When the snow quality changes, your technique changes too
"This way of skiing is the correct one."
I sometimes hear words like that.
But I have a slightly different way of thinking.
That is because the snow changes every day.
Hard-packed snow first thing in the morning.
Softened snow in the afternoon.
Spring slush.
Powder.
Ice.
Moguls.
Rough terrain.
Even on the same slope,
the conditions are constantly changing.
And yet,
the technique remains the same.
Is such a thing really possible?
Groomed runs and powder are different worlds
For example, on a groomed run.
The edges bite firmly.
The response from the snow surface is quick.
Therefore, even if you edge strongly, it will support you firmly.
But powder is different.
The snow gives way.
You sink.
You float.
Even if you set your edges the same way,
you won't get the same response as on groomed snow.
In other words, if nature changes,
your technique changes too.
This is a very natural thing.
Groomed and ungroomed terrain are also different
On groomed terrain,
the skis move relatively obediently.
But on ungroomed terrain,
the snow surface makes the skis move.
There are bumps and dips.
The resistance changes.
The skis bounce on their own.
In such conditions,
trying to ski the same way as on groomed terrain won't work well.
Ungroomed terrain requires its own way of using your body.
Technique is a conversation with nature
I believe that technique is a conversation with nature.
It is not something where the human moves unilaterally.
You feel the force returning from the snow surface,
and you move in accordance with it.
Therefore,
if nature changes,
the content of the conversation changes too.
If you only speak the same words,
it's not a conversation.
Technique is the same.
One technique is not enough
"You only need to learn this one way of skiing."
If there were such a technique,
I would want to know it too.
But reality is different.
Hard snow.
Soft snow.
Steep slopes.
Gentle slopes.
Every condition is different.
Therefore, there is not just one technique.
Adapting to the situation and changing little by little.
I believe that increasing those options
is true improvement.
The basics do not change. But the expression changes.
There is something I don't want you to misunderstand here.
I am
not saying that there are no basics.
Nature, equipment, and the body.
This relationship does not change.
And the fact that it is asymmetrical is also unique to snowboarding.
That is the fun of snowboarding.
Adjusting your equipment
to match the snow conditions,
and using your body in an asymmetrical way.
This is the basis of snowboarding.
Reading the snow is also a technique.
I don't think that someone who is good at riding
is just someone who moves the board well.
Someone who can read the snow.
Someone who can feel nature.
Someone who thinks about asymmetry.
People like that
seem to enjoy riding in any condition.
Therefore,
instead of just practicing technique,
look at the snow.
Feel the snow.
Talk to the snow.
I hope you will cherish that time as well.
Snowboarding is
not a sport of operating a board.
It is a sport that connects nature, equipment, and the body.
So if the snow changes,
the technique changes too.
That is what I think.
This was Rei Aoki, the demon of verbalization.
You will improve significantly by thinking.
I will hold a "Snowboarding Study Group"
with Taku Matsumoto of OGASAKA.
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