But can you really snowboard?

I think I’ve always loved snowboarding. Ever since I knew what snowboarding was, I knew I loved it. But for the sake of my sanity and my safety, I started out with skiing. I got better at it, and then eventually I hit a point where it just felt like gliding down slopes and I felt like I had time to learn something new. So, I got into snowboarding. Started off easy. Got to green states then blues then blacks and then came at a point where it was just going fast and then squish. And then, I think very quickly, I hit a point where I loved snowboarding. It was a great experience, but like I think that all the more fun things were either about going much faster which scared the life out of me or they were about going steeper which again i could do something in an ugly disgusting way by going on my heels but like i had the same problem of skiing with snowboarding where i wasn’t able to to because like i just was like getting too good at it I think that the conundrum that I was facing was like I wanted to improve but I knew I couldn’t go steeper and I knew I couldn’t go faster just because it wouldn’t be safe. And as I am getting older I want to live well. And thankfully I realized that like what I was missing wasn’t like you know bravery or risk taking. I think it was just like grace position and technique. And I realized I could like get better at those things but it would just be like It would just be like Like basically like it would be like It would just be like Watching youtube videos and stuff is just so slow and it is so annoying. And I don’t like to do that. And like I wanted to do stuff that is like fast and food That’s when AI comes into play. I hopped on to Claude and asked it for a few different drills Surprised by how good it was at describing those drills and it gave me many pointers of self reflection Basically things like how do you know you are doing it right? It will like The AI provided clear, actionable drills that allowed me to focus purely on technique. I started practicing carving with precision, carefully looking back at my tracks to see if I was leaving clean, perfect lines. I experimented with rapid edge transitions, feeling the subtle shifts in balance and control. I even challenged myself with switch-side riding—snowboarding with my non-dominant stance—and compared my performance to my regular stance. Suddenly, snowboarding felt fresh again. It was as if I was learning the sport all over, rediscovering the joy and excitement of mastering something new. Each drill gave me clear metrics to measure my progress, and each small improvement felt deeply rewarding. I wasn’t risking injury or pushing myself into dangerous territory; instead, I was deepening my understanding and appreciation of the sport I already loved.

This experience taught me something valuable: progress doesn’t always mean going bigger or faster. Sometimes, true growth comes from refining the fundamentals, from finding grace and precision in the details. With the help of AI, I was able to rekindle my passion for snowboarding, reminding myself why I fell in love with it in the first place.

If you’re feeling stuck or uninspired in your own snowboarding journey—or any skill you’re passionate about—consider stepping back and focusing on technique. You might just rediscover the joy and excitement that made you fall in love with it in the first place.