Being born and bred in Breckenridge Colorado comes with many assumptions people make about the way you grew up. Here are just a few that have stood out to me as I have gone through college.
1. You must be a professional at skiing and/or snowboarding and LOVE it.
The amount of times I have told people I skied for a really long time and recently switched to snowboarding is unparalleled with anything else I have ever said. Many of my closest friends are very good at skiing and compete and travel for their love of snow sports, but there are also people who have never gone once. It is all about interests, and there are many other cool activities ski towns have to offer besides skiing and boarding!
2. You love the cold!
Unlike many, my family vacations were spent in places that didn’t have snow or mountains. Living in a ski town, you get your fair share of freezing days, but you also see some of the most beautiful sunny days and let me tell you, you can’t beat the smell of fresh mountain air and the views of the sun beaming off the snow around you.
3. Since you grew up in the cold, you must never get cold.
To an extent this can be true. You will not see me wearing a puffy jacket, Sorrels and a scarf when it is 30 degrees, but on the other side of this coin, cold weather is cold weather. Below zero is cold and I don’t care if you’re from Houston, Texas or Breckenridge, Colorado, put a coat on!
4. You must smoke weed at least once a day.
No, unfortunately for all you weed enthusiasts out there, sorry for the misconceptions. Just because we grew up in a town where weed was prevalent, doesn’t mean everyone partook in these high adventures.
5. You don’t like cities.
Much like a lot of other assumptions, this can be true. A lot of people who live in small ski towns do enjoy the peace and quiet. They like the tranquility and the laid back setting. Some people are more comfortable in a small town while others like the hustle and bustle of city life.
6. If I were you, I would never leave.
I didn’t go far and wide for college and I am happy I didn’t, but many people did choose to go to school far and wide and here is why:
College is a time for growth and being close to home can make this a hard thing to do. Especially if your whole high school joins you it can be very easy to allow yourself to get trapped in the small town bubble even when you are at college. It is important to make sure you can bust out of it when you feel the time is right. This doesn’t mean I would never go back to my Colorado ski town, but it means that for a while, a break is good and healthy.
