I know it’s cheesy but being on the mountain is my second home. I feel so free and alive as I race down the slopes carving the powdery, white snow. I feel very competitive when I’m snowboarding with my best friend because we always try to race each other and we will do anything to win. Snowboarding with her is one of my favorite hobbies because I’m with someone I love doing something I love.
Snowboarding is such a thrill. I love my 2013 Roxy board because of its sharp edges and it’s colorful pattern. I always jump out of bed around seven in the morning, grab my leggings, sweatshirt, snow pants, and my equipment and I’m out the door. I am so lucky that I live so close to the slopes because I basically live there when I’m not in school.
I drive up the mountain, park my car and sit on the tailgate. I love people watching and watching people of all ages gearing up, ready to hit the slopes. As I step onto the white snow, the bottom of boots start to squeak and my skin soaks up the burning sun. I move my pink and white Oakley goggles from my forehead and strap in my white thirty-two boots into my black Burton binding. I can always hear the snow swooshing underneath my board. Through the gates I go and I’m on my way up a double black diamond hill. On my way up the mountain, I can see the colossal pine trees covered in the newest fallen snow. You can see riders carving down the mountain in their obnoxious neon outfits. Some of the riders land the jumps and others definitely don’t. Most usually land right on their faces and it always makes me feel a little more confident. You can see people of all ages. I’ve seen three year olds who are better than I am. I still don’t understand.
I hit the top of the mountain, slide down and go sit on those ugly, rustic, red benches. That’s where I strap in my other boot and adjust the bindings so they are nice and tight. I hit my board against the ground to brush off the snow I collected from the time I got onto the ski lift. I’m a “goofy” rider so my right foot is always in front of my left. I love going to the top of the mountain because you feel the fresh air and you can smell the hundreds of pine trees surrounding you. As you go down the hill, you have multiple emotions such as anxiety, adrenalin, and happiness. You are simply happy and I feel pretty cool too because not many girls are into extreme sports. I enjoy the cool air brushing against my face and when it’s warm enough to just wear a tank top; yeah I know, I’m crazy. I love learning new tricks and discovering more challenging paths.
I’m pretty good but I’m not perfect. I do fall a lot and that sucks. Every time I go to Mt. High, I remember this one time where I was trying to impress this guy and I carved a little too hard and I tumbled down the hill and didn’t stop. I just rolled and rolled. I looked up and there was snow inside my goggles, inside my shirt, inside my pants. It was every where! I was basically a walking snowman. Besides the point, I enjoy snowboarding. I wish it would snow all year long because snowboarding is such a passion and it has made me so motivated to learn new things because it’s something that i genuinely love to do. Good thing that there is surfing or else I would not know what to do in the summer, but that’s a different story.
I drive up the mountain, park my car and sit on the tailgate. I love people watching and watching people of all ages gearing up, ready to hit the slopes. As I step onto the white snow, the bottom of boots start to squeak and my skin soaks up the burning sun. I move my pink and white Oakley goggles from my forehead and strap in my white thirty-two boots into my black Burton binding. I can always hear the snow swooshing underneath my board. Through the gates I go and I’m on my way up a double black diamond hill. On my way up the mountain, I can see the colossal pine trees covered in the newest fallen snow. You can see riders carving down the mountain in their obnoxious neon outfits. Some of the riders land the jumps and others definitely don’t. Most usually land right on their faces and it always makes me feel a little more confident. You can see people of all ages. I’ve seen three year olds who are better than I am. I still don’t understand.
I hit the top of the mountain, slide down and go sit on those ugly, rustic, red benches. That’s where I strap in my other boot and adjust the bindings so they are nice and tight. I hit my board against the ground to brush off the snow I collected from the time I got onto the ski lift. I’m a “goofy” rider so my right foot is always in front of my left. I love going to the top of the mountain because you feel the fresh air and you can smell the hundreds of pine trees surrounding you. As you go down the hill, you have multiple emotions such as anxiety, adrenalin, and happiness. You are simply happy and I feel pretty cool too because not many girls are into extreme sports. I enjoy the cool air brushing against my face and when it’s warm enough to just wear a tank top; yeah I know, I’m crazy. I love learning new tricks and discovering more challenging paths.
I’m pretty good but I’m not perfect. I do fall a lot and that sucks. Every time I go to Mt. High, I remember this one time where I was trying to impress this guy and I carved a little too hard and I tumbled down the hill and didn’t stop. I just rolled and rolled. I looked up and there was snow inside my goggles, inside my shirt, inside my pants. It was every where! I was basically a walking snowman. Besides the point, I enjoy snowboarding. I wish it would snow all year long because snowboarding is such a passion and it has made me so motivated to learn new things because it’s something that i genuinely love to do. Good thing that there is surfing or else I would not know what to do in the summer, but that’s a different story.
Paulina Negrete is currently attending California State Northridge and is majoring in Journalism. She loves playing the guitar and snowboarding.