Whistler is something of a Mecca for legions of snow eaters around the world. Boasting two mountains with a total terrain of over 8,000 skiable acres and an average snowfall of 33.6 feet (over 10 metres) per year, its easy to see why people who were born and raised with skis and snowboards strapped to their feet are keen to call this mountain town home for a season or two. But there is a silent minority lurking among us - the non-skier.
Non-skiers, a group that includes non-snowboarders, move here for a whole host of reasons. They may be following significant others, they may enjoy one of the three other seasons (yes, Spring, Summer and Fall do exist in the "bubble") and outdoor activities on offer, or maybe, just maybe, they landed a decent job. While some of these non-skiers/sliders will continue to carry on life on solid ground, blissfully choosing to ignore the snow culture surrounding them, others will decide to strap in and take the plunge to see what they've been missing out on.
But what's the best way to go about learning to ride or ski as an adult?
Myia Bloomfield has been a snowboard instructor with Whistler Blackcomb for three seasons, but before coming to Whistler, she'd actually only been snowboarding two or three times. Bloomfield was inspired to become an instructor after she moved to Whistler and joined the mountain's Food and Beverage department, working at the Wizard Grill making coffee.
"I saw all the snowboard instructors every day, and they were having so much fun!" she recalled.
She ended up getting to know a lot of them and started riding with them. She even took advantage of the free lessons offered through her work.
"Every day I rode, I rode with people that were better than me, and so you just push yourself - and before I knew it, I was like, 'Sure, I'll huck into the Blackcomb Glacier. What is that? Oh my God!'" she laughed.
"I got better and better and then I was like, 'You know what? This is totally me!' I just really love to teach."
Bloomfield kept pushing herself on the hill, and eventually took (and passed) her level one snowboard instructor test. That's when she really started to get serious about learning to ride, putting in the mileage and doing "session" as often as possible. Session runs from 7:45 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. each working day, with instructors taking one designated run with a higher level instructor before the mountain opens to the public. In time, Bloomfeld's skills began to develop pretty rapidly, and she began to gain the confidence she needed to teach others.
What I did (aka "What not to do...")
I have a confession to make: I am one of those non-skiers. At least, I was. Unlike the vast majority of people who migrate to Whistler, I actually didn't move here to ski or snowboard. In fact, to be quite honest, I'd always found the idea of strapping yourself onto two (or one) little piece of plastic and hurtling down a mountain to be, well, kinda crazy. I grew up in Nova Scotia, and for those of you familiar with the region, our big ski hills are Martock and Wentworth. Those same people will subsequently understand why there isn't a huge ski culture in the Maritimes.
Then, I moved to Whistler, and well, there were crazy people everywhere! People who were so passionate about powder, people who sacrificed professional careers, friends and family to live in this mountain paradise and clock as many days on the hill as possible. I tentatively decided to find out what all the fuss is about, and join the club - the snowboard club to be precise (sorry, skiers, but keeping two planks going in the same direction just seemed far too challenging to me).
There seems to be a few different approaches to learning a sport like snowboarding: there's the DIY approach and heading up alone (which isn't really recommended, and something I didn't even consider); investing in a series of lessons with professionals (an option that can be pretty pricey); or going with more experienced friends who are willing to show you the basics. So, which route is the best? Here's what I've discovered:
Learning from friends
After getting geared up with a jacket and pants, boots, bindings, board, goggles, mitts and all the other necessary paraphernalia, I nervously headed up the hill with an empty wallet and a good friend who was willing to show me the ropes. A former instructor, he was able to get me up on my board, onto my heel edge, and even show me the basics of turning on my first day. I was off to a pretty solid start (though winter 2007/2008 was definitely the iciest season Whistler Blackcomb has ever seen; at least, that's what my ass believes. I spent a considerable amount of time on my backside for the first few weekends.)
Almost immediately after that first day I began heading up with friends, all of whom were far more advanced than myself, and found myself straight-lining and side-slipping my way down blue runs - all speed and absolutely no style or technique. It was literally all downhill from there...
While I was having a lot of fun, technically I wasn't snowboarding, and I was developing some bad habits while trying to keep up with the pack. I've tried - somewhat half-heartedly - to change my ways each subsequent season, but it just hasn't stuck.
"That happens to a lot of people," Bloomfield nodded.
"Some friends you choose on the pow day because you know they're going to be there and you won't have to wait for them, and some days you go with anyone because there's no new snow."
Okay, mental note: expect to ride alone on powder days.
Dating an instructor/way better rider
The whole "go riding with the boyfriend/former instructor" thing didn't pan out too well, either, though it was usually pretty entertaining for the boyfriend. My first time off of Peak Chair, I found myself unexpectedly launched into a crowd of seven skiers gathered in front of the "Do Not Stand Here" sign, clearing out six of them in the process. I am hence known as a master at "skier bowling," a sport that I recommend for experts only.
Going with the boyfriend could also be slightly stressful.
I'm pretty decent at following instructions, but for some reason I am completely unable to handle any form of constructive criticism from a loved one, especially if it comes to a sport. Let's just say that my "lessons" with boyfriends, even ones who were qualified instructors, almost always ended up in tears.
Learning from the pros...
By the time my third season rolled around, it was pretty clear that I wasn't going to miraculously improve on my own, and if I was going to get better I'd have to shell out a bit of dough to take a lesson and get those turns down properly. So, during a weekend roadie to Big White, I parted ways with my boyfriend and his friend for the day, and signed up for a group lesson.
Dear God, why didn't I do this sooner?
I happened to be in a group with just three other girls, so we had plenty of one-on-one time with the instructor, and he had us all snaking our way down the wide, cruisey runs covered in that infamous champagne snow (did I mention that it was a beautiful bluebird day, too?). My confidence was starting to build.
This year, I started the season off on the right foot by taking a private lesson at my home mountain, with one of Whistler Blackcomb's very own instructors. When asked what "level" I was, I offered up a vague "beginnerish" response, and was pleasantly surprised to find out that I am, in fact, "intermediate." While it was an ominous, grey and rainy day in the Village, up on Blackcomb, it happened to be one of those surprise powder days: big, fat flakes of snow and a nice pillowy surface for me to wipe out on. Perfect! I spent a few hours linking my turns in the soft stuff, carving big, wide "S's," then working on tighter turns on flatter surfaces, using my knees to slow down and speed up. Jamey, my instructor, was finally able to hammer home some of the science behind the sport, and once I had got my head around the whole logic behind edges and how to properly shift my weight, it was smooth sailing (well, I think the powder might have helped, as well).
Girl power?
There's this popular little saying that men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Well, I'm not too sure about that, but from my own personal experience it seems like males and females certainly approach problems in different ways...
So, what's the difference between male and female beginner snowboarders? Well, first off, the vast majority of men won't take a lesson their very first time up the hill.
"Of course you don't want to be the wimp that goes, 'Actually guys, I'm kind of scared, maybe I should take a lesson.' So you go up there and it's a nightmare!" Bloomfield said.
"A lot of the times, guys will try to attempt first, thinking that they can master it on their own, and then they take a lesson."
Women, on the other hand, seem more willing to admit right off the bat that they don't know what they're doing.
Bloomfield smiles when explaining how different it is to teach men and women.
"Of course, guys teach differently and learn differently than women. Women think about everything, right? There's all kinds of things going on in their minds all the time!"
So, psychologically, women and men tend to approach learning a new sport differently. And there are even physiological differences that come into play:
"The girls, once they get it and they get their confidence, they have a really good centre of balance. Guys, a lot of the time, want to go fast and sometimes you're not ready to go that fast yet!"
Interestingly, men also tend to overestimate their level of ability when booking lessons, whereas women are more apt to underestimate their abilities by placing themselves one group below where they should be.
Mind the gap
To get past this gender gap, Whistler Blackcomb has joined forces with Roxy to offer the two-day, women's-only Roxy Camps, designed for skiers and snowboarders of all levels over the age of 19. The clinic includes coaching from top-level female riders and skiers, schwag from Roxy and other sweet perks, and costs $199 (WB season pass holders also get $50 off, while EDGE card holders receive $35 off).
Jennifer Rainnie ran the snowboard program at Whistler Blackcomb 18 years ago and actually started the women's two-day programs (they've only been known as Roxy Camps for the past 10 years).
"I actually worked for the mountain before they had a certification, before the Canadian Snowboard Federation did a certification program," Rainnie recalled.
She was among the first five people in Canada certified to teach snowboarding in Canada.
"When I started, there were four instructors on Whistler, and no instruction on Blackcomb," she laughed.
They started off by leading co-ed, two-day snowboarding camps, and after a few years, introduced a women's-only version.
"It just has a different dynamic," she reflected. "Women, they get a little bit intimidated sometimes when they're with a male coach, for instance, or just in an environment where there's men and women, and they love being supported by each other."
"We have a lot of locals who do those camps, and it's a great way for even the local girls to meet up with people that are at their level that they can ride with."
A few years into the camps, Roxy also started making skis and organizers decided to offer lessons for both skiers and snowboarders. Since then, there's been an almost even split between the two groups at the Roxy Camps, and it has become one of the most profitable programs on the mountain.
"There is no other program that sells out the way ours do!"
Interestingly enough, it seems like an older group of women are quite keen to learn the sport, as well, with the average age of Roxy campers hovering around 30 years of age.
"It's nice to see that it's not just a kids' sport," Rainnie added.
"I'm really proud of (the camps) and I think, having been around from the very beginning of when snowboarding was offered as a sport on the mountain, it's just so amazing to see that it's come such a long way, and it's definitely a well-respected sport - and the coaching has come such a long way, too."
The camps run again on Jan. 8-9, Jan. 29-30, Feb. 12-13, Mar. 5-6, Mar. 26-27 and Apr. 9-10.
I took part in the first Roxy Camp of the season, held in early December, and was placed in a group of about 10 "level three" participants, an even mix of women from Vancouver, the States and right here in Whistler. Usually, the first camp of the season is about 80 per cent full. This year it was sold-out.
The lovely and talented Myia Bloomfield was our intrepid (and very patient) instructor. So, what's it like to teach an all-female group of beginner snowboarders?
"First of all, it's a camp, so there's that sort of camaraderie between the girls - especially this last one," Bloomfield reflected. "I found that a lot of the girls knew each others' names by the end, even though they didn't know each other, so that's kind of cool. It's just more fun and the girls are less scared about looking silly. They're just more willing to try things, versus if they're in groups and there are two girls and one guy, and let's say the guy is doing well - it's sort of intimidating."
It can be overwhelming to head up the mountain alone, especially if you're a beginner and you don't know the terrain very well. An all-female camp is friendly and supportive, offering up a different environment with less pressure, and everyone is basically on the same page.
"The cool thing is, especially if you join a Roxy Camp as a beginner, everybody is clueless!"
All the women in my group seemed to basically be on the same page: we'd all been on snowboards before and could make our way down the mountain, but turning was a bit of an issue. In fact, the most common technical issue Bloomfield sees in the beginner levels of the Roxy Camps are problems mastering toe-turns - getting over the unnatural sensation of sliding backwards, rotating and digging your toes into the snow. In the higher levels, most want to get off of the groomers and learn the terrain park or how to ride powder.
But the biggest hurdle for teaching women seems to be getting their confidence levels up.
"The group aspect of Roxy, that's what makes it so great, because its intimidating when all of a sudden everyone goes down the run and you know that the instructor is looking at you and six other girls are looking at you," Bloomfield explained.
"Sometimes the fear spreads throughout the group, where all of a sudden, you choose somebody to go first and they fail at their toe-turn and then all the other women are like, 'Oooh!'"
So, she'll usually pick someone she knows will be able to complete an exercise to go first, to instill a sense of confidence in everyone who follows.
"I know they can do it, it's just the mental (aspect.)"
And with the Roxy Camp there's a social aspect to the learning process, as well. Everyone meets up in the morning for a coffee and muffin, breaks for lunch together, and then goes for après at Merlin's afterwards to talk about their on-mountain adventures (breakfast and après are included in the camp, which is a pretty sweet little bonus.)
"I think definitely all of us coaches aren't there for anything other than having fun," Bloomfield said. "Of course, you want everybody to improve, but I find that if you focus on everyone having fun, the improvement comes once people are relaxed and more confident."
What's to come...
While we've just entered into a New Year, which is always followed closely by promises of all kinds of new beginnings, I certainly have no grand illusions (or rather delusions) that I'll become an amazing snowboarder. For now, I'm content to continue to "dabble" in snowboarding, though I'd like to continue to improve. So, I'm going to follow Myia's advice: relax and gain confidence by getting a bit more practice, and hopefully my skills will improve in the process. Either way, keep an eye out for me at the top of the chairlift: I'm still a pro at "skier bowling!"
Some advice for adult learners:
* Take a lesson: "It will crush your spirits less," Bloomfield said, pointing out that even a half-day session will help get you on the right track with the basics.
* Head up the mountain with someone that you know.
* Invest in some kneepads: "Kneepads are amazing!" Bloomfield laughed, pointing out that once you have a bruise on the kneecap, every time you fall on it again, you're just creating a layered bruise. "You feel it for the rest of the day." Or week.
* "Be ready to learn and know that part of learning is a little bit of failure," Bloomfield offered. So don't be hard on yourself if you have an "off day."
* "Make sure you laugh and know that everyone has been there," Bloomfield pointed out, "Everyone has done the falls, everyone has 'yard-saled' out of control at Peak Chair and probably collided with someone." Remember, even pros were beginners, once, too!
* Most importantly, wear a helmet to protect yourself against injury. The bonus is that they'll keep your head warm and your goggles defogged, and might protect your identity as well if you happen to collide with a group of skiers getting off the chairlift.
