Going Solo This Year

[RDY_2_Carve]

Sadly I'll be riding solo this year.

I've been riding with my best friend and brother-in-law since I started boarding in the 2003/2004 season. I lost my best friend in summer 2009 to a job in Sierra Vista, AZ so last year I rode with just my bro-in-law. Now he is moving to Sierra Vista as well for a job so I'm left to ride alone.

I guess there are some perks...they were both soft booters so I always was waiting at the top of the mountain. Kinda sucked since I had step ins. So just click and go from now on.

100% singles lines.

No waiting period anymore whether it's at the base or 1/2 way down a run.

No coordination of where we're going so we don't get split up.

Trying to look at the bright side here. I've been boarding by myself a couple times and it's just not the same...

Anybody else ride solo? :(

[Mike T]

Anybody else ride solo? :(

I often do, and I totally enjoy it. It takes a lot longer to trash a run when you're the only one carving on it :biggthump

[Jim Callen]

Sadly I'll be riding solo this year.

I've been riding with my best friend and brother-in-law since I started boarding in the 2003/2004 season. I lost my best friend in summer 2009 to a job in Sierra Vista, AZ so last year I rode with just my bro-in-law. Now he is moving to Sierra Vista as well for a job so I'm left to ride alone.

I guess there are some perks...they were both soft booters so I always was waiting at the top of the mountain. Kinda sucked since I had step ins. So just click and go from now on.

100% singles lines.

No waiting period anymore whether it's at the base or 1/2 way down a run.

No coordination of where we're going so we don't get split up.

Trying to look at the bright side here. I've been boarding by myself a couple times and it's just not the same...

Anybody else ride solo? :(


I usually ride by myself about 50% of the time. I find riding by oneself to be a ton of fun, almost meditative. Plus, doing top to bottoms tires you out real quick, so the days just fly by.

Of course, that will most likely change this season.

[queequeg]

Sadly I'll be riding solo this year.

I've been riding with my best friend and brother-in-law since I started boarding in the 2003/2004 season. I lost my best friend in summer 2009 to a job in Sierra Vista, AZ so last year I rode with just my bro-in-law. Now he is moving to Sierra Vista as well for a job so I'm left to ride alone.

I guess there are some perks...they were both soft booters so I always was waiting at the top of the mountain. Kinda sucked since I had step ins. So just click and go from now on.

100% singles lines.

No waiting period anymore whether it's at the base or 1/2 way down a run.

No coordination of where we're going so we don't get split up.

Trying to look at the bright side here. I've been boarding by myself a couple times and it's just not the same...

Anybody else ride solo? :(

I've done *alot* of riding alone. Having a great posse to ride with kicks ass to be sure, but there are plenty of benefits to riding solo. Do whatever you want whenever you want, ride at your own pace, fast or slow. Always take the singles line and zip through the liftline. It also puts you in a nice mindset, where you are just thinking your thoughts and doing your thing. I've gone days where I've hardly said ten words the whole day to anyone (a feat, for sure), smiling the whole time.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

I have made allot of runs by myself. I am a solitary man.

I do have to say I really enjoy riding with good riders and good people. If they are good people that are also good riders it is the shiz!!

Riding with my sno-bros is the best, many go back many years , we know each others strengths and weaknesses. Their style and energy adds allot.

It depends allot on your personality. A bit like travelling. It can be good to be on your own, you are more likely to interact and fall into sweet situations. On the other hand, it is fun to share experiences with someone you care about.

Make an effort to seek out fun people and you won't ride alone for long.

OR, enjoy being on your own and savor the solitude.

Either way, ENJOY!!

[davekempmeister]

You could move to Sierra Vista also and make the Lemmon your "local" hill.
Hope your experience this season is like mine when, several years ago, many of my riding buddies stopped riding one by one. Most liberating thing ever.

[crucible]

I don't really have a preference for riding alone or riding in a pack, as long as we GO FAST and rip deep trenches....

[groovastic]

I ride alone maybe 30% of time and I must say that my best carving moments were in one of those days!!!
One can concentrate only on carving, and don't be surprised if you catch yourself smiling in a lift line or maybe whistling or even singing loud!
No you're not crazy! You just made some of the best carves in your life! :lol: :biggthump

[kieran]

the lone hunter finds the best prey.

i slide almost exclusively without friends, mostly because they're a bunch of panty-waisted big-girls-blouses who "don't like the cold"...
welcome to the world of always choosing the line and run you want to take. of not waiting for people at the top and bottom.

like many things often done with company, having to only be concerned with yourself is very liberating. :biggthump

[Christiene]

just remember to take some videos or some good pics so every one can see it :D wish you luck :D
my lead system pro (http://www.zchand.com/10/myleadsystempro)

[softbootsailer]

Riding alone until you are surrounded...

[b0ardski]

I've done *alot* of riding alone. Having a great posse to ride with kicks ass to be sure, but there are plenty of benefits to riding solo. Do whatever you want whenever you want, ride at your own pace, fast or slow. Always take the singles line and zip through the liftline. It also puts you in a nice mindset, where you are just thinking your thoughts and doing your thing. I've gone days where I've hardly said ten words the whole day to anyone (a feat, for sure), smiling the whole time.


I have made allot of runs by myself. I am a solitary man.

I do have to say I really enjoy riding with good riders and good people. If they are good people that are also good riders it is the shiz!!

Riding with my sno-bros is the best, many go back many years , we know each others strengths and weaknesses. Their style and energy adds allot.

It depends allot on your personality. A bit like travelling. It can be good to be on your own, you are more likely to interact and fall into sweet situations. On the other hand, it is fun to share experiences with someone you care about.

Make an effort to seek out fun people and you won't ride alone for long.

OR, enjoy being on your own and savor the solitude.

Either way, ENJOY!!


the lone hunter finds the best prey.

i slide almost exclusively without friends, mostly because they're a bunch of panty-waisted big-girls-blouses who "don't like to carve the steeps"...
welcome to the world of always choosing the line and run you want to take. of not waiting for people at the top and bottom.

like many things often done with company, having to only be concerned with yourself is very liberating. :biggthump

70-80% loner, Especially the 1st decade or 2.
Riding alone you tend to do runs that are challenging yet comfortable at your own pace, alone with your thoughts about what run/technique felt best, this will advance your riding way faster than paceing the slowest member of a convoy.

Like bryan I do like to ride wit da homies, when they are accomplished riders; however I'm happiest when I pick my own runs/lines at my own pace and I:1luvu: love to stepin&go when rollin of the lift runnin the wet butt slalom:smashfrea

[scrapster]

I mostly ride alone, except for the rare times that someone else is willing to tolerate me :p

I agree it can border on a meditative experience. You, nature, gravity...and the innumerable positive experiences that seem to come from interacting with all those careful and considerate people who populate winter resorts these days. (Luckily, there are still a few left out there.)

The downside is when I'm the only person in my household who is excited about an impending snowstorm--and the prospect of venturing out in it. My internal stoke is enough to keep me going most days. But I have to admit, that "Oh, you're going snowboarding again, all day?" vibe can wear a person down without external reinforcements.

[Bobby Buggs]

For carving I enjoy a pack of good riders that push each other, now soft booting or powder, its an individual thing for me.

[corey_dyck]

I mostly ride by myself, just due to the fact that I'm the only one I know of on an alpine board for about 500 miles in any direction. I sometimes ride with others on skis or softboots, but we typically just meet at the bottom to chat on the lift. It's great riding the singles line on a busy day, you get more runs than if you had to wait at the back of a long line with a buddy.

I spend more time thinking about my riding when I'm by myself and trying different things, basically whatever interests me at that moment. Example: I spent half a day on steeper stuff trying to start the next carve while still going uphill from the last turn, so the carve line does a full 'C' with both the start and finish going uphill. I can do it on heelside transitioning to toeside but not toes to heels. It's a pretty slow way to make it down the hill, a riding partner likely would have been frustrated at the bottom while watching me make a million turns.

Motivation is hard unless it's an epic snow day or you have some goal in mind. On icy days or days when I'm just not having fun I leave earlier than I would if I was riding with someone else. Plus I go in the second I get cold toes/fingers/whatever.

[Allee]

I ride alone a lot too. Most of the local crew have season passes at the closest hill to town, and don't tend to venture too far from there. But riding a single hill drives me nuts. I'd rather ride where the snow is best and enjoy the change of scenery - and if nobody wants to come with me, that's fine. I'm a big girl.:)

It seems a waste to me to have a dozen great hills within easy driving distance, and not visit them at least once a season ...

[Hungry Boarder]

I am new in this forum.
Always ride in solo :(. Lucky if I can find a lost dog in the run.
Bring your dog to the trails. Ha!:)

[Jim Callen]

For carving I enjoy a pack of good riders that push each other, now soft booting or powder, its an individual thing for me.

Heh, for me it's the exact opposite. Pow days should be shared with friends who can keep up, and I'd say about 90% of pow says are spent with friends (almost all of whom are skiers, btw).

[RDY_2_Carve]

Thanks guys and gals for the responses.

I knew my BOL brothers and sisters would make me feel better about this!

:biggthump

[Michelle]

I'm just glad I'm not the only one!!

[Steez]

Wow, when I saw the title to this thread I thought we were talking dirty here. My bad. :)

[Bobby Buggs]

Heh, for me it's the exact opposite. Pow days should be shared with friends who can keep up, and I'd say about 90% of pow says are spent with friends (almost all of whom are skiers, btw).
Jim, Pow days here are far from the event they are there nor do they even compare, if I were there it might be a bit diff:)

[C5 Golfer]

Ahh........... the Singles line on a busy day--- what a treat!!!!!

[slopetool]

Yeah, I'm a loner too much of the time. It does push my limits when I ride with others though. And the singles line as C5 said is a plus. And I always have interesting conversation with people on the chair. If they don't have their stupid mind numbing headphones in! Thats another thread in itself.:nono:

[Allee]

And I always have interesting conversation with people on the chair.
Agreed. Although I think I need a tape recording to play ... "Yes, it is a snowboard. No, they're not ski boots ..."

[philw]

I mostly ride alone on piste. That way I can listen to my tunes and ride at my own pace. Sometimes I'll bump into people on hard boards and that's ok, but otherwise it's hard to find people who can keep up: present company excluded, snowboarders are slow.

[Bobby Buggs]

I would not call my self a follower but I really seem to have some of my best carving days with a pack.
There are couple people I ride with that have tunes as loud as I do, Carvefather, ToolDip, and we are about the same speeds, we really dont say much while we are on snow, just when we are in the chairs. Single line is not just for when yer alone:eplus2:

[Surf Quebec]

I go to the mountain alone, but 50% of the time there are 1-3 riders, always the same people, so we end up riding together most of the time.

[kinpa]

Riding alone you tend to do runs that are challenging yet comfortable at your own pace, alone with your thoughts about what run/technique felt best, this will advance your riding way faster than paceing the slowest member of a convoy.

If I ride by myself, I always tend to stick to the runs I know and feel comfortable on. I really don't push myself at all when I'm on my own. That's why riding with a group is a challenge that I need and look forward too from time to time.... even if it is just to keep up! Since I've been an instructor for so many years, I get my social fix in the locker room or at lineups, but when I'm freeriding, it's usually me (or trailing along with the kid!) I guess if I found someone who was a good match...


Yeah, I'm a loner too much of the time. It does push my limits when I ride with others though. And the singles line as C5 said is a plus. And I always have interesting conversation with people on the chair. If they don't have their stupid mind numbing headphones in! That's another thread in itself.:nono: Ed, come ride with us at Whitefish at the end of January! I'd love to ride with you sometime too, but I really doubt I'd be much of a challenge. If you ever want to come out to Lookout on a Sunday, let me know!

[Steve Prokopiw]

since I have the most fun showing off for people on the lift when I'm riding alone.

[RDY_2_Carve]

Lines in NM aren't bad unless it's spring break or xmas to new years.

Singles Line is empty most of the time so you can go straight to the lift for the most part. Save maybe a couple minutes per run on average I guess riding singles vs riding with a group...

While the time savings is nice I don't see myself doing full days riding solo. With faster laps I could see myself cutting out a bit earlier than normal to beat the traffic coming down the mountain.

I'd say the worst part of me not having my riding buddies is I probably won't road trip this year. We normally do at least one road trip to southern CO like Wolf Creek for early season snow. Or a Monarch Invasion. Some years we've even went up to Summit County to hit Copper or Breck. It's just not the same doing 4+ hour drives solo. Granted I drove to Aspen for SES by myself and that was 8+ hours, but it's just so much more enjoyable when you have company.

[Titan]

Agreed...I haven't anyone to ride hardboots with but my brother in these parts,but its fun tearing the place up,hearing complaints from skiers about the ruts all over the slopes.:boxing_sm

[tpalka]

Hey John, I hear ya. I can carve by myself for 2-3 hours, then it gets too boring. Now powder and trees I can ride for much longer and be happy :)

We'll plan on Angelfire again this year and are stoked to try Santa Fe -- so hopefully we can meet up there? It'll be all post-spring-break.

[scrutton]

Often....you can always look into local ski clubs - maybe do some trips with others; help with car pooling.

Some of the plus's are you get to meet other folks more, and you can go where / when you want.

[John Gilmour]

I ride solo most of the time...

In the three years I lived in Aspen.. I rode fewer than 100 runs with others..

Sometimes its just a terrain thing... they want to ride trees...I don't ...other times they are slow. I also had 100% free time.. they worked.


Solo isn't bad.. you have time to dial in your gear without having others wait..

You don't have to ride when you are tired or quit too early.

Eat when you want..

You'll actually get better riding solo... you pay more attention to your form..and try new things out.

[WPCARVER]

When you enter a freshly groomed trail first thing in the morning and not a person in sight and you can carve any part of the slope you want.That always makes me smile.:biggthump

[softbootsailer]

some sports are Solo, this is one of those...

[Bullwings]

some sports are Solo, this is one of those...

So true.

Even when you're riding with other people, you're still sort of alone.


I like both. While I wouldn't want to ride solo every single time, I have no problems riding solo. Oddly enough, every time I've gone out solo this season, i've run into other hardbooters.


But, like others have said, riding solo definitely has it's advantages. I get to ride at my own pace (whether faster or slower), do what i want - take which ever runs i want, no need for coordination, no waiting/being waited on, take off late/early, stop for a beer at 9am, practice switch carving, etc. etc.


I definitely enjoy the company when it's around though. I wouldn't want to ride everyday solo, but I definitely still have lots of fun riding solo and on occasion enjoy it more (it really just depends on the day and my mood).

[Tabatha]

I am of two minds about this - I have started riding solo this year and there are both upsides and downsides.

As someone new to the sport, I find that riding with other people pushes me to try new things and I learn so much from watching other people and discussing runs and technique. Carvers are always so keen to give me advice and help, which has helped me learn so much. First time out, I bumped into some one who gave me one tip that has revolutionized my riding this season already!

It is easier to stay home where it is warm after work when there is no other carvers on the hill. If I know I am going to be solo, sometimes heading out for a few hours after work takes a lot more motivation. Dark, cold, hungry!

However, I am really starting to enjoy being out there by myself. There is something to doing the same run over and over again to work on technique and just be. I just do what I want and do not need to rush to get to the lift line quickly so that the others don't have to wait for me. I can do my own runs at my own time, and I have more time now to tweak my gear.

All this to say, when I get my act together - being out there alone is great, but I don't want to do it all the time. I like the company and I like learning from others.

[kinpa]

I would have to agree.... I do learn a lot by riding with others.... kinda like when I was a kid I had to keep up with big brother and that made me get better! I ride a lone a lot, well..... not really.... my 9 year old daughter is with me on her skis. I try to get to some kind of group thing from bomber at least once a year. I'll stick with my quote... that's where I get my "inspiration and motivation." Looks like this year I'll make it to two! WTF and NICE yipee!!!!

[John Gilmour]

When you ride with others...

either.

A. They are faster than you...and you learn nothing just struggling to keep up and avoiding crashing.

B. You are faster, but don't want to get passed...so you don't try new things.

Take the time to figure out the hill, best lines, and your gear..
Take time to figure out your gear's shortcomings..and figure out how you will compensate.

DO the same run.... over and over... the same line... until you can not improve upon it....

Then find a new line.

Choose carving lines that are constantly slightly harder to do...

Carve airborne over that knoll that rattles your nerves.. 1 inch off the ground your first run, 2 inches the second, and if you don't feel improvement... stay there until you change something that makes you more comfortable.

Do stuff that the pack would never tolerate.

It is great to carve in a pack. Dave Dutton and Vin Queneville led a great pack of riders in the 1990's... but honestly... I had fun but learned nothing .

Ride solo..and when you find someone better.. tag along..

Spend 2 full days dialing in your stance... then change a technique and dial in a new stance to optimize the technique before you discard that technique as ineffective..

If it doesn't work..take the time to try the opposite.

Try tuning your board differently..

Be the lone racer.

Analyze your run from the lift.

As you improve... the fun/thrill increases exponentially without even trying.

[softbootsailer]

The Wave is Frozen... The shape is always the same... Find one and enjoy the ride anyway you choose :biggthump

What I noticed when people started to show up on Carving sticks and gather in groups was a lot of near misses, some
direct hits and folks sitting all over the place...:p

[crucible]

What John suggested is exactly the stuff that I have been doing solo for the past 12 years- it was so spot on to my regular training regimen that it was uncanny.....

I started doing it that way after I had a chance to ride the Mt. Baker chairlift with the late Craig Kelly in the late 90's - they used to call him "The Engineer" because of the systematic way he approached snowboard training- he suggested a version the same drills that John Gilmour did to help you improve.

[John Gilmour]

funny huh?