The Snowboard Debate

Okay, I know there is a big war being waged between skiing and snowboarding and I am forced to weigh in. For years I have skied. And by skied I mean fell down one mountain after another. Including the Austrian alps. So I am here in France with my friends the Glass’s (see photos above) who are avid skiers. Now knowing my ability to bruise every muscle in my body while skiing with expert skiers I decided to even the playing field when the Glass family suggested we go skiing in the French alps……….yes that is right, I went to the French Alps with the Glass’s…… you can be jealous. ….I suggested we all learn how to snowboard. They are all expert skiers but beginners, like me, at snowboarding.
So that is what we did. We got in the car and headed to Les Carroz for a day of lessons in snowboarding. Sorry to all those die hard skiers, the entire Glass family would fall into the “die hard skier” category but I am now sold and will forever be committed to snowboarding. Besides being a ton of fun. It is a million times easier. I have a bigger surface in order to navigate the slops, the boots you get to wear you can actually walk in (novel idea huh?), and lets face it the snowboarding clothes are just way cooler looking. Even skiers have to admit that they have a lot of envy when it comes to clothing and hats that snowboarders are privy to wear. Plus I am a goofy snowboarder. Come on you have to admit that is a way cool distinction, one no skier would allow themselves to be called but the cool and the hip snowboarders take the title with pride. Which I gladly accept for a distinction of myself.

We spent 3 hours on the slopes. The first hour we had a great French instructor who did not speak English. Yeah get this mental picture. She explains what needs to be done and then John, Kim and James all translate what she just said so I can do what they are doing. Let’s just say, a lot got lost in translation. I have three different people each giving me a slightly different translation of what she said. It could have been an episode of Friends and everyone would have been in hysterics. I know I was. I don’t know what was funnier, the lessons or our attempts to snowboard. We spent a lot of time on our rear ends. After the lessons were over we were left to navigate the slops on our own. It was a great time. I must confess, in the 11 years I have skied I have never had so much fun in the snow than I did today……pain and falling included.

So in the war between skier and snowboarders I must take up arms with snowboarders. No insult to skiers is implied. It is just that for the first time in my life I can actually navigate my way down a slope in control and not in shear terror that at any minute I could loose control take out other skiers or careen off a cliff. And for those of you who know we well…..yes this does mean you will be seeing snowboarding equipment appear on my Amazon.com wish list. Snowboarders!......you have a new soldier.