Fear & Snowboarding In Las Vegas in Ecco Domani

Fear is a hell of a thing. As a Snowboard Instructor about 85% of your lessons are beginners and take place on the Bunny Slopes. About 98% of those lessons 90% of the of the time your student has one basic concept that needs to click before they are able to successfully turn and stop. Lean downhill; into the hill. Everyone leans back at first. It’s a fear mechanism we’re built with. If you touch something hot you jerk your hand away. It’s built in. 98% of your weight needs on the front foot and 2% on your back. The moment a person leans back they will lose all control of the board. The front edges of the board are the rudder and if the front edges lose contact with the snow you can not turn and you thus you cannot stop.

There is a moment that you beat the fear mechanism that tells your instincts to pull back; it tells you “get away from whatever lies in front of you coming at you from downhill.” You lean towards the danger thus keeping control and able to successfully maneuver around the oncoming danger.

Further on in advanced lessons the same concept applies to hitting ramps. By this time you can speed-check, and turn. You are gaining momentum and heading straight for the lip and something in the back of you mind says, “Wow. I am going pretty fast. Do I really need all this velocity?” Shut that voice up because the answer is yes. Yes you do. If you speed check before the lip you will compromise your balance, become wobbly, and lose the momentum you need to clear the table. Your goal is to land on the downward slope past the flat tabletop. Landing directly on the tabletop is painful and bad for your knees.

The moral of the story: once you master fear you inevitably become safer (from whatever causes the fear to begin with.) The Catch-22.

I’ve recently watched the body-cam footage of the police officers who took out the shooter in the Nashville school shooting. The officers were trained exceptionally well. They had to push into the direction of the gunfire. My hat is off to these gentlemen, and to the grieving families.

Last updated March 29, 2023