I still vividly remember my first day on a snowboard. It sucked. I was cold, wet, hungry, sore from getting my ass handed to me all day long, and grumpy thanks to being an overambitious teenager with an ego.
I hadn’t grown up with much exposure to the mountains or outdoor sports, for that matter, so taking on something new like snowboarding was always interesting. But there was so much beautiful imagery of people making turns in waist-deep snow or sending it through tree lines with friends that it was impossible not to give it all a try. The only thing standing between me and those picture perfect days, it turned out, was a handful of those miserable days to get started.
These 12 minutes are exactly what we all dream of. As Antti Autti puts it, “In snowboarding and especially in freeriding, no matter where you strap in you’ll find yourself in unique places doing stuff you will never do the same again. Every moment, every turn, every hit – they’re all special.”
Now had I really known all this from that first day, it probably wouldn’t have been so miserable. Humble beginnings.
