Is snowboarding really for the young?
Getting older is a fact of life and something we have to come to terms with. Your face starts to show signs of age, you don’t rebound as quick from a hard fall, daily pains seem to be common place, and the list goes on. Which leads me to ask the question of is snowboarding really a young persons sport?
I look at the list of pro’s that inspired me to ride and most have gone on to other things outside of snowboarding, while a few still remain. It’s undeniable that when you’re riding at that caliber that your body gets hammered hard. Every year you hear about so and so is the new ______ and then a year after that where are they? More than likely eaten up and spit out.
Kids in this day and age have more benefits than ever for progression. Snowboard camps, woodward, trampoline camps, better equipment, and the list goes on. To be young and have 0 responsibilities with those options is amazing.
Lately it seems though that there’s a trend of older riders still killing it. Guys that are past what some consider their prime. You look and Todd Richards, JP Walker, Peter Line are all still killing it. These are guys that have proven themselves over and over but still keep on riding and doing it strong. It’s just funny to see how many companies now are keeping riders around that are well aged compared to ones that are wet behind the ears. Is it a part of a mentoring program? I don’t know.
Darren Reithmiller one of Breck Park Crews Finest still killing it and getting older every day!
It seems like more and more regional teams are picking up older riders to represent the companies. Maybe its a level of maturity or responsibility that persists? Perhaps as I mentioned above they’re helping mentor the younger generation coming up? Either way its great to see that you don’t turn 25 and suddenly you’re a has been.
Then you look at how many recreational riders there are out there who keep pushing themselves. You have to give credit to someone that’s 45 and still riding as hard as they can or even just picking up snowboarding and pushing it. Every day you can see more and more people over 50 out shredding it up. It reminds me of the fact that at every USASA event Eddie Wall Sr. would roll in and throw down hard. Guy was like 55 still competing and winning.
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dude!
respect for all the older riders that continue to ride hard, amaze us and show us that age is just a number.
I am older ha! [no shit] but I am a pussy and I just want to snowboard with my friends, have fun, progress but not necessarily get hurt over something stupid. I have no intentions to ever go pro and I like being able to ride the whole season and not having to watch from the sidelines.
Like I said. I am a pussy.
But respect to all the others that still/ continue to kill it in the park.
when are we gonna make some turns together Angry??
When you coming out to shred A basin with me?
I also think having more experience riders on your roster may help to sell product and give the name some more credibility.
I was at Stevens yesterday and saw a guy as old as my grandpa shredding it. He asked me how the backside of the mountain was. I was thoroughly impressed. I hope I am that strong when I get much older.
Is snowboarding really for the young? I see it as “Is snowboarding really marketed for the young”? Without a doubt yes. The sport itself not a chance. If I watch an event without a redbull or Monster energy drink ad in it may I be stuck down by lightning.
I’m a older rider and love riding more now than I ever did before. I just dig the way it feels and how relaxed I am when I’m out there. I no longer have any outside pressure telling me I got to try a cab 540 or 270 onto a rail or I’m not cool. As an older rider you are truely free to do what you want and nobody gives a shit. You get respect just by laying a nice carve.
One thing that i can say for sure that amuses me now than from before is how kind ski patrol treats me when I’m passing them doing mach 3. On one occasion they caught up to me and told me since the resort was pretty crowded to just watch my speed. I said I’m sorry and proceeded to ride down the rest of the hill with a big fat grin on my face thinking, I can live with this.
> Either way its great to see that you don't turn 25 and suddenly you're a has been.
Haha, I only started snowboarding when I was 25. Now I'm approaching 30 and I have no intention to stop. I regret missing out on ~10 years of snowboaring and want to make the most of the next 20-30 years.
But as OG said, the marketing goes after the young. Usually they have parents who pay for all their gear, and fashion is just as important for them as the quality of the equipment. I always see lots of kids, just hanging around in the park or in the lounges, it's a social activiy more than a sport for a lot of them.
42 and still going strong even after heart surgery in December!!!
I Ride with 2 guys pushing 50 and still go mach 10.
Ride only pow days at The Bird and split board the BC the rest of the time cause don’t bounce as good as I used to.
Hope this gives you youngins inspiration to look forward to a lot of riding in your future, maybe not as much on the hard pack stuff though.
let’s face it – it really is for the young. Snowboarding is rough! Eating it on hardpack is traumatic…hell even landing a trick on the flats can jar knees pretty good. There’s the possibility of rocks almost anywhere.
despite all that, I started at 41 and am still progressing at 45. I’m very careful about my lines and speed-check plenty, but just 3 days ago, made the highest backside air I’ve ever done…mondo air. T’was off the side of a big pow covered rock – end of the day and I was solo in the fog…no one saw it, but I know it’s not over yet.
I know how you feel. I am only 30, but I had ACL and two torn meniscus surgeries, rehab twice for the knees, and keep going back for more. I think the days that hurt the most, and I am having a terrible time at are when I progress the most. This is because in my mind im pissed and I think, well might as well make this worth my while and try to get better. So you hit a bigger jump, or do a new line, or a tree run that you said “i dont think so” just the day before.
25 here and just started getting into the park this season after about 7 years of riding. Certainly not old, but approaching the age where house/family/work are looming priorities. Still, you can’t live til you really Live, no matter how old you are.
Dude – I didn’t START riding til I was 42 – after a 25 year lay off from skiing that started when I was 17 and too poor to afford it. Now it’s 8 seasons later and I feel all my years some days. Other days I get in the zone and ride it til the last lift. I survive by staying in shape year round riding my bike – a quick 200 km spin coming up in a couple of weeks, by judicious use of the key aging vitamins – I and N. It’s great to still ride with people younger than me and just have fun.
But I hate it when they call me ‘Sir’!.
leer13
[...] knights within the organization's hierarchy, but they're allowed to call themselves sir. …The Angry Snowboarder Blog Archive Is snowboarding really …I survive by staying in shape year round riding my bike a quick 200 km spin coming up in a couple of [...]