If your favorite season is winter, it’s probably because you’ve spent every cold, snowy weekend with skis or a snowboard on your feet. When the temperature starts to drop and everyone around you is missing the warm sun, you eagerly await the first opportunity to strap on your skis or board and break out your winter jacket. If you know this feeling, you’ve probably experienced these 12 euphoric moments that come with skiing or snowboarding
1. The night before the first ski day of the season.
As you begin to dig out all of your equipment, you search for the coolest combination of socks, shirt and thermals you can find along with your favorite jacket and snow pants. You lay in bed all night thinking about the conditions, what your first run will be and if you will even remember how to ski or board.
2. The morning of the first day of the season.
You have never gotten out of bed this quickly at 7 a.m. (maybe earlier), but you can’t help but rush to get to the mountain as fast as you possibly can. You check through your bag somewhere between two and 22 times to make sure you have all your equipment (GoPro included). In the nicest way possible, you usher your family and friends out the door, offering to carry anything to the car if it means getting on the mountain any faster.
3. Pulling on your clunky boots for the first time in months.
No matter how nice your ski boots are or how soft and plush the inside is, ski boots are definitely not as comfortable as snowboard boots. Regardless, the clunky ski boots will take a few minutes to adjust back to your size, but when they do, you’re that much closer to clicking into your bindings. Snowboarders, take a second to realize how lucky you are that your boots are almost as comfortable as Ugg slippers (OK, maybe not that comfortable, but still, way more comfortable).
4. Jumping around in your equipment after clicking your feet into your ski bindings or strapping your feet to your board.
Your boots are adjusted, your feet are in your bindings. Nothing can stop you now.
5. The chair lift ride and deciding what run will be the first of the season.
Your butt fits perfectly in the chairlift as if you never left. You look around and see snow-covered beauty everywhere. You can picture the trail map in your head. Do I start with a black? Do I ease myself in for the first run? Do I even remember how to do this?
6. The first glide in your skis or board across the snow.
Your skis or board feel perfectly smooth gliding through the snow. Thanks to the pre-season waxing and sharpening, you’re ready to shred the mountain.
7. Realizing that even though it’s been months since you last skied or boarded, you haven’t lost your touch.
Of course you remember how to do this! You head straight for your favorite run, not even thinking of what level of difficulty it is. You fly down the trail with ease, feeling like a bird soaring in the air.
8. The wind in your face as you fly down a trail.
Though the wind may make your eyes tear up a bit because you’re moving so fast, the cold wind reminds you that there is nothing standing in between you and the mountain. You breathe in the cool air and realize how awesome it is to be able to throw your body down this mountain so easily and without even thinking about it.
9. Stopping at the bottom of a trail and looking up at what you just conquered.
You take a minute when you reach the end of the trail, fix your jacket, maybe even take a picture of the beautiful snow-covered mountain. You look up and realize that you just conquered that trail so easily that you almost don’t remember doing it. It feels natural.
10. Being able to ski or board with family and friends.
The only thing better than skiing or boarding is being able to do it with people you love. You could spend hours talking about how fresh the powder was, the stupid guy that cut you off or the perfect weather. It’s also nice to have someone to ride the chairlift with and share the excitement of taking on a mountain together.
11. The endorphins pumping through your body, giving you the energy to ski for more than the time allotted on your lift ticket.
The endorphins make you happy and excited all day long and you now have more energy than the Energizer Bunny. The day is almost over and you feel like you could keep on going throughout the night.
Your day has come to an end, but there’s one more feeling that even snowboarders can appreciate.
12. Slipping on shoes of normal size and weight.
Although you’re sad your day has come to an end, there’s no better feeling to remind you of the amazing day on the mountain than finally taking off your clunky boots and slipping on a pair of your favorite comfy shoes. Your feet feel a hundred times lighter and can finally breathe again.
And now all that’s left to do is figure out the next time you’ll be on the mountain.
