Snowboarding Changed My Life [OPINION]

Snowboarding changed my life and could change yours, too. I was 13-years-old sitting at one of the lunch tables at school while some of my buddies were talking about going snowboarding after school. I wanted to go with, but I didn’t know how to snowboard, let alone ski.

After school, I told my mom that I wanted to learn how to snowboard. She didn’t like the idea of that. However, little did I know, she was secretly planning a winter vacation to Breckenridge, Colorado for a family ski trip. When I found out, I immediately called all my friends and told them. They were so stoked for me.

I remember very vividly almost missing our flight, so naturally, I was pissed off the entire flight…until we started to fly over the snowy mountains.

All was good. I was a happy camper and was amazed by the views. I fell in love with the mountains.

The second day there, my mom booked family ski lessons because my brother and I had no clue how to ski. I didn’t even care that she rented me skis, I just wanted to be on a mountain. Well, of course, the first run down I get separated from the instructor and my family. So I decided to keep on going until the bottom. I went down a steep run all by myself without falling. The instructor was livid, but I was having the time of my life.

Let’s fast-forward to Christmas of the next year. I got my very first snowboard. I went every day with my school buds and felt like a “cool” kid. I got pretty good at snowboarding.

My family made going to Colorado over Christmas break a tradition. A tradition we still do to this day, that I am super grateful for. Over the years I continued to progress and instead of riding the terrain park, I decided to focus on backcountry riding. It just felt so much more rewarding hiking to terrain that the majority of people can’t touch. Extreme terrain is only available in the mountains, so for a period of time I stopped snowboarding in Wisconsin. I still kept my Wisconsin boarding buddies around, but also made friends out West.

My family went every year until my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017. She told her doctors that her goal was to get back on the snow IN Colorado by next season. 

Snowboarding and skiing made my relationship with my family stronger than ever. Snowboarding gave me hope in all the dark times. Snowboarding made me look forward to winter. Snowboarding has helped me create friendships across the country. Snowboarding has taken me places I never thought I’d go to. Snowboarding has changed my life, and can change yours, too. See you on the slopes!