First ride

[Firecracker]

While on a winter vacation to Reno, I was able to spend a day at Northstar at Tahoe snowboarding. It was my first ride after knee surgery plus I had 2 beginners with me, so we stuck to mostly green and some blue runs. Overall, it went really well and I am impressed that I stayed upright as much as I did (which wasn't much). I was fast compared to everyone else on the bunny hill though. We go to Reno every year to ride dirt bikes with a whole bunch of rowdy internet geeks from a dirt bike website. We had Canadians with their dirt-bike powered bike blender, some Aussies and Kiwis, and riders from half the states in the lower 48. I did blow up my dirt bike's engine somehow though. :(

I did land on my knee, but there was no familiar popping, snapping, or nauseating pain. So I assume it's ok. I wasn't really supposed to be riding anyway but oh well . . . it's been 4 months so I'm kind of at the tail end of the danger zone or the very beginning of the safe recovery zone, depending on how you want to look at it. EIther way I'm tired of sitting on my ass and wasting all the snow!

So anyway here is the one picture I have of me riding. Yes I know I look dumb. Actually I am not even good enough to know whether or not I look dumb, but I am sure my form sucks.

[Coldcat]

Good to hear your knee holds up well. Unfortunately I can't see the pic (damn old comp #$%@!!) but even if you think you're bad now, you will be better soon. Snowboarding has a fast learning curve. And since you ride the dirtbike, you're not one to fear quickly I assume? A trait that goes very well with snowboarding

[MARK]

Not bad at all, knees bent and looking down the mountain. For some reason I can't view the beer you're about to drink from in your left hand though:)

[Tantrum]

You are riding goofy. Switching to regular will improve your skills dramatically.:D

Bummer about the engine. Now you have an excuse to upgrade.

[chuckie]

You are riding goofy. Switching to regular will improve your skills dramatically.:D

Bummer about the engine. Now you have an excuse to upgrade.


LIAR!!!!!!! Goofy feets are da rulinest! ;) Goofy riders are more creative than their Regular bland feeted bretheren. Ever notice how the pimpinest peeps on the hill are all Goofy? Ya better recognize!

Dude's riding looks better than mine, so hey that's gotta count for sumthin. Love the crack about the beer mug tho, it's dead-on. :)

[canuck]

LIAR!!!!!!! Goofy feets are da rulinest! ;) Goofy riders are more creative than their Regular bland feeted bretheren. Ever notice how the pimpinest peeps on the hill are all Goofy? Ya better recognize!

Dude's riding looks better than mine, so hey that's gotta count for sumthin. Love the crack about the beer mug tho, it's dead-on. :)

yup, shout out to all my goofy homies

[Tantrum]

Are you right handed? End of story!:p

PS Firecracker is a chick

[chuckie]

Are you right handed? End of story!:p

PS Firecracker is a chick

Oh, so now FIRECRACKER is a chick huh? Well look here mister, I'm not the kind o' white-man-oppressor who goes around forcing gender roles on just whomever I please. Hey if FIRECRACKER want's to be a dude, a bro, or even a brah, that FIRECRACKER's own damn biznizz.

Are we straight now? I think we are....

(did I recover that nicely or whut?)

[Tantrum]

Hey if FIRECRACKER want's to be a dude, a bro, or even a brah, that FIRECRACKER's own damn biznizz.

Are we straight now? I think we are....

(did I recover that nicely or whut?)
I just wanted to save you the embarrassment when you started to feel all warm and happy in your lower region when looking at pictures of Firecracker.:p

[chuckie]

I just wanted to save you the embarrassment when you started to feel all warm and happy in your lower region when looking at pictures of Firecracker.:p

...so I guess that makes it o.k.. ;)

Ever get the feeling I don't know what the hel I'm talking about? Sometimes it amazes me how far I've come in this world. :)

[Firecracker]

I don't know what it is, just a newbie thing, but I can't turn worth a crap without doing stupid weird looking stuff with my arms. I am probably dreaming of beer though, so I'll run with that idea . . . So bent knees are good? Do some people not bend their knees? I can't quite envision how that might work.

I don't want to upgrade my bike, she was perfect as she was! Now I have to get a new crank, rod, piston, seal/gasket set, clutch hub, etc . . . and I was already behind on my bills as it was . . . gotta pay to play it seems.

As for the mistake on my gender, I'll let it slide . . . with my hair cut short and my normal lack of lipstick and girly clothes, it's happened before. Somebody said "Look at his board" and pointed to me in the lift line. Oh well. I am, however, very female and happy about that.

[TBone]

Glad you were able to get back on the board and everything seemed well.

I'm going in for ACL reconstruction on Monday.

T

[Coldcat]

yup, that sounds like a classic mistake.

There are probably people on this board who can word this better then I do, but I'll try anyway:
Don't 'slash' yourself through a turn. A board has a sidecut for a reason. The trick is, to drive the board through the turn with the stance of your shoulders.
When coming up for a frontside turn, knees bent, you start to look to where you want to go (left in your case) and turn your whole upper body, torso and shoulders, in that direction. You will feel the board start to grip and make a curve on the mountain.
Backside turn, same story, other direction. Be sure to turn your upper body well to the right.

A handy tip for me was: in the frontside turn, put your right hand to your back knee, in the backside turn, put your left hand on your front knee. (I am a goofy footer too)

the flinging around with your arms will disappear with time.

Best thing is, though, not to listen to me but to take a lesson instead. Snowboarding is way better done than told.

[canuck]

Glad you were able to get back on the board and everything seemed well.

I'm going in for ACL reconstruction on Monday.

T


good luck man!! I hope your recovery is speedy...

[NoKnees]

Glad you were able to get back on the board and everything seemed well.

I'm going in for ACL reconstruction on Monday.

T

So, which body part did you decide on for the acl? No matter, hope all goes well... I'm sure you'll be as good as new in no time...

Take care...and the good drugs.... Became a fan of hydracodone(sp?) after my last surgery.. ;) Oh wait, drugs are bad.... m'kay?

[Firecracker]

Glad you were able to get back on the board and everything seemed well.

I'm going in for ACL reconstruction on Monday.

T
Ouch that sucks!! I've had 2. What kind of graft are you getting--patellar, hamstring or cadaver? Get the cadaver if you can, patellar if you can't.

With MY particular experiences, the patellar seems to be better. It's a trade-off; with the hamstring, I got my mobility back faster but my strength back slower, and it was a LOT more painful. The patellar is vice-versa. I think I liked the patellar better. However a cadaver donor ligament cuts your recovery time in half but most surgeons don't like to do it, unles you're pro or your tendons are damaged. Also get one of those machines that keeps ice-cold water in it and circulates it through a cuff around your leg if you can--much easier than changing ice paks every few hours, which makes a HUGE impact on recovery. Ask your doc about the effect of anti-inflammatory meds on healing--my doc didn't prescribe any and forbade me to take naprosen or ibuprofen, since it (supposedly) slows the healing of the bones. Get Vioxx if you can--better than naprosen or ibuprofen. Amen to whoever said that about hydrocodone!

Good luck!!!

[Firecracker]

A handy tip for me was: in the frontside turn, put your right hand to your back knee, in the backside turn, put your left hand on your front knee. (I am a goofy footer too)

the flinging around with your arms will disappear with time.

Best thing is, though, not to listen to me but to take a lesson instead. Snowboarding is way better done than told.

Thanks--I will try to remember that!! Outside hand to inside knee, do I have it right? Or downhill hand to uphill knee? I would like to take a lesson or two but $$ is a little dear right now--I am on the budget lift ticket plan right now, like coupons and special radio station promo days etc. My boyfriend is still in college but has a pass to several mountains so he has a few free passes he's given to me. Plus, Canada is close and their lift tickets are WAY cheaper. Anyway I am working on eliminating my bad habits as soon as I figure out what they are.

[Coldcat]

Frontside turn: front hand on back knee
Backside turn: back hand on front knee.

Practise that 'dry' before you head to the mountain so you dont have to remember the words. You don't want to be thinking hard when you board, coz that surely spells "crash"

If the dough is low for lessons, pick a good (I mean real good) male rider and ask him for tips. You're a gal, so that trick always works. I know that from experience.

:) Have a good ride!

[chuckie]

I don't know what it is, just a newbie thing, but I can't turn worth a crap without doing stupid weird looking stuff with my arms. I am probably dreaming of beer though, so I'll run with that idea . . . So bent knees are good? Do some people not bend their knees? I can't quite envision how that might work.

I don't want to upgrade my bike, she was perfect as she was! Now I have to get a new crank, rod, piston, seal/gasket set, clutch hub, etc . . . and I was already behind on my bills as it was . . . gotta pay to play it seems.

As for the mistake on my gender, I'll let it slide . . . with my hair cut short and my normal lack of lipstick and girly clothes, it's happened before. Somebody said "Look at his board" and pointed to me in the lift line. Oh well. I am, however, very female and happy about that.


So yer not supposed to wave yer arms all around when riding..... Who'd have thought?

People keep saying that yer not sposta wave yer arms around when yer crankin out turns, but let's face it, sometimes it's just plain fun to do. Bent knees work for me, allthough I think that it's actualy some part of a terrribly obscure and esoteric compression cycle (I tried explaining it to someone on the hill the other day and quickly realized that it can't really be put into words that make sense). Try watching some other boarders when yer making yer way down the hill, and emulate someone's style that looks smooth.

The more you ride the better you will ride (if you enjoy it) period.

[DrBunda]

good luck man!! I hope your recovery is speedy...

Thanks brutha. I'll be ready to go out to the bars w/ you again in about a week! ;)

T

[DrBunda]

So, which body part did you decide on for the acl? No matter, hope all goes well... I'm sure you'll be as good as new in no time...

Take care...and the good drugs.... Became a fan of hydracodone(sp?) after my last surgery.. ;) Oh wait, drugs are bad.... m'kay?

Hammy was the recommendation I received from doctors in the know. Quicker recovery, less chance of arthritis, and I'm too old to _need_ a patellar graft.

I'm looking forward to z drugs.

Thanks mon.

T

[DrBunda]

Ouch that sucks!! I've had 2. What kind of graft are you getting--patellar, hamstring or cadaver? Get the cadaver if you can, patellar if you can't.

With MY particular experiences, the patellar seems to be better. It's a trade-off; with the hamstring, I got my mobility back faster but my strength back slower, and it was a LOT more painful. The patellar is vice-versa. I think I liked the patellar better. However a cadaver donor ligament cuts your recovery time in half but most surgeons don't like to do it, unles you're pro or your tendons are damaged. Also get one of those machines that keeps ice-cold water in it and circulates it through a cuff around your leg if you can--much easier than changing ice paks every few hours, which makes a HUGE impact on recovery. Ask your doc about the effect of anti-inflammatory meds on healing--my doc didn't prescribe any and forbade me to take naprosen or ibuprofen, since it (supposedly) slows the healing of the bones. Get Vioxx if you can--better than naprosen or ibuprofen. Amen to whoever said that about hydrocodone!

Good luck!!!

Too lazy to sign DrBunda out and myself in.

Getting the hammy. Came recommended by a couple ortho surgeons in Houston who are friends of Bunda's family. Patellar is apparently good for younger chaps, but my 30-something knee should do just fine w/ the hamstring. Sticking other people's stuff in my body freaks me out. ;)

Got the ice thingie. I'll be sure to ask about anti-inflammatory schtuff.

I'll see about viox and hydrocodone. I was thinking Captain Morgans and PS2 would be the thing, but I'll look into these other items as well!

Once again kudos on getting back up on z knee. Take care, and thx for the advice.

T

[NoKnees]

Too lazy to sign DrBunda out and myself in.

I'll see about viox and hydrocodone. I was thinking Captain Morgans and PS2 would be the thing, but I'll look into these other items as well!

T

Viox is a nice alternative for those addicted to advil (ibuprofen). Builds up in your system after a couple days and makes you forget about the little to med aches and pains in your joints.. Had a weird elbow sprain/hyperextension injury that wouldn't go away until I did two weeks of viox.. Forget it was a problem until I stopped taking viox.. had almost faded away too. Worked well for patellar tendonitis as well.

As for hydrocodone... Works great, but don't get hooked. It's one of the more popular choices of those addicted to perscription painkillers... I keep some around for emergencies.. :)

Now add ps2, and you'll be on your way to a happy recovery..

[Firecracker]

Yeah Hydrcodone/Oxycodone (Percoset and Vicodin) are kinda fun for a little while but they get old fast. I started getting headaches, nausea and the spins so I went back to Tylenol after a while. Now oxycontin, that's even worse, that's the hardcore stuff! Be careful with that one if your doc gives you any.

Good luck! You'll heal up fine.