Tag: Snow

I’m Thankful for Snow, But I Wasn’t Always

I used to hate the winter. Shoveling snow, treacherous driving, the cold, the layers – it seemed like there was no redeeming part of being surrounded by snow and ice.

Growing up on the flat lands of Nebraska and Wisconsin didn’t allow for much exposure to downhill mountain sports. One of my first downhill skiing experiences was down a converted garbage dump and I wasn’t very good at it. So as an adult when I moved to the Wasatch mountains in Utah they seemed surreal at first, like a set on a movie screen. Nothing could be that big.

Years passed. I got married. I still disliked the snow. Then something changed. I watched the Winter X games on TV. The snowboarders, skiers and snowmobilers blew my mind with their tricks, flips and wide faced smiles. I wanted a piece of that joy.

At that time my husband and I desperately wanted a baby. We had tried for 6 months, then a year, then a year and a half and couldn’t get pregnant. After watching the X games I decided if I couldn’t have a baby like I wanted then I would do something else that really wanted. Learn to Snowboard.

Thanks to a Womens Workshop at Brighton resort I did just that. The first lesson I didn’t even make it on the lift. I fell a lot and was sore by the end but I came back the next week and did it again. Then I signed up for the following month.

Something changed in my attitude. Suddenly I had a reason to love the snow. The joy and thrill of gliding down the mountain was new to me and I relished it. That thrill was only possible if the storms kept coming. Snow created so much joy that eventually I became a snowboard instructor and moved my whole family to live within walking distance of a ski resort.

Now my kids are learning to ski and I can hardly wait to see them catch a bit of that joy. Since I’m pregnant this season I will have to sit out. I’m so sad to miss out on the best thing winter has to offer. Snowboarding.

Deep: The Story of Skiing and the Future of Snow

You may have noticed a common theme on my posts for the last two months or so – snowboarding. While the warm weather months see me camping, hiking and traveling for various adventures, the winter keeps me close to home so I can enjoy the best sport in the world – snowboarding. I love the feeling of speeding down the mountain, floating through powder or trying new tricks in the park. On the list of things that bring me joy, snowboarding is at the top, second only to my family.

So last week, after taking a few runs at Sundance Resort I got in my car and heard a program on the future of skiing on RadioWest. It was depressing. On the show, Doug Fabrizio was interviewing reporter Porter Fox about his new book Deep: The Story of Skiing and the Future of Snow. According to Fox’s research, global warming and its effects could close up to half of the nations ski resorts in over the next thirty years. That’s my lifetime, my kids’ life.

I absolutely don’t want to see that happen. In general I’m an environmentally friendly person, (ignore the fact that I drive a big truck), but this news report makes me want to do more. Check it out and let me know what you think!

http://radiowest.kuer.org/post/skiing-and-future-snow

Opening Weekend 2013, Sundance Mountain Resort, Sundance, Utah

Living in the mountains during this time of year is truly magical. Yes driving in the snow is terrible and I don’t like being cold, just like everybody else BUT snowy winter weather means AWESOME snowboarding. Such was the case this past weekend at Sundance Mountain Resort.

Snow fell from late Friday night, through late Saturday night dumping eighteen inches at a rate of one to two inches per hour. Fat, heavy flakes filled the sky as I enjoyed some of the best snowboarding of my life!

Saturday morning I was giddy with delight as the fresh powder tracks just kept coming. At one point the snow was up to my knees as I sliced through the cloudlike powder like it was butter. I love this sport and I can’t wait to get back on the slopes!

Motherhood Moments: First Snow!

Last Saturday, Mountain Dad and I were snowed in! I love living in the mountains and snowboarding, but the unexpected first snowstorm of the year reminded me that I don’t like shoveling or driving in the snow. Several of our neighbors had accidents just driving down our street, but luckily Mountain Dad and I could just cancel plans and stay safe at home.

My tots also have strong opinions about the snow. Big E was in heaven, eagerly putting on his snow suit and squeezing his feet into too small boots in order to have a snowball fight outside.

Little g on the other hand sobbed at the prospect of even one flake touching her skin. She wailed until I put her in the garage, where she could see the snow but stay safely out of its way, but even this would not suffice. She just wanted to be inside.

I was hoping to introduce little g to the amazing world of skiing this year, but her reaction to the first snow storm of the year tells me she’s not ready. Mostly I was hoping for a way to get some slope time myself. If ALL of us were on skis, I could get some extra runs in. But, if that means I would have to endure little g’s cries for one more minute, it wouldn’t be worth it. Oh well, there’s always next year