Bittersweet Snowboarding
The annual ski trip with Prairie College commenced on my birthday, mid February. Early morning was when we departed since we had to drive a few hours to Sunshine Village in an attempt to arrive before the rush of people. Fortunately, we succeeded and I enjoyed a full day of snowboarding with amazing friends and my iPhone camera in hand!
I don't claim to be amazing at snowboarding and at times I find it even boring, to the point I begin to day-dream, resulting in catching an edge that consequently brings an impactful meeting with the hard snow beneath me. Following this, I awkwardly stand back up and while grimacing continue on my way. My moment of fame with the lurking chair lift crowd from above is something I don't care to experience for long and fortunately it only lasts until I resume riding smoothly. It may sound as though wiping out is a regular occurrence but it really isn't, it is simply something that I think ruins the snowboarding experience. If the entire mountain side was empty and one could go as slow or as quick as they desired without the daunting task of avoiding those less skilled it would be a much more desirable outing. Another downfall of the ski hill are the preposterous costs for food from the concessions. Don't get me wrong the food is amazing, but $16 for a burger and fries is rough on the college student budget.
Ultimately I have a bittersweet experience with snowboarding. At times I just feel so chill that I would rather be going at a snail's pace, smelling the crisp mountain air, or even just photographing what’s going on around me. Often I don't need the adrenaline rush people are hardwired to desire but I love being able to capture it. All the photos below were taken with my iPhone 5c and the last one is of the Mountain Chocolates store in Banff where we stopped to refill on sugar. Another post will be coming in a few weeks with some of my best photography work that I have ever done!
