Once again, I have no idea what photo would describe this topic... so here's a picture of me with a cow hat.
This article was suggested by Daniel, thanks for the suggestion! – Jed
Most of us would like nothing more than to spend our days snowboarding/skiing, but is there a point when you’re doing too much snowboarding?
Maybe.
For the last 5 years, I’ve basically spent 9-10 months of the year snowboarding. My year would involve doing a full season at Whistler, heading to New Zealand for their winter season, then back up to Whistler at the end of the year. That’s a lot of snowboarding.
Downsides of constant snowboarding
I know many of you would kill to snowboard that much every year and I’m not going to lie, it’s awesome. However, it does have some downsides.
1) Injuries build up
By the time I finish the season in Whistler, I’m usually carrying multiple small injuries. It’s usually smaller things like sprains, back pain, bruised tail bones etc. Nothing major, but also enough that light falls or heavy landings start to really hurt your body.
Things like bone bruises and back injuries take a couple months to heal, which means you usually keep these injuries until the 2-3 month break after the NZ season ends. The riding does start to take a toll on your body and it’s very common for many riders to fight through those last few months with constant injury pains.
2) Little ‘off-time’
Snowboarding is awesome. I love it. However, I do often look forward to that few months break where I get to do other things and just switch off my snowboard brain. I do find that because I spend most of the year trying to learn new tricks and challenging myself, I really enjoy that few months each year where I’m not thinking about figuring out new spins or rotations.
Maybe it’s different for non freestyle riders, but there’s a lot of mental processes going on when you’re riding large jumps every day. You’ve always got a new trick in your head and you spend a lot of your time doing things that scare you. I’m not saying I hate it, quite the opposite, but it’s nice to have that 2-3 month period where you aren’t pushing yourself every day.
3) Constant moving
You’ll never really settle in one place if you’re always snowboarding. In order to have a never-ending winter, you need to move between the northern and southern hemispheres every year. Typically, this means you need to pack up your life twice a year and relocate. This can get a little tedious.
Unless you’re fortunate enough to own your own home, you’ll typically have to either find new accommodation every season or settle in one place and find someone to rent your room for 3 months each year. There’s the constant ‘living out of a suitcase’ scenario that many snow addicts are familiar with.
This is something that you can do for a few years, but I’ve found that it does get tiresome having to pack up your life so often. It may just be me, but there’s that feeling of never really settling in one spot long enough to really call it your home.
Can you snowboard too much?
With all of the above in mind, I don’t think you can really snowboard too much. However, you do need to stay balanced. There are times in the season when I’ll take an entire week off just because my body needs a break. Sometimes you need to rest your body, even when you don’t want to.
Don’t be afraid to take some time off and go fishing or try another activity. It’s good to have variety in your life, even if you’re living at a ski resort all year round.
The same goes for the mental aspects of snowboarding. You shouldn’t be pushing yourself to learn new tricks 365 days a year. Some days I just like to take some time to just go riding. Just me and my snowboard and go spin some lazy 360s in the park all day. Or maybe I’ll spend the day seeing how fast I can ride down blue groomers. It’s good to mix things up and just take it easy once in awhile.
As for the travel, you do get better at packing up your belongings and moving all over the world, but I don’t think I’m the only snow addict that would like to settle down and own a house in Whistler one day 😉
If you really love snowboarding and keep a balanced lifestyle, I can’t imagine a better life than snowboarding all year. Can you?