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Ready to Learn How to Ski or Snowboard?Wachusett’s James Moore Will Help You Take The First Step
Moore, who started skiing when he was three years old, started teaching when he was 14, and then added snowboarding to his repertoire in 1985, came to New England in 1995 from Minneapolis. Starting as a part-time employee at Wachusett and quickly moving up in the ranks, Moore is now in charge of all things snowboard at the mountain, including the Snowboard School and planning events like last month's Rail Jam. Moore starts his students off easy, reassuring them that if they take the time to really commit to the fundamentals in the beginning, skiing and boarding will come quickly and easily. “Our motto is that friends don't let friends teach friends how to snowboard or ski. What happens is that they explain the concepts of the sport, take them up the hill, and then you see the friend struggle all the way down," said Moore. His first step is to ask beginning students about their athletic backgrounds, from there assessing their sense of balance and their ability to maintain athletic stances. He then starts the newbie on a shallow hill and works on turning and stopping techniques. "It's just like gliding on skates," he said. There’s no talk of picking up speed until the student has the basics down cold (no pun intended!). Moore reports that snowboarding’s popularity has grown significantly as Wachusett, estimating that now 50% of the sno-bunnies who visit the mountain are interested in both snowboarding and skiing, compared to about 25-30% a couple of years ago. But he doesn't think the increasing interest in snowboarding will overtake the traditional sport of skiing. “A common misconception is that skiing is for the older crowd while snowboarding is for the younger, more rebellious group. Skiing and snowboarding are sports that welcome all ages and athletic abilities, and one does not have to be extremely agile. From 2 1/2 years to 70, they’re for everyone. The two sports compliment each other," he said. So, in addition to teaching people that there’s really no need to be afraid of heading down the mountain, and that learning to ski and snowboard isn’t all that difficult and can actually be fun, what’s this self-proclaimed lover of winter’s favorite part of his job? "The best part of my job is that I get to play all day long," said Moore. "whether the sun is shining or it is cloudy, it doesn't matter. There's nothing like being out on the mountain." For more information on lessons at Wachusett, head to http://www.wachusett.com/winter2005/lessons/ (…and stay tuned, because Moore has guaranteed that in under two hours he can teach this writer, who has never before been on skis and who is blessed with neither grace nor balance, how to ride the mountain with confidence!) |
January 2006 -
'Tis the season for winter sports like ice skating, skiing and snowboarding. If you’re like me, you watch the Winter Olympics and the Winter X Games from the couch and wonder how on earth those athletes even stay upright on the powdery stuff, never mind how they pull off all those phenomenal tricks. Well, maybe this is the perfect time to get off the couch and actually learn at least the basics. And James Moore, Snowboard Director of Wachusett Mountain in Princeton, is the man you’ll want to see.