At Northstar ski resort in Lake Tahoe, they are known for having one of the best terrain parks in the country…
The mere sight of the park from the Vista chairlift is impressive, then add in the Go Hard’s launching themselves off of 100-foot jumps and it is a sight to see.
To use a little baseball analogy, what we are witnessing is a big league park and several major league caliber players… Yet, we somehow think that these people just woke up one day and decided today was going to be the day they go for the double back corkscrew 780 (if that is such a thing).
We become distorted in our thinking because all we see is the finished product… The reality of the situation is that just like the big league player, endless hours have been put into mastering their craft, and from the beginning, there has been an arduous progression to get to the top level.
What we don’t see from the Vista chairlift are Northstar’s three other terrain parks… Extra small, small and medium. These are progression parks that allow kids (& 42 year olds who think they are kids) to hone their park skills in preparation to move up to the next level.
So… When I went ripping down the “medium” terrain park with my kid the other day, I came face to face with an obstacle that has haunted me since I first ventured into the “extra small” park just after I had began snowboarding…
The Skinny Rails. 😱
The boxes… no problem.
The jumps… I’ve always loved flying, so no issues there.
But the gosh damn skinny rails have been my nemesis since I took a gnarly spill on the circular tube pipe a few years back…
Since then, I have avoided the rails, but they have continued to stare at me ever since, and the other day, I am pretty sure I saw one of the rails actually wink at me…
Enough was enough. A little last minute inspiration from my 7-year-old coach, and it was officially ON…
“Follow me Daddy, don’t be scared.”
I simply focused on Colton’s tracks, then hit the first pipe without reservation and slid right across…
Then, it was onto the rainbow double pipe that took me from the ground to about 6 feet into the air and then back to the snow, no issues…
The final rail actually came off of a box and was angled like a launch ramp… I watched the kid crush this bad boy like a seasoned vet, then drawing inspiration from my 4 foot tall, 58-pound gromlette guru, I charged the box & rail like a man possessed to conquer a demon…
Yup, this was my worst fear.
First was a graceful slide across the box then right to a smooth transition to the rail which launched me into the air. When I stomped the landing, I tossed my arms into the sky and let out a huge “Wooooo Whoooooo” like I just completed a gold medal slope-style run…
Colton, who was well aware of my rail fears, had stopped to watch the last one and had his hands in the air as well…
“You did it Daddy, You did it!!!!”
Being that I taught myself to snowboard at 35 years old, it’s safe to say I was late to the game and many people would argue I have no business even being in the terrain park.
I get it…
Never mind…. I don’t.
F*ck that and f*ck them!!!
Why do the little groms get to have all the fun?
There is no better feeling when we get to face the demon head on. 👊
-EB