Snowboarding, being one of the most exhilarating winter sports, brings many teens out to the slopes during the winter months. From experienced to beginners, this winter activity allows people to have fun in the snow, improving on skills and confidence on the hills.

Snowboarding for three years now, junior, Ben Whiting, found his interest in the sport after “seeing cool videos of people snowboarding, and wanting to try it out for myself. My favorite part of snowboarding has to do with the rush of adrenaline that comes with it.”

Also engaging in this activity, senior, Porter Brough, snowboarding for the past four years, says, “My friends Colby and Ryan Partida, and their dad, convinced me to try out snowboarding; and I’ve enjoyed it ever since. I like how different it is from everything else; skating, swimming, etc. It’s like running, but without the workout, and plus you can do cool tricks.”

Finding interest in snowboarding, as well, Colby Partida, senior, states, “My dad took me up for my first time snowboarding, and I’ve enjoyed it since then. Getting to ride in the snow is one of my favorite things when it comes to snowboarding; especially in fresh powder. It’s always fun just riding down the mountain on both groomed trails, and swerving in and out of trees.”

Finding many different joyful aspects in such a wonderful pastime, snowboarding is considered a widely shared hobby between many teens here at Shadow Ridge; with all that comes with it. Exploring both the ups and downs of learning the skill, Brough and Partida face the challenges of getting back up and trying again, even after enduring the hard times.

“I broke my arm after my first time snowboarding. I kept going that day, mainly because tickets are pricey; but I had a hard time regaining my confidence on future trips. Wrist guards were a huge help in that,” Brough expresses.

Partida explains how “the first day I went snowboarding, it took me almost an hour to figure out my balance on the board. But after that, I got my heel side down. Besides that, the only issues I’ve had while boarding were mental. I messed up my ribs from going too fast, and falling down the mountain,” Partida adds. “But once I got over that mental block, I was good to go snowboarding without any worry.”

Facing mental blocks, especially when it comes to dealing with a past experience, can be a very difficult thing to attain. Most find that facing and overcoming fears can relieve some of the stress over worrying about the end result.