How My Snowboarding Passion Began: And how very long it's taken me to get any good at it.

A little background about me and what brought me to the Italian Alps. Snowboarding, that's what originally brought me.

But how did it all begin? Why do I lust for this not-so-easy winter sport? I grew up in Texas and I enjoyed both roller and ice-skating. The closest thing I saw to a snowboard, were the skateboards that the boys in my hood rode.  I wanted so much to be like them, so cool. Dolls and dresses didn't interest me. I wanted extreme sports...but there was one problem...I was a huge klutz, not so coordinated.

In high school, after much less begging than I thought would be necessary, my parents sent me on a ski trip to Colorado with some family friends. There would be no snowboarding, but they did hook me up with the early 90's ski suit shown below. It would be my first experience riding in the mountain snow and my first experience at staying at a really lace-decorated, artsy-craftsy, knick-knackety, small town bed & breakfast.

Hey, wow! I could ski! I went again the next year with the same family, and my big brother. The third year, my parents also joined because my brother and I insisted that this was a great way to family bond, knowing full well we would leave our parents in the snowdust and see them only in the evenings. In any case, the seed was planted. I loved winter sports...

After college I moved to Israel and my winter vacations are more conveniently taken in Europe. I know, poor me. And that's were I made the switch to the extremely hip sport of snowboarding. Some of the places I've vacayed in include:

DAVRAS, TURKEY!

hey, that's not Europe.

oops, broke a nail

ST. ANTON, AUSTRIA!

VAL THORENS, FRANCE!

MONTGENEVRE, FRANCE

SESTRIERE, ITALIA!

I keep going, year after year, and despite the fact that I have not improved greatly on the slopes... and haven't advanced passed the medium skill level, and I will touch more on why that is in later posts, I just want to say that I still love snowboarding! I love falling on my but, getting up again, and falling on my butt, and getting up again? But why? Why? WHY? If I truly look deep inside and look into my past I still think it's because I wanted to be just like the boys in my hood...so cool on those boards.