‘The sun is bright and the powder bitchin’
Opinion
Attending the Burton Open at Canada Olympic these past few days made me realize how much I love the culture that is snowboarding.
I think Jim Carrey said it best in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, “the sun is bright and the powder bitchin!”
The sun coming up over the white-capped mountains as you take that first ride up the lift, and the sound of your board as it slices through perfect powder. There is the art of stickers either carefully placed or haphazardly covering boards and helmets. The outfits; snow pants of chord and plaid and any colour under the sun with jackets to match, or mismatch, us snowboarders are a carefree fun-loving bunch.
I love everything about it even the name of snowboarding maneuvers; these are just a few of the names that the winners of this past weekends competition were pulling off like frontside nosepress, backside rodeo stalefish and backside doublecork 1080.
I took the time to ask some of my fellow snowboarding brethren just what it is that makes snowboarding the bees-knees of snow culture.
First up my friend Vanessa who rocks the hill in some vintage neon, two reasons for what snowboarding means to her.
First, “While most don’t consider boarding a team sport, it is rare that you will hit the slopes without a car-full of your best broskees. I don’t think the experience of a day riding alone could come close to the vibes you get when you shred with friends.
“Snowboarding isn’t just about fresh pow and big air, its about drinking beers in the lodge, car-ride banter, puking off chairlifts, making soup out of ketchup, and callin’ shotgun. It’s about waking up at the crack of dawn with the worst hangover of your life and knowing you’re about to have the best day of your life. It’s about how you feel at the end of the day, and nothing compares to that.”
And second, “I don’t think about my problems when I snowboard, and so I ride every chance I get.”
And then there’s my friend Mike, he’s not only a great boarder, but he once sucked up an egg yolk with a straw (I should probably mention the egg was cooked). He said, “My favourite thing about snowboarding? Let’s see, where do I start. I do love everything about snowboarding from the new gear to drinking beers at the bar and spilling out tall tales of what new moves I did. But my favourite thing would have to be that everyone on the hill is out there having just as much fun as me. The energy is positive and the smiles are plentiful. It feels great to be in an area where everybody is happy and carefree. And powder.”
If you’ve never experienced any of the above you, are definitely missing out. Whether you are a seasoned veteran with the battle scars to prove it, or a novice ready to have a bruise covered ass after that first day learning to ride, get out and check out some of the best snow Alberta has seen in years. We can take my car.
