FIND YOUR ZEN, BE LOOSE AND CHILL BY SETH JOHNS
muffl e surrounding sounds; I only hear my breath and beating heart. Focusing, I only see my line. It’s a loose plan at best, yet it’s a laser focus. T is means playing, and jibbing anything that falls within my gaze. As for the feelings, knowing the margin of error is slim and the consequences are high feeds my soul and truly allows me to be in touch with my environment. T ese elements of tree riding keep me hungry and balanced when I’m on my board.
F
ASSESS WITH QUESTIONS, MOVEMENT In my experience, students up for a tree lesson are sick of groomers, crowds, or the terrain park. T ey’re mostly accomplished riders who want to be guided around to the goods!
or me, riding in the trees has always been about Zen. It’s a combination of sounds, focus, and feeling. T e trees and snow
On ONE CONDITION
you don’t kick the ball to the goalie if you want to score a goal; you kick it to the open space within the goal but away from the goalie. And when you’re driving a car and need to pass, you see where the other cars are but move to the open space.
2. You need to relax. Find your Zen, be loose and chill. T is enables you to stay on top of and turn your board. Flex your joints by breathing and relaxing. When you get tense, body movements become stiff and rigid.
3. Be proactive, not reactionary. Keep your head up, always scanning for the next turn.
4. Speed is your best friend and worst enemy. A little more than you want is perfect, but too much is too much. Too slow and you get stuck and have no fl ow.
CONDITIONS DICTATE YOUR APPROACH Conditions – both lighting and snow – factor into taking a tree run with students. If it’s foggy, the lighting is fl at, or its snowing it’s much easier to see in the trees than in a wide-open bowl. T e trees off er contrast for better visibility. As for snow, you do not want to hear words like icy, coral reef,
unpredictable, funky, weird, and strange when preparing to ride the trees. Take time to ask other riders about the conditions when you’re cruising around or on the lift. And ride where your students need to ride, not where you want to ride. Safety fi rst… always. Sound is muffl ed in the trees but it’s smart to make noise
Before you hit the woods, ask questions, questions, and more questions! But not necessarily about snowboarding. Ask students what they did last night, why they’re out riding, about their gear, where they are from, etc. T is establishes a personal connection and gives you an insider’s look into their motivations. Most voluntarily tell you about their skills; if not, just ask them… later in the conversation or during a warm up. Speaking of the warm-up, loosen students up with ollies, nollies, and hops on groomed terrain. Play! See how they anticipate turn locations and make various turn shapes. Get them in the groove of driving the board in the predictable
environment, then pair them off and have a partner ride behind them, telling them when to turn. Do this on a blue, mellow groomer just to disrupt the rider’s normal pattern. Or play Follow the Leader, having students turn where you turn, jump where you jump, and follow your line exactly. T is simulates tree riding, in an area of low consequence.
4 IMPORTANT TRUTHS TO TEACH To set your students up for success, pass on these four truths about riding in the trees: 1. You go where you look. Don’t fi xate on the trees; see the spaces around them. Need an analogy? When you’re playing soccer,
26 | 32 DEGREES • FALL 2015
anyway. Encourage students to whistle, giggle, sing, laugh, and make themselves known to those around them. (Plus, making noises actually keeps you breathing!) Keep riders in sight so
the group doesn’t get too far apart… but maintain proper spacing so they’re not all bunched up. If you get in trouble, you want someone to see you, and the same goes for your buddy. Explain the dangers of tree wells, and caution riders to avoid them. Warn also of low-hanging branches, and make a plan for where the class should stop and regroup. And one last thing; whenever you gather the group, point
out the hazards and awesomeness, but don’t introduce more information when you’re in the thick of raging the trees. You should already have prepared riders, so just let them enjoy the experience.
Seth Johns is an AASI Snowboard Team member who currently lives in Aspen, Colorado, and spends his summers snowboarding around South America. Email:
seth_freestyle@yahoo.com; Facebook: https://
www.facebook.com/seth.johns.9
SETH JOHNS
TAMARA SUSA
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