Snowboard club makes riding a healthy lifestyle
Posted By By Shawn Slaght
Posted 3 months ago
The Rocky Mountain Military Snowboard Club is going into their second year of teaching young riders in the Bow Valley how to make snowboarding a part of their lifestyle.
Damien Watson and Craig Gaunce started the club, a non-profit organization, after they realized that there was no need to send Bow Valley kids to Calgary to learn riding skills.
"We decided it was ridiculous to go back and forth to C.O.P. with kids from Banff and Canmore when we basically had the facilities here in the mountains," said Gaunce.
Gaunce and Watson pitched the idea and Mount Norquay and Lake Louise Ski Area both got on board.
The program currently has 12 riders from the Bow Valley and two from Calgary and it is continuing to grow. Gaunce and Watson instruct the riders on everything from big mountain riding to terrain park safety to nutrition.
Riders that sign up the program are asked to be able to ride at least blue runs and have the passion to learn more about riding.
Gaunce said the riders are supervised at all times and it is a great program for parents to drop off their kids for a day.
"It is a club where you can drop off your kids and know they are safe on the bigger mountains," said Gaunce.
Some of the skills taught in the club include learning how to make quicker turns, dealing with steeper slopes and picking out different lines as well as hopping on rails, boxes and taking jumps.
"If they feel comfortable we can teach the kids 360s, 720s, rodeo jumps and anything else that is going on in the snowboarding world," said Gaunce.
Along with learning advanced riding techniques, there is a safety aspect to the program. Each year the Lake Louise ski patrol puts on an avalanche safety course for the Rocky Mountain Military Snowboard Club to teach them about the dangers of avalanches and boarding out of bounds.
"It allows them to understand the serious consequences of an avalanche," said Gaunce.
Nutrition is also a big part of the club. While on the hill, the kids do not eat hamburgers and fries. Parents are encouraged to pack lunches with sandwiches, fruits, and vegetables and to stay away from pop.
"We try to keep that stuff away from the hill," said Gaunce.
Financial help is available for those that want to join the club, but don't think they can afford it. The Rocky Mountain Military Snowboard Club takes in essays from children who really want to join the club. From the best essays chosen, a silent sponsor of the Rocky Mountain Military Snowboard Club will pay for half the registration fees.
Registration for the club is open year-round. For more information check out their website at www.rmmsnowboardclub.com.
