For many, the winter months are dull, dreary, and dead not to mention cold and frustrating. I can’t say I disagree. To help me get through the season, I picked up snowboarding. I remember I was a freshman in high school (I went to Dieruff) when I joined the ski club because I wanted to learn how to ride. My first attempts were pathetic to say the least. Blue Mountain’s Burma Road, the bunny slope, and that slow-moving double chair (at the time it was intimidating) were as far as I would venture. Who needed the other side of the mountain, anyway? Despite many a fall and bruise, I was determined to learn how to carve on my front side and back side and make it down the mountain spill-free.
Eight years later, I’m still riding and progressing. Despite a broken radius and dislocated ulna in my left forearm–an injury I incurred five years ago from snowboarding–it’s still one of my absolute favorite things to do. Talk about a peaceful and adrenaline-filled hobby. If you’re a skier or snowboarder, you’ll understand what I’m talking about.
I was just recently out on a fantastically warm and sunny weekend when I truly noticed how lucky we are to have two relatively easily accessible mountains for winter sports enthusiasts. I spent Saturday afternoon at Bear Creek then drove up to Blue Mountain Sunday morning; two different mountains in one weekend. It can’t get much better than that. Sure, conditions aren’t that of Vermont, Montana, or Colorado, but they’re suitable for my needs.
It was interesting, though, as my dad pointed out the lack of skiers and boarders usually jam packed into the double-chair lift lines well into the early afternoon. He’s a seasoned skier and decided the economy may be to blame for the shortage. I didn’t disagree. Blue was empty. The parking lot as we left around 12:30 p.m. was empty. Winter sports are certainly a luxury and probably one of the first things to go from many budgets. Not mine.
In fact, this season I upgraded my entire set up sort of by default as my binding broke one trip while I was at Bear. I scored some incredible deals and walked away with a new board, too. Prior to the season, I indulged at Nestor’s annual pre-season sale and purchased a pair of new boots. They were slightly more than I was looking to spend, but after one wear I realized they were worth every penny. (I still held on to my receipt, and Dan M., if you’re reading this THANK YOU for selling them to me!) After trying on several styles per the incredibly helpful sales guy, I opted for the Salomon Fusion. Good choice, in my opinion!
Fortunately for Valley snow sport lovers, we have several shops for purchasing hard and soft goods to suit up for the season complete with informative and knowledgeable sales people to make sure you’re choosing the correct equipment based on experience level and comfort. We’re pretty lucky, really: two nearby mountains, shops stocked with the goods, and don’t forget those Pocono Mountains at only an hour or so away. Now all we need is one good snowstorm before the season’s over.
