Snowboarding is great because in australia it is a rarity. The speed, the carves, the air, the adrenalin. Even though I am not great at it I get up each day planning to ride from first lift to last lift, just so I can get that fix of adrenalin. The surroundings are also a very important part of snowboarding to me. In Australia I love how there are gum trees with snow surrounding them. A place that can be 30 degrees in summer and -10 degrees in winter just amazes me. I love going somewhere for a holiday and only thinking about snowboarding. Everyday I am not snowboarding I am thinking of when and where I will be riding next. I already have my snow holidays planned until feb 2013. I dont care what snow I am riding as long as I am riding it. here are a few pics of my snowboarding life so far . . .
It all started when I was a little one... I remember going off on holiday with my family to our local hill and instantly falling in love. The excitement of the drive up; the spotting of the first chunks of snow on the side of the road (all the while my brother shouting “There’s snow! There’s snow!”); building snowmen, snowball fights... The sheer excitement and feeling of my first visit is still something I treasure today.
Fast forward 20+ years and it’s turned into an obsession. Honestly – I think I have a problem. My friends call me crazy. They say I’m a ‘seasonal’ friend – only around from September to May. My husband calls me a seasonal wife. I laugh it off – but it’s true. Come Friday and I’m gone. Don’t book me in for any functions – because I’m not coming.
“Where’s Billy?”
“Oh.”
“Are you going to the snow, AGAIN?!”
There are so many things that I love about snowboarding. The freedom, the release, the wind on your face. The little “Wheeeeeeee!!!” I let out when I’m riding all by myself. The cranking up of Icehouses’ “Great Southern Land” on my iPod, staring across the valleys and getting a little sentimental. To me, there’s nothing like standing at a top of a mountain and just being of awe of what is around. Amazing.
To me, it is not about my ‘steeze’ or how 'gnarly' I can be. It’s about my passion, my love for the outdoors, the world being my playground. It’s about getting better within myself – and seeing my friends progress too. It’s sharing my love with the snow with others – and trying my best to pass the ‘bug’ onto anyone I know.
Snowboarding gives me so much fulfilment in my life. I am so grateful for the opportunities it has given me, the places it has taken me and the most amazing people (FRIENDS) it has introduced into my life.
This is who I am, and what I love. I love snowboarding.
PS. I’ve also made a little video to go with my entry. Enjoy!
Well done chucky!!!!!
