The winter we are currently experiencing is, to say the least, destabilizing. It’s difficult to plan anything. You have certainly already had to modify your winter plans one or more times. In a context where resilience is probably an asset, we have no choice but to adapt and see our season differently. Let's try to stay positive and continue to turn constraints into opportunities!

Closed resorts put creativity in the spotlight! In some parts of the world the resorts are unfortunately not in operation, and it's really nice to see that despite everything going on, members of the ‘CASI-ACMS familia’ craving riding are building different freestyle features or courses such as a pump track in their backyard. Others are snowskating, powsurfing or splitboarding… wow! Keep on riding, your energy is amazing and very inspiring!

Let's talk a little bit about riding techniques in a pandemic context. There's no secret, to reach technical goals, no matter the sport, training globally and specifically are key. Aside from training with CASI evaluators - when possible - and physical training in general, the amount of riding is the one thing that will make all the difference. The more we ride, the more we develop our technical skills. Snowboarding is a sport of feeling, balance and imbalance between a series of controlled, intentional and instinctive movements. You have to take the time to feel what's happening on your snowboard, in your snowboard and in your body as well. Experiment to understand THE recipe that suits you as an individual snowboarder; the recipe that will get you in the right place at the right time while you ride. Below, in all humility, are some technical suggestions and attitudes to adopt continuing your progression this winter and in the future. 

Riding and training solo:

• Be creative in your everyday riding and challenge yourself to never make the same run in the same way, choose different lines each time, don't make the same type of turns in the same place. Ride in all types of conditions, rain or shine.
• Get out of the conventional mold! For example, if you are training for a technical task of turns - short or long radius, sliding or carving- don't always look for the perfect terrain, but rather find opportunities to make those turns anywhere, anytime, at all kinds of speeds, on different slopes with different inclinations and varied fall lines.
• Get yourself filmed and analyze yourself, compare yourself to other riders who inspire you.
• Also send your video to a mentor of your choice or someone who can give you constructive technical feedback. Be truly open to receive and understand this feedback and try to feel new things in your snowboarding technique. Most importantly, give yourself time to absorb the feedback. 
• If possible, test different snowboards, adjust your position depending on the snowboard, position your bindings differently on the board, play with your stance, including angles and spacing of your bindings.
• If you have a technical certification goal, remember that this is just snowboarding and go ride often just for fun and not just for training. 

Various options if you can’t ride: 

• Practice other sports and develop other skills at the same time. The skills you learn are often transferable to snowboarding or otherwise contribute to overall fitness, an ally of all sports.
• Follow a physical training program at home - there are so many options of all kinds available.
• Improve your strength and flexibility.
• You might have a technical goal for a next CASI certification or exam? Take the opportunity to study your reference guide in greater depth or to prepare a bank of lessons or instructor training sessions.
• Various valuable resources available on the Internet can also help you learn a variety of new things about snowboarding or teaching (ex. : Snowboard Addiction, Canada Snowboard, Canadian Avalanche Association, etc.)

Some days we may feel like time has stopped since last spring and everything is moving so smoothly. Sometimes we may also feel the opposite and that everything is moving too fast. We've lost some of our usual social interactions, I guess it's quite normal to feel a bit upset at times. Let's try together to take advantage of these changes and come out stronger from this strange time in our lives. 

Geneviève Pilotto
Regional Coordinator CASI Quebec-Atlantic, Level 4 Evaluator and Instructor