Betty of the Month: Lauren
Age: 21
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri; currently living in Summit County, Colorado
Home Mountain: Hidden Valley in Missouri, yeahhh!!! Got love for that place!
Years Riding: 6
Recent Results: 1st - Shakin at the Basin part 1, 2nd - Shaking at the Basin part 2, 2nd - CCU Early Bird rail jam
Sponsors: 720 Boardshop, Holden, Able Planet, Roxy
How did you get started snowboarding? What did you think of it when you first tried it?
I think I saw it on TV when I was little and thought it looked fun and wanted to try it ever since. I loved it the first time I tried it! I picked it up really fast and I remember on the 3rd day, I made it from top to bottom (at Heavenly) without falling once and I was so proud of myself, haha.
Which tricks are you trying to master this season?
I would like to hit bigger jumps, spin more smooth, ride more powder, trees, and drop bigger cliffs. There’s none of that in Missouri… even jumps. It was just all rails. We didn’t even have snowfall! Ever since I moved out here, I’ve become addicted to the white stuff!
Photo: Shannon Johnson, shayboarder.com
Most embarrassing bail story?
Ummm… I can’t think of any. I usually just laugh it off. I guess it would have to be last year at Keystone, there was a little tree jib someone made that would throw you up, but there was something sticking out at the top, so you had to come off the side. No one told me this, and I did the whole thing and it shot me up really high and took me by surprise and I landed on my head. I had a helmet so I was OK. The good thing is that I broke off the piece that was sticking out, so now other people could do the whole thing.
How do you think being deaf changes your experience of snowboarding?
It’s a lot more quiet.. I can get into the zone a lot easier and it’s helpful especially at rail jams because I can’t hear the crowds and that doesn’t sketch me out. People have told me they get nervous when they hear their boards scraping against ice and rails… not me! I especially like being deaf on a powder day… feels like I’m the only one there and it’s just really peaceful.
Are there certain aspects of snowboarding that are tougher for you - for instance, is it difficult to do competitions?
YES… especially when there’s a lot of announcing and when they say the time remaining.. I miss out on all of that. I have to rely on people, even those I don’t know, to tell me what’s up. I wish comps could be more visual- like a traffic light system. Green, go! Yellow, 5 mins left, and red, stop! That would be rad. Another hardship is meeting people. I do have a cochlear implant that helps me to hear, but I don’t wear it when I ride because it falls off too easily. I’m always worried that someone might try to talk to me, not knowing that I’m deaf, and I’ll ride off and they’ll think I’m rude. I actually wrote down, “I’M DEAF!” on my helmet, I think it’s helped a little bit. Especially on skinny cat tracks… I can’t hear people behind me going faster and screaming, “Left!! Right!!” I try to look behind me often to make sure I won’t accidentally cut someone off trying to pass me.
Pirates or Ninjas?
Ninjas, they’re very sneaky like me
Any advice for girls just getting started in the park?
Don’t be intimidated! Grab a friend and find a mellow box to start out on and just have at it!! Remember to have fun, try not to get frustrated, that can ruin your day.
What’s the most annoying trend in snowboarding?
Not showering and dreamcatchers… you don’t need those, you don’t fall asleep while snowboarding, do you??
Our readers are getting ready to buy new gear - what 09/10 stuff would you recommend?
There’s a bunch of sweet stuff coming out- Holden has some really cute ladies outerwear this year and they’re eco! I also rode some stuff at the On Snow Demo and my personal favorites were…
1. Never Summer Pandora R snowboard - perfect for those ladies who like to cruise around and hit the park, it’s a very playful board and makes simple turning so fun.
2. Rome Madison bindings - can’t go wrong with these… sooo comfy and really cushy. I wouldn’t give the bindings back til the end of the day
3. K2 Fling snowboard - SO SO fun! I would definitely use it for all around riding even though it’s a “park board”
4. Ride Compact snowboard - also really fun! It’s ridiculously light and really stable at high speeds.
There’s just so much stuff coming out this year for women, go check it all out! If you want help, send me a PM in the shredbetties forum, my name is Vixen, like the band.
Backcountry or park?
Both!! I’ve only gone backcountry (like, real backcountry) twice, but it’s so much fun! I’d probably go with park since it’s more accessible hah! If you had asked me “powder or park”, I would say powder until it gets tracked out, then park. I love hitting the jumps when it’s all powdery.
Photo: Shannon Johnson, shayboarder.com
Where’s the coolest place you’ve traveled to ride? Any place you really want to check out?
Snowboarding has allowed me to travel to places I never thought I would get to go… it’s hard to pick one cool place. I liked Mammoth, Whistler, and Lake Tahoe. Boreal in Lake Tahoe is also really fun… it’s small so it’s easy to meet people to hang with after riding, and there’s park features all over the mountain. I would love to check out Jackson Hole and Wolf Creek, I hear Wolf gets dumped on like crazy. South America is also on my list… and I would love to ride Europe. My overall favorite though is COLORADO! That’s why I live here now… I used to travel here in high school and decided I was going to live here eventually.
Favorites:
Park Feature: a barrel on its side… from the smallest one to the biggest one!
Snowboard shop: 720 Boardshop!! Come check it out!! http://www.720boardshop.com
TV Show: Family Guy
Imaginary animal: Unicorn.. wait, imaginary? Hmmm. Pegasus.
Pro Rider: There’s so many pros out there… um… the ones I’ve met so far have been really nice, Chad Otterstrom, Molly Agguire (she knows sign language… how rad is that?!), Tara Dakides (she told me she has a deaf sister), Pat Milbery, Megan Pischke, DCP… all good people. I can’t just pick one favorite, and there’s tons more out there I haven’t met!
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with cheese, on top of toast with butter with a damn good cup of coffee!
Inspiration: Everywhere I look.. I like to paint and do artsy-fartsy things, so a lot inspires me easily.
Photo: Kenneth Hoglund
Posted by Kelly Vance on 11/02
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