Adventurous. One of the words that describe how I want to live my life this year and every other year from here on out. So, let me start the new year with a little story on my first experience on snowboarding. This extreme sport was never written on my bucket list or ever crossed my mind just because of my dislike for the cold weather and snow. BUT, here I am taking a mini road trip with my cousins and brother to Alpine Valley Resort in Wisconsin. The drive was relaxing. We jammed out to our favorite tunes and within that hour we saw fields, farms, and small towns. Our excitement grew as we were 20 minutes away. So close, yet so far. There were barely any cars on the road, but of course, with our luck, we get stuck behind a truck most of the way. Twenty minutes turned into thirty. Over an hour later, we finally saw a big sign, "Alpine Valley"!
After my cousin parked, we went straight into putting on our gears. We walked into the ticket and rental area looking like big marshmallows stuffed with thick sweaters, knitted scarfs, and puffy snow pants. We grabbed our helmets and snowboards-- off we went into the glistened snow clueless as to where to go and what to do. Keep in mind, for most of us, this was our first time snowboarding. I didn't even know how to clip the boots onto the snowboard. We glided on the lift after clipping the boots and that was the end for us all. Kidding! For five hours, we fell and laughed. I hit the snow on an average of six times per hill and boy did those falls hurt. Towards the end of the day, I wasn't afraid to fall or snowboard on the larger areas. Until... I had two hard falls: on my back and right after, flat on my face. My goggles flew off my helmet and plopped into the snow just like me. Quick shout out to the girls on the lift for giving me some words of encouragement! Slowly, I got back down and walked straight to the cafe leaving my family behind.
Long story short, that was enough snowboarding for the day.
It was an eventful experience that I would definitely love to do again! Maybe start off slower, instead of flying straight down and not knowing how to stop.
If you plan on snowboarding for the first time be prepared for the strained neck and bruised tailbone!
