My intro to snowboarding

I don’t remember my first day of skiing, which is probably a good thing. I would have been like 5 years old, so how good could it have been?

However, I was 15 years old when I first tried snowboarding. I remember a lot from that day. The weather was terrible; the weather was just warm enough to turn the falling snow into cold, sloppy rain. It was windy, too. I fell down a lot, and I remember having a difficult time adjusting my bindings. I never moved on past the bunny slope. I was glad when that day ended.

Now, I’d call myself a serviceable snowboarder. I can’t do wild tricks on the half-pipes, but I’m good enough to keep up with my friends and land on my feet after small jumps.

Snowboarding: not at all like skiing

I think the reason I had such a hard time with snowboarding at first is that it’s nothing like skiing. In fact, it’s almost counter-intuitive if you were to have been skiing for as long as I was. Taking snowboard lessons is a must if you’ve already spent years in skiing. I learned that much.

Snowboard rentals

Like skiing, snowboard rentals can be obtained either at ski resorts or at city ski shops. Finding snowboard boots is a lot easier than finding ski boots; just about any large, winter boot will work. That was a blessing for me, because I wear a size 15 shoe and had a difficult time finding ski boots that fit. I couldn’t imagine having to endure the same ordeal twice.

Tip for the slopes: be mindful of skiers

I’ve found there’s a fundamental difference between skiers and snowboarders and the way they use the slopes. Skiers tend to zip down the hill, not stopping, often only slowing down to carve some turns in virgin snow. Snowboarders, on the other hand, stop all the time. Many snowboarders try new tricks when they find a jump in a run, and more often than not, they wind up about 15 feet down the hill sitting on their backsides. When I’m skiing, I can’t count the number of times I’ve had to change direction at the last second to avoid hitting a snowboarder who was sitting in the middle of a run.

Fellow snowboarders, I know we like to think we’re superior to skiers. But I'm a skier too, and there's nothing worse than preparing for a good jump, only to realize at the last second there's a snowboarder on the ground behind it. So please, fellow snowboarders, move off to the edge of the path or run if you insist on taking a breather.

The best ski and snowboard resorts

A recent discussion with friends about where to go skiing turned into an argument about the best places to go skiing. We couldn’t come close to agreeing on a top choice, but we were able to agree on our own top 10 list. Some resorts on this list are internationally known; others are on the list more because they’re within driving distance on the weekend. Some of my friends are better at snowboarding, while others (like myself) are more avid skiers, so that was a factor as well.

Our top 10 resorts list (in no particular order) is as follows:

1. Heavenly Valley Ski Resort, Nevada
2. Sundance Ski Resort, Utah
3. Mt. Bachelor, Bend, Oregon
4. Bear Creek Ski Area, Macungie, Pennsylvania
5. Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia
6. Stevens Pass, Washington
7. Sun Valley, Idaho
8. Sugarloaf, Maine
9. Aspen, Colorado
10. Heavenly, California