Snowmonster Open Session

The last intermediate lesson that I took with Nana was frustrating. There were 3 of us in the class and we took turns, which basically means that we have only 20 mins each. Then, we had to do as instructed - warm up x mins, this and then that. I got even more frustrated when the different instructors have different teaching style and each time I go for lessons, it took me time to finally get the turns, or lose it totally. It was the latter the last lesson. Nana nicely did her S turns. I am so jealous.

Nana commented that we could do with more carpet time. I think so too. We have our eyes on the open session. These sessions are for anybody with at least basic competency and there would be no instructor, which also means at timing where people do not usually take lessons. Bcos it is self practice, it is at a cheaper rate of $60/pax. Strategically choosing a slot with no other people becomes very important to max self practice.

There was a slot last Tuesday at 6pm. Nana is busy mugging for her mid year exam but I had Zaky to company me, though he had only taken 1 lesson. He’s fine, he’s young. I had to leave work earlier to get to the mall on time. 

Zaky was already gearing up when I arrived. I was fully warmed up from the 15 mins faster than Google map speed walk to the mall. We used the Daddy slope, which has 3 lane. One of the instructors was very nice and taught us how to operate the slope. Easy. 

Zaky was all eager to hit the slope and started 1st, warming up the usual and then tried his J turns. I think he almost or may have gotten them in his last (and 1st) beginner lesson. 

It was like so easy for him and he figured out how the J turns work easily. I was eager to try too and chased him off the slope. I sort of lost my turns. I duno anymore. Sob. 

When Zaky went back onto the carpet, he was already able to connect his turns. Zzzzz. Not fair! Fortunately, I figured out my J turns too, but also had several spectacular falls. Even Zaky was worried. Fortunately, there were no spectators so I didn’t have to feel pai seh and the falls weren’t as painful as they looked. Zaky himself did a few back rolls too. I realised that when Daddy Lim and Zaky fell backwards while on their toe side, they can and will expertly (or at least look expertly) roll backwards/ sideways. When I fall the same way, I simply bumped hard on my butt and look defeated. I need that butt guard.

The 60 mins session went past so quickly. As I practiced, my J turns came more smoothly and at some point, I think I managed to link a few of them together! I duno how I did it but muscle memory definitely helped!

We stopped sharply at 7pm as there were people taking class after us. The same instructor asked us how was the session and I couldn’t hide my excitement when telling him how fun it was. He said that he could tell. Haha. I really want to come back for more open sessions. They are cheaper and we have more time. 

After the session, the only child got to choose dinner venue. He wasn’t shy and chose Aston. 

We took the MRT home and we both agreed that it was a good session. My only qualm would be the ill size protective gears provided. My knee guards were too big and kept slipping off when I fell. I came home and found enoki size blue black on my knee. Haha. 

Daddy Lim would tell me to buy and bring my own gear. I will rather get enoki size blue blacks than lug gears to the office and then to class. 

I am looking forward to the next session!

Mummy Lim

Snowboarding Starts Again with Snowmonster

We took a 2-week break bcos I traveled for work. It is also bcos it is so hard to progress with the enoki carpet and the 50% Mothers’ Day promotion has ended. Even after 3 lessons (and multiples with Trifecta previously), I am not consistent in getting my C and J turns. The issue? Leaning on the front knee when the board is vertical is counter intuitive and as we get more tired, it becomes almost impossible for the body to lean forward even when the brain knows/ tells it to do so. 

The classes are usually at $120 per class. I know, that is crazy expensive. Even with a different promotion now, the classes are at $99 each. Buying a package consisting of multiple lessons will bring down the cost per class, the bulkier the purchase, the lower the price per class.

We eventually decided to go back to classes bcos Zaky insisted that his foot is now ok and he wanted to join in the fun (and cost). While he has always been the one who advanced the fastest when we go for our snow trips, it had been 1.5 year since our last trip, so he starts from the beginner class too. To make sure Daddy Lim doesn’t become a falling leaf warrior or ended up only building snowman, I encouraged him to take the beginner class (again) with Zaky, much to his reluctance. I foresee a falling leaf or multiple snowmen appearing on our year end Japan trip. Hoho. 

Zaky was super excited. They both nailed the falling leaves on heel and toe side. 

There was 1 other person in the class. As there are 3 lanes, they could keep going until they decided that a break is needed. Falling leaves are tiring. 

Bcos they are all expert falling leaves, they got to try the turns next. C curves (heel to heel or toe to toe) are easy bcos the board doesn’t have to point totally vertical before they turn back. The J curves (heel to toe and toe to heel) are the killers. This is when the board not only have to turn vertical but also change course. I barely got much success the last lesson. 

The boys are falling as frequently. The issue? Everybody has their weight on their back knee bcos it is just natural to do so. Zaky was even more spectacular; he kept leaning back while on his toe side and fell and then rolled backwards. In his extreme, he did 3 consecutive rolls, until the instructor has to stop the carpet or he probably would go on rolling. Lol. The fortunate thing is that the falls are not extremely painful normally. I think he maybe did 20 back rolls in that 1 hour class. It was quite funny. 

Nana and I decided that we would do the intermediate class. They are less crowded and we are hoping that the instructor would start teaching us to do proper turns since it is an intermediate class afterall. Our class was on Monday 8pm and we were the only students. I took a while to warm up after the break. I was worried that I would forget all my basics. Fortunately I didn’t. The instructor was the same who taught us our 1st lesson. She claimed that she has helped many people achieved their turns but we didn’t get ours then. Sob.

She remembered us and asked where the hubby is. Hubby is recovering from the day before class. Hoho. I told her that my problem is the leaning on the back knee, just like everybody else. Soon, we embarked on our turns. Nana got it like instantly. What!!??? I was so jealous. 

I was ok on my 1st J turn but then the body got tired and I fell and the standing up was tiring and I became even more tired. That’s the end of my J turns. Meanwhile, Nana was doing great on her turns. The instructor asked Nana to transverse after her turn and continue with her turns and she did great. She is the 1st in the family to achieve S turns! So mega proud of her. 

I took a break while she went on turning and turning and turning. She made it look so effortless. 

It was then my turn to try to get the turns. Nana said that I psyche myself into falling and I could do it. The instructor said that it was bcos I kept looking at the ground. I thought it was bcos I was leaving on my back knee. I was reminded that I needed to put my weight on my front knee and looked up and out. Suddenly, I got my 1st proper J turn. Hooray! Once I got the 1st one, it suddenly all made sense and I could do the turns. I was mega happy. Hoho. Nana was happily helping me take video and ended up with crazy hair selfie. 

Oh yes, it was tiring and we had a good workout. 

At the end of the class, I tried to connect my turns, which will lead me to my S turn when connected properly. It wasn’t that smooth but I did a few continuously turns, though a bit wide. It was a great progress nevertheless. The last one, I turned, caught an edge and fell backwards painfully. I got no more strength to stand up. Haha. 

I am now very excited to go back for classes. Once S turns are achieved, we can already survive pretty well on a green run mountain. Nana can start to learn tricks if she wants to. Last night before sleep, I kept thinking about the turns. Haha.

Bcos Snowmonster is so different from Trifecta, I am not sure if we wanted to go back to Trifecta to mess up what we had learnt. The carpet and bar system in Trifecta make turning so much easier. Just Monday, somebody was taking class after the boys and I had seen him previously in Trifecta. He was already in Intermediate 2 classes and doing turns quite decently. At Snowmonster, he was also falling everywhere. The enoki system is just different.

I still have 6 lessons left with Trifecta and I think the kids can use those to take trick lessons in Trifecta. Their trick classes are on the non-rolling enoki slope. Meanwhile, I will probably take 1 more Intermediate lesson before booking Snowmonster open sessions. These open sessions  come without an instructor, at $60 each and the participants control the speed of the carpet themselves. These sessions are at weird timing and will be good for self practice. 

Yay, looking forward to my S turns! As expected, I am now getting muscle aches at weird places. Hoho.

Mummy Lim

More Snowboarding and Now with Snowmonster

Bcos Trifecta is going to be closed for upgrading, we have decided to try Snowmonster. Social media is sneaking on me bcos their reels kept coming up. Snowmonster has moving carpet too but they use the “enoki” carpet and is supposed to imitate real snow more. 

Daddy Lim, Nana and I signed up for Beginner 1/2 class last Monday at 7pm. Zaky tagged along as he needed to be fed after his medical appointment. Poor Zaky can only watch us have fun. 

The carpet feels so, so different. There is no bar to restrict us but we had to keep to our “lane”. The big carpet that we were on had 3 lanes. Bcos it felt so different, whatever we had learnt in Trifecta got thrown out of the window. I had to unlearn and relearn. We could all manage the heel and toe side and do falling leaves and took turns to practice 2 at a time, so that we had more space for the “leaves to fall”. 

The instructor, which Nana likes, kept telling us that we needed to be much more deliberated in our leaning when we move from side to side. This would help us when we try our J turn later. 

Constant heel/ toe side is super tiring. 

We took whatever chance to rest on the carpet. It is much more difficult to climb, easier to fall when trying to climb and much more difficult to stand up into heel side position on this enoki carpet. The difficulty to stand up to heel side is similar to the mountains. We literally sweat buckets, I think more from trying to stand up and “hold” the position while trying to climb than actual snowboarding.

I duno what exactly is a J turn but definitely some kind of turn and was keen to try. I was afterall able to turn from heel to toe to heel and back at Trifecta. But my attempts were disastrous. 

In snowboarding, it is very important to have the weight on the steering (front) knee even when the board is pointing vertical downhill. The natural human reaction would be to lean back to counter the “fall” but there is no way for the front knee to steer when the weight is on the back knee. To do a J turn, we have to 1st turn to point the board vertical from heel side, then use the knee to steer the board to heel side again. 

Nana and I kept trying while Daddy Lim took a rest. The instructor would hold one of our  hands while we attempt. We were taking turns to try and to fall. Luckily the falls were not too painful. I simply cannot trick my body to lean forward when I am going vertical downhill. Haiz. The instructor said that she had helped many people master their J turns and is confident to help us too but we didn’t achieve any J turns independently by the end of the lesson. Towards the end, I was so tired that I knew it was impossible to achieve one. 

That left me really upset. I kept thinking about how I can get the J turns. Should I try to lean more? How do I practice leaning more on the steering knee without actually snowboarding? Would it help if the carpet is at a higher speed? I fell asleep with those thoughts. I wasn’t the only one bcos Daddy Lim woke up and googled what a J turn is the next morning. Lol.

Bcos I was feeling so frustrated, I decided to go for another lesson. Nana was not free while Daddy Lim wasn’t keen. I went for class this evening and there was another couple. The 3 lanes carpet was under maintenance and we used the 2 lanes one. This carpet is supposed to have wider lanes. Before class, I was already practicing on a slope, without the board, trying to lean on the steering knee, visualising the turns, and hoping that it helps. 

It was a different instructor. We had to take turns. The gf could already do S turns on the mountain and was accompanying her bf, who has never snowboarded before. I got to warm up 1st while waiting the instructor and the couple to get ready. I tired to lean more deliberately. 

The instructor said that I would get my J turn by the end of the lesson. I hope! While the couple was on the carpet, I was either practicing on the slope or strapped one foot onto the board to practice leaning.

The gf and I learnt the J turns together. We started from heel side, lean the weight on the steering knee, which will naturally move the board to a vertical position, then “open up the shoulder”, which will naturally move the board back to the heel side position. After a few attempts, leaning on the steering knee when the board is vertical isn’t that scary. I managed to get my J turn! The gf was doing a much better job. 

I took a rest before going back to the carpet and tried C turns this time. It is toe side to vertical and back to toe side. From toe side to vertical requires the shoulder to open up. I fell a few times when doing that as I had the tendency to lean back. Leaning back on toe side means falling backwards and maybe even rolling backwards when on the mountain. Anyhow, after the board is vertical, I am to “close” my shoulder again to go back to toe side. This one took a few more guided tries from the instructor, but I got it too. Woohoo!!! 

By the end of the session, I was again perspiring but very pleased. Again, the tiredness wasn’t from the snowboarding but there was a lot of standing up to heel side position and hopping around to get the right heel/ toe side position. 

I also realised (again) the importance of a good instructor. Nana likes the last one but after my lesson with this instructor, the last one was lousy in comparison. She didn’t explain that “open and close” shoulder thing or we might have gotten our turns last lesson. I also wouldn’t feel so frustrated. Hahahah. 

I came home and happily shared my success with Nana. We are going for lessons again next Monday! I hope the Snowmonster Mother’s Day promo doesn’t end so soon. The lessons without promotions are so expensive, more expensive than Trifecta. 

Meanwhile, I will continue to find slopes to practice my leaning. Hoho. 

Mummy Lim

We Are Happily Snowboarding

The snow arena at Trifecta would be closing for upgrading from 25 May to 3 July. They should. The carpet has been patched in various places and the instructors are always asking us to pretend that those are ice patches and to avoid if possible. Zzzz.. From last week until 24 May, all the snow classes are at 50% discount, if paid directly. Trifecta also allowed us to freeze current credits and bring forward until the arena reopens. It is a good deal, which is also why the classes are very packed now. It has become a challenge to find a class with no or only 1 other pax. 

I went for the usual Intermediate I class last Saturday morning while Daddy Lim took Beginner II class. The classes were conducted side by side. There were 3 people in his class, and he got to practice a lot of his heel side and toe side. There was also a lot of rest as they had to take turns. I took class with another person and was on the carpet the whole time. We just went on and on doing the turns. It was my 1st time using the carpet on the left hand side and I had 2 dramatic falls. My butt! 

On Sunday evening, Daddy Lim and Nana finally went for their 1st Intermediate I class. There was another person in the class and they had to take turns again. 

Zaky and I waited for them. 

Nana and the other pax went 1st and without even letting them warm up, the instructor asked them to try to turn. Seriously? 

Nana attempted and got the hang of it after a few attempts. When it was Daddy Lim’s turn, he had it harder, simply bcos he cannot turn his head/ neck probably bcos of his AS. This head/ neck turning is so essential to the turns. He had a few dramatic falls. He said that it wasn’t painful but the falls look so painful to us. We went “ouch” on his behalf. He eventually did manage a few unsteady turns. I started wondering if this snowboarding is for him. He should just be a heel side warrior and do falling leaves down the mountain. Haha.

Zaky is very jealous. Too bad, his ankle is still in an aircast. The doctor mentioned that sports should only resumed after 6 months. He said that that he wanted to take snowboarding class too bcos we were all having so much fun. He also wanted to take surfing class. He wants everything now. I can imagine how bored he must be to be out of action for weeks. 

I went for Intermediate II class on Sunday afternoon. Yes, I am finally progressing to the next level. We are all so reluctant to move up. What did I do that is different from the Intermediate I class? No leh. Well, the carpet went faster and the slope was raised higher at one point so that we would go lower and be in active stance positions. It was fun and tiring and I am still not putting my weight on my front knee. Zzzzzz. I am still not steering with my knee. The instructor says that one can only get away with bad habits on gentle slope. Snowboarding is such a counter intuitive sports. Other than having both feet straps into one board, one is supposed to learn in the direction of slope. That feels like teasing death constantly.

Nana has asked for classes again bcos it is so much fun. The classes are so packed. Zzzzzz. Meanwhile, I am also looking at packages with the other “snow” places, so that we can continue practicing while Trifecta closes. J, the lady whom I befriend from class told me that Snowmonster, with the enoki alike snow carpet is not bad. The enoki alike carpet feels more snow-like. They have a 50% discount for Mother’s Day and each class is at $60 now. We have all booked the Beginner class on Monday evening. Hoho.

Mummy Lim

More Snowboarding

I did my 3rd Intermediate I class on Wednesday night. I was again the only student and it was repeating and practicing my turns over and over again. We get different instructors and each of them have different teaching style. We also formed our opinions of who are the better ones and tried to book classes with them. Unfortunately, most of them are part timers and their availability limited. 

The same couple whom I took class with a few weeks back had their lessons after me. I took the opportunity to ask them about the Shenzhen indoor snow resort (yes, that is now in my holiday plan) and they coincidentally were heading over the next day! We exchanged numbers and I am waiting to hear from their experience. 

Nana finally found time to take her 1st proper snowboarding lesson. We met for dinner and I fulfilled my mummy duties to feed her. 

She did the Beginner I class on Thursday 9pm. While I didn’t take any classes, I was there to watch her fall. Lol. She was also the only student. 

The 1st classes are super tiring bcos it is constantly on heel side, then switch to toe side and then repeat. Her instructor was good, giving very precise and clear instructions. 

Nana suddenly looks so young again. It had been a while since I watched my kids learn a new sports/ take lessons. One thing about Nana - her head shape must be weird bcos her helmet (whatever kind of helmet) will always be crooked. 

She was so tired that she simply flop onto the carpet during breaks, regardless of whether the carpet was dirty or wet. Lol.

The instructor said that Nana is ready for the Intermediate I class next. Like me, Nana was like noooooo… I want to do another Beginner class. Lol. 

It was a good class for her and she woke up with muscle aches at weird places. Lol. I had muscle aches on my arms bcos I was hanging on to the bar with my dear life and blue blacks on my inner upper right arm, to add on to the ones on my left arm from the previous lesson. Haha. 

Daddy Lim got motivated too. When he took the Intro class, he was the only student and got on the snow carpet. The instructor told him that he could skip Beginner I class and head straight to Beginner II class. Did we do that? No!! We took the Intermediate I class together on Saturday night. Bcos we were the only ones (strategically planned), the instructor was able to cater to our progress. Oh, we had the same instructor who taught Nana.

It was almost the 1st time that Daddy Lim got on the carpet and he fell so much, especially during toe side. Bcos he was constant on heel or toe side, he had to take multiple breaks, also to recover from his falls. Two of them were very hard falls on his butt when he was practicing his toe side. He fell so hard that his glasses flew off. Poor thing. 

He said that his already bad neck hurt so much from the falls. I know; my neck has no issues that I got bad neck ache and bad muscle falls from previous lessons when I had spectacular falls. Our poor necks are taking all the toll. Daddy Lim is even considering to just build snowman or do sledding when we go snowboarding at the end of the year. Sob. Nana asked him to try to be a heelside warrior and heelside all the way down the mountain instead. Haha. 

Daddy Lim could move to Intermediate I class next. Like Nana, he thinks that he should do 1 more Beginner II lesson. Ya, we are all not confident. Lol.

Zaky is now super jealous of all the fun that we are having during class. Hohoho. 

Mummy Lim