Snowboarding While Pregnant

Proving that yes, you can be a snowboarder and a parent as well, Shred Betties, a site that otherwise seems pitched to a younger crowd, offers some interviews with high-profile riders who are also mothers. It's called Shred Mommies. Each rider, who had a great record as a competitive snowboarder, answers the same set of questions. But since "snowboarding while pregnant" seems to draw people into the site via Google searches, I'll concentrate on those.

Tina Basich says of snowboarding while pregnant: "I had to take a break from snowboarding while I was pregnant. I was not willing to risk it at all. I felt like I needed to be protective of my body more than ever and even though I might trust my own riding, I don’t trust every other rider or skier on the hill. So I played it safe and stayed off the mountain."

Shanon Dunn-Downing, on the other hand, says "I snowboarded until my last month of pregnancy. I had to ask for help buckling my bindings, because my belly was so big."

Barrett Christy: "We’ve heard doctors advise against it, but it seems hard to go without! Yes, I snowboarded when I was pregnant."

Go to the site and read the full interviews.

Book Review: Open Your Heart With Winter Fitness

One great thing about snowboarding is that it can provide the motivation to get fit. And if you want to get into shape, one good guide to doing so is "Open Your Heart to Winter Fitness," by Lisa Marie Mercer.



I'm only sixty or so pages into it, but it provides both inspiration and instruction. The techno-babble can be a bit heavy in a few spots, but if you can understand that, you'll have a better appreciation for what the exercises will do for you. If you're not interested in understanding biomechanics, read the first few chapters and then plunge into part 2 for specific exercises.

NASJA 10: I'm Sick of Altitude

You've got to take the bad with the good.

While higher elevations make for lots of snow and good riding, they can also lead to altitude sickness. Normally my bouts are limited to sketchy sleep, though during a recent stay in Aspen I was just fine.

Crested Butte, however, is another 1,500 feet higher, making the possibility of altitude sickness more likely, and the symptoms more severe. Right now it's mostly tiredness.

As the Centers for Disease Control say, being in good condition is no protection against altitude sickness.

More on the subject later.