Be one with the board, one with the board ...

Monday, February 1, 1999

COLUMN: Hitting slopes for first time challenges amateur snowboarder

Free-falling down a glacier with nothing but a thin layer of snow beneath you and a seemingly endless tumble to your eventual demise - does this sound fun?

It is. It might not exactly be free-falling, but there isn't anything quite like snowboarding. That feeling of weightlessness as the snow and your board fluidly, and perfectly, form into one.

It might not start out like that for you, but give yourself a chance or else you'll miss out on one of the most innovative and exciting sports on the planet.

Snowboarding? In California?

Hell yeah! It might not be Aspen or Antarctica, but it's good enough. Take the initiative, or you'll be stuck staring into your freezer.

Only one month ago, I braved the 50-degree conditions of our local Big Bear Resort. Strapped in and ready to go, I slipped over to the lift for my first time.

All right. Just take it slow. Stand up and act like you're a pro.

Sliding up to the lift to get on, I began to smile. "Damn, you're good," I muttered to myself.

But as I was trying to impress everyone around me, I proceeded to fall down flat on my face.

Oh, well. Beginners are going to do that all the time, but after going a couple of times, you know how to stand up and slow down. "Just a little more practice and I'll be da bomb," I thought.

So after a couple of hours, I go down the practically flat slope. Take it easy. Turn those shoulders. Balance, it's all about balance, I keep telling myself.

Several tumbles later, I made it down to the bottom and realized that I could be good some day.

At the end of the next day, I get coaxed into attempting the top of the mountain. While at the top, I slide up to the edge of the "cliff" and peer down.

Just gotta suck it up and go. I point my board straight down and jump off. After breaking the sound barrier (or something that felt like it), I crash. And kept crashing - all the way down the mountain.

After going to Mountain High the next week, I then went to Snowboarding Heaven, also known as Mammoth.

I've got a brand new board and some fly winter clothing - all I have to do is look decent on the slopes and I'm set.

It started to snow a little bit, but I just dominated runs of all levels. I knew that I had to prove myself, so I moved up the upper echelon of slopes.

"I'm the Michael Jordan of snowboarding," I echoed. I got off the lift on the top of the mountain in near white-out conditions with 50 mph gusts.

What am I getting myself into to? Double black diamond or single black diamond? Better go down the single. Cruising down the white cloud of fury, I realized that this is what life is all about. Carve left, carve right, again and again.

A certain aura of arrogance overcomes you as you begin to master the many intricacies of such a devilish sport.

Wow! As I was taking my last run down at Mammoth, I thought about how lucky I was to ever experience the sheer beauty and power of snowboarding.

If you ever get the chance to snowboard, take advantage of it. It might not be as exciting as sky-diving, but it's much cheaper and a lot more feasible. It's the fastest-growing sport in the world (or at least looks like it) and by far the most fun. You have the summer to surf and bodyboard. Plus, skiing is much harder to advance in than snowboarding.

All you have to have is courage, balance, and pure and utter insanity!

Salahuddin would like to congratulate his parents, Mohammad and Rahat, on their 31st wedding anniversary! If you would like to give your best to them or want to go snowboarding sometime, e-mail mizzoin@ucla.edu.Moin Salahuddin

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