The Midwest Ultimate Training Facility is a snowboard/wakeboard training facility that only exists in my mind. When looking into my mind, you will see visions of Snow Flex ramps, foam pits, trampolines, skate park features, wave pools, rail parks, balance boards, friends, and families having the time of their lives training in unconditional ways. Well to add to the mix, my mind now has a new vision that fits in perfectly. It’s called Slackline folks.
Slacklining
In the video above you can watch some of the best slacklining around. There are a few different types of slacklining, and if you Google it you will see people walking over crazy gaps, jumping from one line to the other, and people doing freestyle tricks on the line.
From what I have read, this is a fairly new sport in the action sports community, and one that seems to be growing fast. Besides all of the different tricks you can learn, all I can think about is the balance training that this sports brings. As we all know wakeboarding and snowboarding take an enormous amount of balance, and learning how to slackline will help with this. I tell you what. If you can do a flip on a slackline, you can do a flip on a board. No question about it. Heck, if you can walk a slackline you can ride a board. This brings me to two conclusions. The Midwest Ultimate Training Facility has to have at least one slackline, and this is just another method to help us all Board the Midwest All Day, Everyday.
As of now I have never talked about my life in the snowboard world. I grew up in southeast Minnesota in the Mississippi River Valley which provided me with the opportunity to hit the bluffs that the Mississippi River carved out over thousands of years. My first descent down a snow filled hill was on a pair of skis when I was about 8 years old. From there I broke the tips off of every pair of cross country skis my parents owned, and then my parents were kind enough to take me to CoffeeMill Ski Area where I rented down hill skis a few times. This led into me to borrowing my Dad’s only pair of skis. At this point I was killing it on his skis, and he let me barrow them for a trip to Keystone, Colorado. This is where I took my skiing skills to a whole new level. I was hitting the biggest jumps I have ever hit, which lead into to showing off my skills by doing my “helicopter” spin move. From there my day ended early because one of my skis popped off in the middle of a spin. It hurts to say, but I never found that ski again and I didn’t know how I was going to tell my dad that he only had one ski left. My hopes are that someone found that ski and put it up on their cabin wall. After all of this my snowboard life started.
My Snowboard Life
I still feel bad about losing my dad’s ski, but man it is a great story that none of us will ever forget. Also one I love to tell. This is also the point where my brother-in-law stepped into my life and took me snowboarding for the first time. I was about 14 years old at the time. He had a killer fish tail snowboard for me to borrow and he needed a little brother to go and ride with. I was all in. I might have tried a few BS plastic snowboards by this time, but I was ready to hit the hills and ride the real deal.
Needless to say, I had my own snowboard within the next year and I have never turned back. From there I have snowboarded in many different states, and I have many more to hit. Even the hot states that are popping up on the map with new year round snowboard complexes that use Snowflex and other materials. I have torn up my knees, and learned many lessons that I love to share. I am never going to stop snowboarding, and I love to support the sport. I can’t wait to get back on my board the second I take it off. It’s a life style, it’s a way of life, and it has changed me forever. I live to ride with friends, build backyard snowboard parks, hit killer obstacles, and am always looking for the next place to ride. Urban snowboarding is a challenge and something that is a reality in my life. Now I am a little older I look to bring folks of the same age into the sport while pushing the little ones and their parents to get out and ride more. I love to see the progression of the sport and am so glad to be a part of it all! I will Board the Midwest All Day, Everyday.
In the wakeboard industry cable parks have blown up around the world. In the Midwest we only have about 6 months where we can wakeboard, so what are the cable parks going to do when there is snow on the ground? Can we use cable systems to snowboard?
This is a question I have been asking myself for awhile now. I have seen videos of people using the new Sesitec system on the snow, but what about the bigger cable parks that are being built in every state? These systems usually have fixed towers and can only be used during the summer. Why can’t they be used during the winter to create a cable park business that will last all year.
To me it makes perfect sense. You could use the water from the lake to make endless amounts of snow, and the layout of the park can be left to your imagination. I guess more equipment would be required to run an operation like this, but isn’t that better than being shut down for 6 months out of the year?
This idea intrigues the crap out of me, and I think snowboard cable parks could revolutionize the snowboard industry like cable parks have revolutionized the wakeboard industry. I would not want to see these ran as different businesses as much as I would like to open a cable park in the Midwest where we could snowboard and wakeboard all year. Hey, I guess that just goes with my idea of Boarding the Midwest All Day, Everyday.
It wasn’t long ago that I was telling you how to put your snowboard away, and here we are with the snowboard season just around the corner. I couldn’t be more happy about it. With that being said, here are a few things you should do before you hit the slopes.
Prep. for the Snowboard Season
1. Set some snowboard goals – Want to learn new tricks, shred the black diamonds, set some goals.
2. Jump on your balance boards – Balance is key for snowboarding, think about boning out that grab, or nose pressing that double kinked rail.
3. Look for discounts on season passes - This is your chance to save some cash, don’t miss it.
4. Watch new snowboard videos – Help support the folks who put them together, and learn a new trick in the process.
5. Plan your trips early – You won’t have to run around last minute, and it will give you something to look forward to.
6. Tell everyone about your favorite hill – Then they will all go there this year.
7. Start Stretching – You know you are going to bail, so the more limber you are, the better!
What do you do to get ready for the snowboard season?
Besides all of the different tricks you can learn, all I can think about is the balance training that this sports brings. As we all know wakeboarding and snowboarding take an enormous amount of balance, and learning how to slackline will help with this. I tell you what. If you can do a flip on a slackline, you can do a flip on a board. No question about it. Heck, if you can walk a slackline you can ride a board. This brings me to two conclusions. The Midwest Ultimate Training Facility has to have at least one slackline, and this is just another method to help us all Board the Midwest All Day, Everyday.
