Snowboarders groove on the thrills, power, peace of it all

By Aubreyann Hansen

March 13, 2008 | What sport can make one person feel sexy, another relaxed, others empowered and even some peaceful?

Over the years, more and more people have joined the snowboarding craze. Records state total season pass sales for the 2006-07 ski season increased by 17.7 percent from the 2005-06 season. Yet the growth comes from a variety of age groups, and each age group has its own reasons for venturing up the mountains.

Mitchell Guymon, 18, from Taylorsville, has been a committed snowboarder since he was 11. He has owned four season passes and spent the other seasons using day passes as often as he could.

"I love flowing down the mountain. Feeling the motion from my heels to toes as fast as I can while dodging trees. Then jumping off a huge cliff into new powder. I just love the adrenaline," Guymon said.

Age set aside, most people get the same feelings from gliding down the mountain. People seem to have great passion for carving their own path into the sparkling, white glow of puff on the side of the summit to the more compact and not-so-white foundation of the hills.

Jeff Hansen, a 45-year-old season-pass holder at Park City Resort, goes snowboarding "to spend time with my kids. But I like my new snow gear that makes me look sexy." Hansen has a new, blue, white and orange Rossignol board with black Burton bindings that match his black helmet and Oakley goggles that are black with mirror lenses as well as his electric-blue Spider brand pants and black and white Columbia jacket with white piping.

Through his days on the mountain, Hansen said he has found boarding to be an exhilarating experience as he conquers the slopes. That is until he catches an edge and finds himself with his back in the snow, ears frozen and sliced with shards of ice and remembers how old he is and why he should be home in front of the fire.

So why do families, friends and solo riders make such an event of taking a day on the mountain in the bone-chilling weather?

For many, the slopes are a getaway for the mind as well as a challenge for the body. Jeff Hansen said the young adults go because they are thrill seekers. Being in nature is relaxing but they find a rush with their "flying tomato tricks," Hansen said while watching teens fly off jumps and do multiple flips.

Matthew Brown, 17, along with other young adults, loves the feel of freedom given by drifting down the slopes. Matt goes with a group of friends, but boarding is not a social activity to them.

"I go snowboarding to get away from the world and my worries," Matt said. "I get a rush and even a peace."

Ryan Nelson, Matt's friend, also 17, said he goes to have the feeling of "me against the world."

Despite the reasons for going, the most obvious age group consists of high school and college students. However, there are many adults on the runs. Most resorts offer discounted passes for 12-years-old and younger as well as passes for 65 to 69-years-old. The senior-citizen passes are taken advantage of and used more frequently than most teenagers' passes. Those discount passes are used and show a wide variety in age groups on the mountains.

The age groups can be seen while waiting in line for the lift. Parents aid red-nosed young ones from the piercing winds that scrape everyone's faces while getting each family member through the line and onto the lift.

Young adults clean their goggles and readjust them to the comfortable spot on their heads and chatter about the run they will soon be making as if the cold does not faze them.

The older people who have no children to keep warm replace hand-warmers and resituate all five layers individually, yet try to be unnoticeable to the younger groups.

The journey up the lift can be memorable as you can engage in conversation with friends or strangers. The ride can also end up being an unforgettable 20 minutes of silence and awkwardness that is spent praying the lift does not slow down or stop and that you never have an encounter with this mysteriously strange individual again.

Once you have finally reached the top of the mountain, you are prepared for the dive into clouds of snow. Dave Wall, 23, says at that moment he has never felt more at home.

"It makes me feel like I can conquer anything. Most importantly, this feeds my soul," Wall said.

Leah Campbell, 5, with her frizzy red hair sticking out of an argyle snowcap said, "my mommy likes me to go because it is um a good umm… way to exercise and puts me in umm…good habits."

"I like the pink swirls on my board and my gloves that match!" Leah said.

Leah then smiles the brightest smile a child with two missing teeth can as she gets to spend the day with her father, a snowboarding fanatic since the good ol' days of high school.

By the end of the snow day, usually about 4 p.m., children are worn out as their parents are left with no option but to carry the kids and all gear to the vehicle or shuttle. Young adults are sore and ready for food but mainly bummed the day has ended. Adults are tired and praying for good roads so they can get home and cuddle with bundles of blankets and sleep off the pain.

Despite the age, many will wake the next morning sore in the legs and back but will be waiting for the next time they get to venture up the mountain and experience the wind stabbing through them as they bob and weave through the power-snow to the base.

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