I fell in love with snowboarding about three years ago.
It'd been something I wanted to try for decades, honestly. But living in Southern Arizona means it's not readily accessible. And it's expensive.
Basically, you gotta really want it.
Three years ago was when I wanted it bad enough to make it happen.
I drove up to Snowbowl in Flagstaff, AZ, rented some gear, signed up for a training lesson, and spent the weekend falling on my ass. A lot.
But I was hooked. At 30 years old. Fantastic.
Over the last three years I've wrestled with various thoughts regarding this newfound passion.
This is a young person's sport.
Why did I even start this at my age?
How do I walk the line between progression and staying safe because my family depends on me?
Why couldn't I have gotten into rock collecting or something? There are plenty of rocks in the desert where I live.
But now, as we head into my fourth winter season of snowboarding, I think I've finally come to terms with a lot of that internal strife.
I like what I like.
Age is just a number.
I don't care what anyone thinks about me because we're all gonna be dead in 40-ish years anyway.
There's nothing more radical than enjoying the here and now with friends and family.
My only metric for progression is being better than I was yesterday.
So I'll be spending this season bombing the mountains with my son and many of my very good friends, creating unforgettable memories and collecting some new bumps and bruises along the way.
I'm not going to let this life pass me by while burdening myself with negativity.
This life is meant to be lived.
On that note, I'm super psyched for one of my good buddies, Mikey, to have recently launched his apparel brand called Fighting Six Feet, which really encapsulates that message of living life to the fullest so well. I can't wait to be rocking the gear while shredding the gnar this season.
Anyway, here's to hoping we can all end this year on a positive note pushing out the negativity and refocusing on the good vibes.
Shred on my dudes and dudettes 🏂