Garmin Forerider?

As I mentioned on Friday, this is my first snowboarding trip of the season. I forgot to mention that this is also my first time wearing my Garmin Forerunner 205 while riding. I am doing so not to chart progress, but more to satisfy my curiosity about how fast I actually go downhill, how much distance I cover on a typical run, or how many calories I burn on a typical snowboarding trip.

I am surprised to learn that my fastest runs reach speeds between 30-40 miles per hour, with averages in the 20's. I suspect that running is going to seem very slow by comparison. I am also surprised to see that many runs on the mountain are only 3/4 of a mile long. When first learned to ride, I could spend 30-40 minutes trying to get down these runs!

I could not resist recording a few of the chair lifts to see how fast they actually ascend. High speed lifts like the new Cloud Nine Express climb around 10mph, while older ones (like nearby Chair 25) barely reach half that speed. One thing this proves is that my slowest average downhill speed is still faster than the fastest lift. In other words, I really do spend a lot more time riding the lifts than riding the slopes!

I have no idea how the Garmin watch calculates how many calories are burned (especially if these numbers have any relevance outside of running), but I wouldn't be surprised if I burn more than 4,000 calories during our snowboarding trips. I am fairly certain that I consume more than that while dining at Mammoth.