The time has come; the day is upon us. Rejoice, for snowboarding is back. For some of us, our last day riding is also the first day of the countdown until next season. All of the mountains here on the east coast are getting a late start this year, but they’re trying to get going. For me, Friday, December 16th was day one of my 2011-12 season. My anticipation was that much greater this year too, as I had to cut last year short due to a shattered collar bone, and have spent my off season, in part, trying to adjust to and deal with my janky new steel-reinforced bionic shoulder.
Having grown up in Colorado, snowboarding has been a big part of my life for a long time, and as a recent transplant to New York, it is my primary escape from the crushing blows dealt to my spirit on a daily basis. A little dramatic? Probably. But escape is a necessity to be sure.
Day one started out with understandable excitement, and celebratory champagne (seriously). My girlfriend Erica and I were up early and jumped on the M train headed for Blades downtown. We caught the OVR bus there (captained by our good friend George) and set out once more for Hunter Mountain. Spirits were high, and expectations for conditions were low. This is how every first day should begin though.
Soon enough, we had docked the ship in a nearly deserted Hunter Mountain parking lot and were headed for the slopes, where the sparsity of snow bordered on ridiculous. Due to what I can only assume to be the diabolical scheme of some nefarious mad man in possession of a weather-controlling doomsday device, or maybe just the random, tragic climactic circumstances of the season so far, there was an accumulation of what looked to be… well, zero natural snow. To the credit of the Hunter staff however, they’ve been blowing more snow than Tony Montana and do have some terrain open and in surprisingly good condition. A first day on the hill isn’t about powder turns and park laps anyway; it’s about finally feeling the relief of being back out there and out of the city. It’s about getting your legs back, your stance locked, your new gear broken in, and hopefully getting giddy for the season to come.
I’ll admit I had some lingering nerves about my shoulder, and some slight apprehension adjusting to a new board, but snowboarding is snowboarding and even a mediocre day on the mountain is better than a good day doing just about anything else. I spent the day doing what I love with some of my favorite people, and after 15+ years snowboarding, I’m as excited as ever for the days to come.
So, day one down and an overall success. Hopefully I’ll be checking in periodically throughout the season with updates, stories, events, and tales of adventure, and if you haven’t had your day one yet… it’s time.