Welcome to Feel the Edge

Thoughts from the Season in Vermont

Adil Latif | Snowboarding- Training to compete | ON 20th February 2009 | 0 comments

It was hard at times believing in myself. Not having many blind role models made it very difficult for me as I didn’t know what was possible for a blind snowboarder. I had to push the possibilities and find out what I could achieve via the fun method of the learning process. Anyhow, being slightly crazy, not to mention a bit ugly and a tad on the chubby side I was able to, with the help of my guide Travis: 1) Develop a navigation system which would allow me to ride up to 70% of Tr...

Hit the Road Jack

Adil Latif | Snowboarding- Training to compete | ON 15th February 2009 | 1 comments

After spending 2 months in the USA training fulltime and competing (and winning my event!) in the Canadian Adaptive Snowboard Program National Championships I felt it was time to return home. I only had a few weeks remaining on my visa as the American Embassy in London was very unhelpful and did not provide me a visa to stay until April which would have allowed me to compete in the USASA Nationals. I’m sure the fact my origins are Pakistani, Indian, and Iranian had absolutely nothing to do...

Competition! Canadian Adaptive Snowboard Program National Championships

Adil Latif | Snowboarding- Training to compete | ON 27th January 2009 | 0 comments

We travelled to Vancouver for a national snowboarding competition at Grouse Mountain. I was very excited as the purpose of my training this season had been to bring my snowboarding ability up to a competitive level. We were competing in boardercross, which consists of a downhill course with undulations, banked turns and a table top (a form of jump) at the end. Usually in boardercross you have more than one rider simultaneously racing one another to make it down. However, having Travis g...

Feel the hedge.com

Adil Latif | Snowboarding- Training to compete | ON 23rd January 2009 | 0 comments

It had been a tough morning - I was coming down the mountain We had had a late night I was quite tired, and I was annoyed that I hadn’t had time for my favorite breakfast cereal, Lucky Charms (Frosted Toasted Oat Cereal with Marshmallows) Travis shouted something. He shouted it again. oh, it was a command for me to turn… ok I was a little slow in turning, and the reward was a hedge bushwhacking my face! My little metro-sexual Adidas goggle...

Escaping from the aliens with the use of our splitboards

Adil Latif | Snowboarding- Training to compete | ON 2nd January 2009 | 0 comments

Recovering from New Years took a few days. We thought the mountain would be too busy with tourists as it was technically still part of the holiday period. We decided to go splitboarding once again. This time we would go on a longer journey. We went along a trail which is used by people on snowmobiles. We had to ensure we didn’t get hit by a snowmobile as it would hurt a lot. I began to think of the snowmobiles as alien crafts coming to get us! This added to the excitement though in hindsig...

Concert in Burlington

Adil Latif | Snowboarding- Training to compete | ON 30th December 2008 | 0 comments

We drove to Burlington with some of Travis’ friends for a concert! Mike Gordon from Phish was playing. The concert was nothing amazing but it was a nice bunch of people to hangout and talk silly with. The next morning Travis and I awoke in a hotel (we had separate beds) and we went and put our names on a waiting list to have breakfast at Penny Cluse, which is an extremely popular cafe for brunch. We waited 45 minutes. We spent the wait time window shopping in one of the indoor shopping cen...

Hiking Lye Brook Falls

Adil Latif | Snowboarding- Training to compete | ON 28th December 2008 | 0 comments

The hike to Lye Brook Falls is a 2.5 mile uphill trek to a beautiful waterfall. The trail up to the waterfall in normal circumstances wouldn’t have been that challenging, however most of it was covered with ice making it very interesting, and on a few points along the trail, one of the scariest hikes I’ve ever been on! Having lived most of my life in 2 major cities in the UK, I admit I don’t have much hiking experience. But crossing streams by balancing...

�Twas the second day on the Mountain

Adil Latif | Snowboarding- Training to compete | ON 21st December 2008 | 0 comments

‘Twas the second day on the Mountain and I did not want to go... my body was sore from the previous day. I sat the first few runs out at the bar. Travis wanted me to attempt riding the most basic rail on the mountain. A rail is literally a metal rail placed on the mountain. The aim is to slide your snowboard down the rail from the top to the bottom without falling. We got to the top of the mountain and aligned ourselves up to the rail. We slowly approached the rail and then ended ...

First few days snowboarding on Stratton Mountain

Adil Latif | Snowboarding- Training to compete | ON 20th December 2008 | 0 comments

Our first day on the mountain I was still sore from the splitboarding, and it had been a year and a half since I had last been on a snowboard. We traveled up the gondola to the top of the mountain. As soon as we got off we were battered by wind and snow and it felt like a proper blizzard. I was nervous as Travis hadn’t yet seen me board and conditions like this were the worst since I would have all my senses bombarded by the weather which would make it hard for me to have a good feel ...

The first dawn

Adil Latif | Snowboarding- Training to compete | ON 18th December 2008 | 0 comments

It hasn’t stopped snowing since I arrived in Vermont. I have a tough 4 months ahead of me during which I will be training full-time to prepare myself for competition. In the morning, the first thing Travis and I did was go to the local gym. We went for a small token workout and then retired to my favorite place: the hot-tub! It was nice and warm and I happened to meet my favorite person, the massage therapist! His name was Chip and I told him to be expect...