to snowboard usually takes about two days, they said.
``Yeah right,'' I replied. ``Whatever.''
Surprisingly, I became comfortable sliding -not so gracefully at first - across the snow within a couple of hours of my first lesson. I took two.
By the end of the first day, I had abandoned the "Skidder" slope - Snowshoe's equivalent of the "bunny hill" - and moved on to more challenging beginner slopes that actually leave the gentle contour of the ridge line to snake down the mountain in granulated chutes.
During my second day I improved greatly, carving effortlessly in smooth arcs across the trail faces, throwing small sprays of snow with each snapping turn against the powder piled on the trail edges. I even managed, mostly by accident, to pull off a small 180 degree jump - cool.
I owe much of that success to the instruction I received from Allen Taylor, a Huntington, W.Va., firefighter who doubles as a weekend snowboard instructor at Snowshoe. See, I told you snowboarders are real people.
The metamorphosis from skier to snowboarder occurred for Taylor during a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyo. Taylor had been skiing for a few years, he said, without accomplishing much. He thought the new sport would be a lot of fun. He's been boarding ever since.
Taylor has many tips for novices. The most important is to get a lesson, even if it's just from someone who has been boarding for a while.
"For the first year I tried to teach myself and beat myself up pretty bad," he said. But "once I got a lesson I picked it right up."
Another idea that will save time, Taylor said, is to decide before you go to a resort whether you are a "goofy" or "regular" foot. Goofy-foot snowboarders will ride with their right foot forward on the board. A regular foot rides with the left foot forward. Personal preference is the key here; neither stance works better.
To decide which kind of rider you are, Taylor has two suggestions. "I've heard to take your shoes off and slide [in socks] across a slick floor. Which foot feels more comfortable [in the lead]? Or if someone pushes you from behind, which foot will you catch yourself with?"
Now that you know if you're goofy or not, it's time to hit the slopes - literally.
To make the learning experience easier on your body Taylor offers a couple more tips. First, keep your eyes up and look where you are going. For me that was hard to learn. I spent too much time watching my feet, as if I could guide them with my eyes. That is a bad idea given the amount of inexperienced people on the slopes who are ducking and weaving in the twisted ballet that is weekend skiing.
Secondly, try to keep your back straight and knees bent. If you're looking down, your back will bend, which has a tendency to throw all your weight on your toes, a quick ticket to a face full of snow.
Follow these tips and soon you may be out carving the slopes with the multitudes of others who have discovered the not-so-cheap thrill of snowboarding.
You might even be able to keep up with the elementary-age kids "busting big air" all around you.
LENGTH: Long : 109 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. Special benches at Snowshoe, complete with tools,by CNBprovide snowboarders a place to adjust equipment. color
2. - 4. At Snowshoe, as well as other resorts in the Southeast and
around the country, you can expect to see snowboarders on the lifts,
on the slopes and in the beginner classes. color