It’s that time of year again when people start brushing off their snow gear and busting out the oversized jackets. The hype about which resort has the most snow, which one has not been getting fresh powder, who’s carpooling, is in full swing.
However, while everyone is gearing up to hit the slopes, this Colorado girl is settling down with some cocoa, fuzzy socks and Netflix.
DU has several out-of-state students and one of the most commonly asked questions is if I board or ski. When I answer “no,” I am met with a general reaction of shock. How could a Colorado native like myself not love snowboarding or skiing?
As for my answer, I generally refer to the only time I ever went skiing. It cost me close to $200 only to rent the equipment and purchase a day pass to the bunny slopes and I spent the entire time trying to find my balance and stay off my butt. By the end of the day, despite my professional skiing attire, my face and fingers were nearly numb and my whole body ached.
By the time I was beginning to get the hang of it, my muscles were so tired I could hardly stand. The whole lift process killed my weak ankles and I was so stressed about getting off the lift without avid boarders and skiers freaking out about how slow I was. Overall, the exertion left me starving, freezing and aching for days.
For something so many people enjoy and religiously practice, I had difficulty justifying going back. The money alone is too steep a price to pay for something I kind of hate.
Being a native to Colorado, I love the outdoors and have no problem with the cold, wet or snowy outdoor conditions that are involved in snowboarding – I’ve lived my life with them. But the expensive and exhausting practice of snowboarding or skiing holds little appeal for this native.
To me, the mountains are not the spectacle they are for out-of-state students. For me, they are the backdrop to my life and my environment, and I’ve grown up used to seeing them there.
I have witnessed countless beautiful sunsets and sunrises over the Colorado Rockies; they are as concrete and normal to me as trees. Being a Colorado native means a lot of things, but it does not always mean loving skiing or snowboarding.
