“Watching snowboard movies makes you a better rider!”
I spluttered out laughter when my friend declared this quite seriously, but then quickly reverted to having an open mind that truth could prevail…
After a two hour hill bombing session on our long-boards, three of us sat around scoffing sandwiches as Mountainlab 2.5 - the 2007/8 DC movie, started arousing the stoke in us for the impending cooler months when we’d be bombing soft snowy duvets not hard concrete sheets.
We were all in mutual agreement that snowboard movies can excite, inspire and mentally empower you to ride better - core ingredients that are needed for the will and the way (the desire and confidence) to pull off new tricks or just to ride harder and get the most out of a riding session. But these qualities are a given - a basic expectation when it comes to any extreme sports movies - so can watching snowboard movies actually make you a better rider?
My friend certainly reckons so. His theory decrees that progressive riders can, whilst watching the Pros get their groove on - learn from them.
But it’s a bit more technical that - it’s all about visualisation (apparently), contemplating not only the mechanics of the trick but how the trick feels, helping you develop a greater sense of body awareness.
For example, when watching riders throw down massive 180s or 360s you really need to try and feel how the trick feels, considering what speeds and angles of rotation are needed - so employing whole body visualisation (get it?!).
And (just in case you didn’t understand any of that) - snowboard movies are more obviously, also full of new trick ideas, that dole out fresh helpings of inspiration for us to try new styles of riding altogether.
An example of this can be seen in the recent-ish trend of riding up the side of a tree stump, like a wall ride – this is a trick that has seemed to eclipse the more old school way of tree jibbing where riders pop up and pull 180 nose-bonks on them…
So next time you’re getting ready to take on the mountain, stick on one of them snowboard movies and let the inspiration flow and your riding improve - from the comfort of your sofa!
WATCH, LEARN, AND FEEEEEL!
Tags: film, Snowboard movies, Snowboarding
