So a few weeks ago I went on a snowboarding trip. And I must say, a lot has changed since those few years I haven't gone to those white mountains.. And it wasn't limited to the scenic environment
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| Dashing through the snow.. |
Safety first
One of the biggest changes in my view was the increased safety of the skiers/boarders. During the entire week, I think i've seen not more than 10 people not wearing helmets! We went in a group of 9 people, and it was only my gf that sometimes left her helmet at home. I myself even wore spine protection, and knee pads. Some others had extra wrist protection, and I even saw a dude wearing a neck brace! Least to say that we've all picked up on the dangers about having snowfun. Some call it the Schumacher effect and I think there's some truth in that. The world was shocked to see someone who risks his life with every race he does, get to such a life-threatening state by skiing.
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| We won't fall! |
Snow certainty
But let's not forget that Michael Schumacher did go off-piste. Once you go off the beaten path, you can encounter any kind of misery. By now, most snow resorts have a certain degree of "snow certainty", where they use big snowblowers to create at least a minimum amount of snow in order for you to get off the track. Thanks to this, the need to go off-track should be limited.. But as I quickly found out, the tracks themselves are really crowded (mostly thanks to the snow certainty) and there is a certain appeal to going off track. Being the first through the fresh snow, boldly trying to dodge those pine trees while showing off to your friends, or simply falling and spending half an hour trying to crawl back out of the soft snow. Personally I wasn't a big fan of the latter, but to a lot of young people, the thought of adventure does speak to their YOLO way of life. Guess I'm just getting old!
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| I'll hang back and enjoy the environment! |
Apres-Ski!
Now who can forget the most important part of going to the snow. Once you've been boarding all day, what's better than having a little aprés-ski. Let the Jäger flow, and the rum flood your warm coco as you try and warm up from all the falling in the deep snow. Not much changed on that department, except maybe the fact that people tend to watch their alcohol intake, unless they're on holidays. And it was more than once that we saw a drunk guy wobbling around barely holding his snowboard by the end of the day. Especially if you went out into the town at night, you could find the usual girls and boys trying to find their "special partner" for the night, only to realise they got wasted too much to even walk home. Guess nothing really changed during those years..
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| Drinks and music is what we need! |
The long road back home..
Coming back home, we (my gf and I) realised we were getting old. Not only were we sore all over, but the long nights, early mornings and snowboard shenanigans really pushed our limits. Although we had a great time, a snowboard vacation isn't something you should be doing if you want to relax. It's awesome and full of adventure, so rest is out the boat. Driving more than 10 hours getting there is something you should be aware of, because it can quickly become more when driving into a snowstorm, or simply a car accident along the road. While it prolonges the ride there, it's even worse when you just want to get home. The advice I can give there is to limit your driving area. If you're only going for the weekend, don't drive further than 500km. If you're spending the week, you can drive up to 1000km before you'll regret the drive (in one go). But most of all, try to have fun justifiable to your age, because nobody wants to see a thirty year old thinking he can pick up a teen ^_-
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