You got questions? They’ve got answers! Oh, snap-the ladies of Misschief Films are here to help. Answering questions this month: Leanne Pelosi, Amber Stackhouse, and Alexis Waite.
Hi Amber, I’m getting pretty good at rails and boxes, and I want to start spinning onto rails. Do you have any pointers or tips for getting started? I don’t want to kill myself …
Thanks, Kyla
Hi Kyla!
Wow, sounds like you’re pretty good on your snowboard-that’s awesome.
Spinning onto rails is a tricky maneuver, but if you work up to it, you won’t “kill yourself” in the process. First, I recommend getting really solid at spinning onto ollie-on boxes. If this is still tricky for you, work at spinning onto ride-on boxes first. Also, make sure that you’re proficient at front- and backside boardslides. Remember, no matter what you’re spinning onto you have to stay low! And it’s a good idea to make sure that your edges are dull, so you don’t get caught up and tossed.
First, decide which direction you’re most comfortable spinning in-it’s a matter of personal preference, but I recommend that you start frontside before attempting backside. I prefer spinning Cab because I can control it best. As you approach the box/rail, stay low, and get a nice smooth ollie off the lip. As you do this, start the rotation with your shoulders and head, and put a little pressure on your heels to get the right momentum off the lip. Tuck up your knees to stay in control and ensure that you won’t run into the feature. After you’ve started the rotation, look down at the rail/box to make sure that you’re centered on it. Stay solid, and don’t make any sudden movements-and if you start to fall, don’t fight it. If all of this scares you, work your way up to it by starting with 180s onto rails. Have confidence, and commit.
Best of luck to you, Kyla!
Amber
I was wondering how the Misschief video is going to be different from other all-girl ones? How come all-girl projects get such a bad rap, anyway?
Mark Lancaster
Hi Mark,
You’ve asked some good questions. Misschief is different because it’s made by a collective of girl pro snowboarders, so you’ll see women’s snowboarding through our eyes. In the past, the movies that were devoted to women shredders were made by people who were just snowboard enthusiasts and didn’t fully understand what was up.
By attempting to make women’s riding look strong, they unintentionally made it look cheesy. Misschief is going to piece together a movie with solid riding that gives it to you straight, so be sure to check it out!
Thanks, Mark.
Amber
Hi Alexis, I had a question about helmets, because I think I should wear one, but I don’t like the way any of them look. You seem to have such good style-what kind of helmet do you use? Do you wear a hat underneath?
Thanks,
Sarah
Twin Falls, Idaho
Hi Sarah,
Well, having good style and wearing a helmet is a hard one to pull off, but style comes more from the inside than out. I don’t think it’s good to wear a hat underneath-I’ve heard that it actually takes away from the helmet’s effectiveness, and that is the only reason you wear it. However, mandatory for style points is keeping a beanie in your jacket pocket to put on for sitting in the lodge sipping hot chocolate with hot shred dudes.
As for me, I don’t really wear a helmet, but it’s becoming totally the norm to rock one, especially with teens-Shaun White always wears one and without a beanie underneath. I think Pro-Tecs are good-I use one for skating, and it’s definitely comfortable on my head! Thanks for the question, Sarah, and I hope I could help you out.
Alexis
Hi Leanne, I have a question about style. All the guys I know always make fun of girl snowboarders because of their “girl style.” I think you have awesome riding style-do you have any tips for getting rid of my “girl style?”
Hillary
Hey Hillary,
Well, thanks for the props-I’m flattered! I think style com with experience, and the more experience you have, the easier it is to make your tricks look nice and smooth.
I think what the dudes are typically referring to when they say “girl style” is the bent-at-the-waist, arms-out-like-a-pterodactyl style, and the tight-pants look. You gotta prove those boys wrong, and show ‘em that you have some sick steez going on! Here’re a few tips to get rid of your “girl style”:
1. Don’t bend over like you’re plucking daffodils for your boyfriend! Keep your knees bent, and pretend there’s a string running from your backside to your bindings. Your center of gravity will then be centered properly over your snowboard, and you’ll have better balance to maneuver it.
2. Keep your shoulders parallel to your snowboard. It looks awful when you see someone coming down the mountain and their body is all twisted. Also, you won’t be able to get any momentum for difficult spins off jumps.
3. Practice your tricks as much as you can, so that it looks like you can do ‘em in your sleep!
4. Make sure the size of your pants is one up from what you would choose in the store. Tight pants that don’t fit around your boots or bindings are nasty!
5. Add Misschief Films’ … As If! to your movie collection and watch it before you ride-it helps!
Leanne
Leanne,
My name is Rainbow-yeah, for real. I’ve been riding and living in Tahoe for eight years, and I’m 23 years old. Up until March, I was having my best season ever-learning tons of new tricks and just killing it up at Northstar, but on March 1, a 40-foot down rail left me with a compound-fractured kneecap. I had to get emergency surgery, and now I have three screws and two pins holding my kneecap together. It’s delightful.
Anyway, in one of your interviews you say that you blew out your knee but went pro shortly after. How did you overcome the fear of reinjuring your knee-and what did you do to get yourself where you are today?
Rainbow Woodall
Hey Rainbow,
I’m sorry to hear about your injury! Damn knees. Almost every pro out there has injured their knee at some point in their career-I know that’s not going to make you feel much better, but shit happens, and it’s not going to ruin your chance at becoming a pro snowboarder if you really want to be one. Eddie Wall did the same thing as you about two seasons ago. He was injured for a little bit, but he came back stronger than ever and is absolutely destroying it now.
Injuries are hard to deal with for two reasons: One, you have to really focus on proper rehabilitation, so that your body makes a full recovery. Two, and this is probably hardest, there’s the mental aspect-coming back and not being scared. What you have to do is start snowboarding mellow, and as soon as you’re ready to get back into the park, make sure you hit a bunch of rails right away so that you don’t have time to get scared of them for life. I blew my knee my first season in Whistler (three years ago), and to get back into it right away, I registered for the Vans Triple Crown the following December. It forced me to hit jumps again, and I admit I was scared shitless because I thought my knee was going to blow again. Of course that didn’t happen, and I got used to hitting jumps. After a full season of taking it slow and getting my confidence back up, I don’t even think about it anymore. If you want it that bad, you’ll be hitting the same rails next season, for sure.
Now for your other question about making it as a pro, I believe that anyone who has motivation, drive, and a dream can be whatever they want. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work. My advice is to keep working hard on your tricks so that you can kill it at your local competitions. People will recognize! Save money, and then go to some bigger contests like the U.S. Open. From there, you can qualify for contests like the X-Games, Gravity Games, et cetera. Keep track of all your accomplishments and results for a rà‡sumà‡, and make a sponsor-me video to send out (they really do watch them). This is the best way for the snowboard companies to really get an idea of who you are and what your riding is like. I made one after my first season and put it up on Snowboard.com. K2 saw it and put me on as an am with a bit of a travel budget. Keep at it and I’m sure you’ll have success. I wish you all the best to a full recovery. Hope to see you next season somewhere!
Keep in touch,
Leanne
You want a piece of this? Send questions to the ladies at truthordare@hotmail.com.
video to send out (they really do watch them). This is the best way for the snowboard companies to really get an idea of who you are and what your riding is like. I made one after my first season and put it up on Snowboard.com. K2 saw it and put me on as an am with a bit of a travel budget. Keep at it and I’m sure you’ll have success. I wish you all the best to a full recovery. Hope to see you next season somewhere!
Keep in touch,
Leanne
You want a piece of this? Send questions to the ladies at truthordare@hotmail.com.
