I am proud to be a snowboarder in my home state of Minnesota. Its special climate and terrain has forced us to look at the technical aspects of the sport and focus on that because we do not have the large mountains to go on long rides all day. As I look back on my snowboarding days back home, I see many stories that I will take with me for a lifetime. However, my most memorable moment in snowboarding happened in the mountains of Utah. Ever year my girlfriend’s family and I take a trip to Salt Lake City, Utah, and snowboard the surrounding ski resorts in the area. Our first year, by far, was the most memorable moment. This was the first time I actually snowboarded in the mountains in the west. So as we embarked on our snowboarding trip, our ignorance led us to do some stupid and crazy things when we were there.
The morning was cool and crisp, and the snow reflected the bright, shiny rays of the sun. The day was perfect for snowboarding in the mountains of Utah. The forecaster on the radio rambled on about how such a nice day it was going to be in the mountains. My girlfriend’s brothers, Sam and Scott, and I were excited, and we quickly packed our items that we thought we needed for the day. We got in the car and rushed up the windy road to the ski resort. We threw on our clothing, bought our tickets, and darted to the tram to the top of the mountain. Riding up that tram was so peaceful. The mountains were around us, and the snow was blowing off the tops of the peaks around us.
Everything was quiet but the rustling of the brisk wind. The smell of the crisp dry air permeated my nostrils. We knew today was going to be a great day before us.
Our morning rides were of such ecstasy. We had ankle deep powder, and ...
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...rder. When we found a patch of snow that wasn’t moving, we sent a praise to God for having his hand over us. We then turned around and watched the snow crumble down the hill and stop at the bottom. All of us were panting a sigh of relief. None of us could talk at that moment. We didn’t know what to say.
We then headed down to the chairlift another way. We got on the chairlift, and headed up the mountain to which we proceeded to the front side of the mountain. When we saw the chalet, we all felt relief. We ran into the chalet with all of us trying to tell our adventurous story to anybody that would listen.
That day we learned a great deal about the elements and terrain of the mountain of Utah. We knew that our Minnesota winters could not come close to preparing us for Utah mountain winters. This is a story that I will never forget as long as I love.
The freezing wind had chilled my hand to the bone. Even as I walked into my cabin, I shivered as if there was an invisible man shaking me. My ears, fingers, toes, and noes had turned into a pale purple, only starting to change color once I had made a fire and bundled myself in blankets like ancient Egyptians would do to their deceased Pharaohs. The once powdered snow on my head had solidified into a thin layer of ice. I changed out of the soaking wet clothes I was wearing and put on new dry ones. With each layer I became more excited to go out and start snowboarding. I headed for the lift with my board and my hand. Each step was a struggle with the thick suit of snow gear I was armored in.
Story, J. (1987). Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States. Durham, N.C.: Carolina Academic Press.
Spaeth, Harold J. and Edward Conrad Smith. The Constitution of the United States, 13th ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991 (paper). ISBN 0064671054.
Surprisingly, our parents had beaten us to the top and we all stopped in awe, mesmerized by the great waterfall in front of us. My mouth felt like the Sahara desert. I vividly remember reaching for the chilling water bottle that hid underneath the tons of clothes stuffed in my father’s black backpack to quench my thirst. I took off my beaten down shoes and stinky socks covered in dirt from the trail and blood from the blisters on my feet and dove into the refreshing lake. After swimming through the lake for a few seconds, I abruptly jumped out of the freezing water. My toes turned into a blue that reminded me of the blueberry muffins from breakfast that morning. My body shivered as I exited the lake and threw on a warm towel over my shoulders. Gradually my body heat increased, escaping the risk of hypothermia. At that point, I just wanted to go home. My family and I gathered all our belongings and I dragged my energyless body into the large, gray shuttle. The shuttle smelled of sweat from previous passengers. It drove us down a rough, bumpy trail, causing my tall father to constantly slam his head on the roof of the car. After we finally got back to our hotel, we all let off a sigh of
Throughout time, the progression and evolution of snowboarding has increased greatly. It has gone from non existence in the late 1970’s, to one of the most watched action sports in a matter of thirty-five years. The upward takeoff and popularity of snowboarding relies on two people, Jake Burton and Shaun White. Jake Burton back in 1977 had the vision for what snowboarding would be, but Shaun White had what it took to manifest that vision. Evidence has shown that time brings change in sports, history has repeated itself with snowboarding, this history reflects the time & changes that has occurred in America.
Harker, Patrick T. "Student Athletes Shouldn’t Unionize." The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 Apr. 2014. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
Introduction: The common carp, Cyprinus carpio is a widespread freshwater fish that belongs to the minnow family “Cyprinidae”. This species is a relatively large species with weights which range from 2-14 kg. The life span of common carp in the wild is up to 20 years. Originally, common carp is native to Europe and Asia and is now the most domesticated and cultivated carp species throughout the world.
Black carp (Mylopharyngodon Piceus) can grow to 6’ long and weigh as much as 220lbs. They were brought into the United States for pest control in aquaculture, since they feed exclusively on molluscs, and made their way into the wild in 1994 when floodwaters overcame aquaculture ponds (inv 4). Bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys Nobilis) can grow up to 56” and can weigh as much as 143lbs. They were found in open waters in the 1980’s and escaped their aquaculture habitats in 1994, in the same floods as the black carp. The bighead carp are filter-feeders and were brought into the United States to maintain water quality in aquaculture. Now they are one of the more aggressive invasive species and are popular targets for bow-fishing (inv 4). The last Asian carp that was introduced into the United States was in 1973 and is one of the aggressive invasive species. The silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys Molitrix) is a filter-feeder mainly consuming phytoplankton and zooplankton. These fish can grow to a length of 55” and a weight of 99lbs. Silver carp have been a danger to boaters because of their response to leap out of the water in response to the boats
A few winters ago, some friends invited my family and me to go snow skiing at Paoli Peaks, Indiana. I did not know how to snow ski, and I leaped at the thought of trying this new sport. On the first morning we entered the pro shop to rent all the gear and make decisions about whether or not to take lessons or go it alone. We decided to be adventurous and go it alone—no lessons. Kent and Celeste, the friends who invited us, knew how to ski and snowboard. He assured us that he could show us the basics, and we would be on our way down the slopes. All of us, after a few minutes learning how to wedge our skis started down the family trail. Although the family trail had smaller hills and appeared safe, to me it seemed way
By 4 PM we had conquered most of the peaks. As we were climbing what we thought was our sixth peak, Big Red, a storm struck. It was a cold driving rain that froze us as we struggled up the mountain. We reached the top jubilant, but exhausted. As the crew tried to get a bearing I came to the slow realization that we were not on Big Red, but another peak. We had two peaks to climb, and in freezing rain! With no options, we hiked on.
I was the first person to ski off of the chairlift that day; arriving at the summit of the Blackcomb Mountain, nestled in the heart of Whistler, Canada. It was the type of day when the clouds seemed to blanket the sky, leaving no clue that the sun, with its powerful light, even existed anymore. It was not snowing, but judging by the moist, musty, stale scent in the air, I realized it would be only a short time before the white flakes overtook the mountain. As I prepared myself to make the first run, I took a moment to appreciate my surroundings. Somehow things seemed much different up here. The wind, nonexistent at the bottom, began to gust. Its cold bite found my nose and froze my toes. Its quick and sudden swirling movement kicked loose snow into my face, forcing me to zip my jacket over my chin. It is strange how the gray clouds, which seemed so far above me at the bottom, really did not appear that high anymore. As I gazed out over the landscape, the city below seemed unrecognizable. The enormous buildings which I had driven past earlier looked like dollhouses a child migh...
He arrived at his first destination after about an hour of hiking. After a short while he figured he had looked over his new found haven enough, he was ready. He started down the grade with a small arsenal, consisting of a shovel, about ten granola bars, two bottles of power-ade, his snowshoes, and what was left in his hydration bladder in his pack. After descending about two hundred feet he came into the clearing he was hoping to find, it was as smooth as silk, twenty inches of fresh powder under his board. Up ahead he say a small but formidable drop off on the mountain, he knew if he was going to escape this with his dignity he was going to have to work some magic, to his success. The drop was approximately eighteen feet, but he was ready for it, he landed perfectly, it was like a dream the poof of snow exploding out from his impact, and the gentle flakes hitting his face. As he continued down the slope he did not realize that his gentle landing had severely weakened the physical structure of the mountain’s blanket, and that any moment he could bring the mass down upon himself at impossible speeds.
Standing on the balcony, I gazed at the darkened and starry sky above. Silence surrounded me as I took a glimpse at the deserted park before me. Memories bombarded my mind. As a young girl, the park was my favourite place to go. One cold winter’s night just like tonight as I looked upon the dark sky, I had decided to go for a walk. Wrapped up in my elegant scarlet red winter coat with gleaming black buttons descending down the front keeping away the winter chill. Wearing thick leggings as black as coal, leather boots lined with fur which kept my feet cozy.
The snow that was predicted to be several inches by the end of the weekend quickly piled up to around eight inches by that evening. At times, the snow was falling so heavily you could hardly see the streetlights that glistened like beacons in a sea of snow. With the landscape draped in white, the trees hangi...
I brush my eyes awake, feeling the cold seeping in from my window. It’s 9 AM and it’s winter in Minnesota. Feeling sleepy, I stand up and go outside. I love the winter air. It always refreshes my mind and there’s just a cold bite to it that I enjoy. Coming back inside, I boot up my computer, hoping to enjoy it a little before heading out. The winter days swim together, phasing throughout my mind, and I fall asleep again, or I have woken up.