I've skied on and
off since I was 8 years old, and at the constan niggling of my
co-workers at Valve, I eventually tried snowboarding. The first day I strapped
a board on my feet and tried to get down a shamefully shallow
slope left foot first was embarassing. I
couldn't go five feet without falling heavily, so I gave up and
rented skis instead!
A few months later,
I decided to give it another go, right foot foward (goofy) and
what a difference! By
the end of the first day I had countless bruises, very sore knees,
and virtual concussion, but I came away very happy and determined
to get better! Ever
since then, I've been on trips to the ski slopes absolutely as
often as possible, and am now deeply into the religion that is
snowboarding.
I spend most of
my time at the local Seattle resorts, which, luck would have it,
are at most 90 minutes away from my front door. My favourite local haunt is Steven's
Pass, but
I also visit Crystal Mountain and Snoqualmie at times.
Here's what makes
me like Snowboarding:
Cutting fresh
tracks through smooth, glistening powder fields is a dream to
all riders and skiers alike. The tranquility of drifting over
the top of the deep snow, coupled with the smooth ride and long,
sweeping turns make cutting "powder 8"s a religious
experience you cannot conceive of unless you've done it!
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Air! |
Hitting a bump, no matter how small, and
lifting up over it to catch some air is a must for any downhill
groomed run blast. However, catching some real air off "contoured
obstacles" (see pic of my most hair-raising moment) is THE
most exhilerating part of this snowboarding for me. I'm not good
enough to be grabbing my board or 180-ing yet, it's the defiance
of gravity that brings me back to the jumps every time! What a
thrill!
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Speed |
Hurtling down
a groomed run faster than everyone else, knees going overtime
absorbing the bumps as you go. The sensation of speed is exaggerated
as the cold air rushes at your face and your goggles start pulling
at your head, straining to come off! Darting around obstacles
(people as well as trees) and generally terrorising the slopes
is all good, clean fun!
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Terrain |
Tackling difficult
terrain is the challenging part of boarding for me. Looking back
up a slope I just came down, wondering how the hell I just did
that!
It's hard to
ignore the beauty of America's Northwest, especially when in the
ski areas. This area gets great sunsets and on a clear day you
can see Mt. Rainier in all its glory. One evening, a group of
us sat at the top of the run for 15 minutes, transfixed by the
beauty of a bright pink setting sun, reflecting an eery light
all around the valley. It was almost supernatural.
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Powder
Bowls |
Steep terrain,
and lots of powder. The thrill of bouncing down a steep slope,
digging into feet of powder on each turn is an experience I'm
yet to match on the slopes. Jumping is one thing, but when you
hop ten feet at a time, again and again into soft powder, it's
unbeatable!