Being a two-planker wanker is no longer a sin to me. I understand why it is fun to strap on two separate slippery surfaces to slide down a steep slope. I get why those ridiculous poles are so useful and why you rarely see knuckle draggers on DBDs (double black diamonds).
See I still consider myself a snowboarder… I am relatively accomplished at it, pretty fast in the trees, confident on rails and boxes, able to ride switch, I’ve done large table-tops and I can throw down a 360 without too much effort when in practice. I love it, I love the smooth feeling of carving back and forth on the mountain. I love the speed, the way my lips flap when I get going so fast I feel like I’m flying. I love pulling up on my board as I hit a lip off a cat track run and I love the smile that comes to my face when I am riding deep powder with music in my ears. Snowboarding is meditation for me, a challenge, a joy, an expression of my style and a great exercise as well.
Being a purebred snowboarder never having ever set foot on a ski I had no basis to field the argument about which was more fun or which was cooler. I needed to give it a try after so many years of boarding. So one day up at SilverStar I decided to rent some skis. I was amazed at how quickly I picked it up, how comfortable it seemed and how I built up speed so quickly. I felt like I had been riding snow the wrong way for years and that I could finally face downhill as I was rocketing towards freedom. My experience as boarder gave me a great platform to build upon and I took to skiing like a natural. I loved the challenge and I wanted more.
I ended up buying my own skis having put a lot of thought into replacing my board or just going fully into skiing. But I will never look back at that decision; of course I am still a boarder at heart and want to eventually switch back and forth, being equally good at both. However, for the time being I am a skier, full-fledged and loving it.
I love how lifts are made for me now, how small flat spots are never a problem. And I love holding the ski poles, some how it just seems so cool to have the ski poles. I don’t use them a whole lot at this point, having no formal training I do not plant, I have my own style. I am getting pretty good, learning to do bigger jumps, getting the hang of moguls and all the while trying to get my skis closer together. Riding backwards is still quite a mystery to me, I’ve figured out how to switch around and switch back but as I gain speed in the opposite direction I still recognize I need a couple years under my belt to feel at ease heading full speed backwards down a hill. That is what I love though, the progression, the pushing myself to learn, the little feeling of fear that you have to conquer and overcome. I love pushing myself and what better way to do it than to strap on those two planks and throw yourself at every more challenging situations.
Still a snowboarder, but now I take my style and sense of fun to the mountain on skis and I have no shame.