Mid-September 2006- Well, we had our first snow up on Mission Ridge! It has stayed for a couple days. Enough to give Snoride and I the "itch" to dust our boards off and make sure our equipment is in working order.
Driving the kids to school this morning, I looked up at the mountain and noticed the rain had melted it all away. That's okay, its still early.
I'm glad my first Blog got such a good response and that many enjoyed it!! I hope you enjoy this one too.
This is my story about how I got caught up in snowboarding.
Last Season was my first year on a snowboard(2005). I had run into an ol' aquaintance on a bike loop trail that circles a ten mile portion of the Columbia River here in Wenatchee. I hadn't seen him a couple of years. We used to work together at a nursing home and after he left there, we lost touch. We just happened to cross paths that day and did a little catching up in the middle of his work-out. He let me know that he had started a band with some friends and I filled him in on my mom passing away from liver cancer. Matt really liked my mom and was sad to hear she had passed away. So, he invited me to come to the Emerald Station restaurant to listen GSG perform, thinking that it could cheer me up.
Saturday arrived, I was supposed to have a date, but the dude "stood me up". So, I went anyway!
Walking through the back door of the bar, I felt my nerves kicking in. I had never been in a bar by myself before. I saw Matt across the room at the stage tuning his guitar. Its hard to mistake Matt for someone else, he is 6'4", has long sandy blond hair pulled back in a single braid, wears small wire framed glasses and is quite handsome.
I could tell he was busy, so I sat at the bar and ordered a Heffeweizen beer with lemon and tried to act like I knew what I was doing. Matt spotted me and came over to the bar, gave me a hug, and invited me to sit at the band's table in front of the stage. There I met the band members: Randy, the bass player; Eric, the drummer; and Jay, the lead guitarist. And other friends of the group.
GSG played that night and rocked the joint!! Amazingly talented musicians. It definately cheered me up and made me realize I needed to "let loose" more often. The pitchers of beer at the table helped out too!
AAAAAAH!! All good things come to an end right??? Not necessarily!!
Next up on the stage was a rapper called A-Bomb. I don't care for rap much but this guy could tell a story.
Another one of Matt's friends joined us at our table. He sat right next to me and introduced himself as Bob. I returned the introduction and carried on watching A-Bomb. We chatted a little about how A-Bomb rapped with his back facing the audience. Kinda strange, but it "broke the ice" for Bob and I. My beer glass kept filling itself, mysteriously and then Bob tries a "come on" line, "Do you snowboard?"
Well, as you already know, at the time, I didn't snowboard.
Bob explained that he and Matt are ski/snowboard instructors at the Ridge. "Matt and I could teach you how, you should try it!" Snowboarding sounded like fun and alot of the people at our table, turns out, were snowboarders also. Seriously, I've never met people as fun-loving and friendly as this bunch! By the end of the night I was feeling quite comfortable around Bob and some-how, mysteriously (to this day even), we ended up holding hands and sitting even closer to each other.
Throughout the next couple of weeks Bob and I ran into each other at different parties. We hit it off very quickly and soon were inseperable!! He moved in with me and my three girls a month later.
Summer passed quickly. Fall was growing colder and Bob was starting to act a little peculiar. He set up a makeshift table in the backyard and plugged in a funky smelling old iron he used for hot waxing his snowboard and skis. I watched Bob from the back window in confusion, then looked up at Mission Ridge Resort from my backyard and noticed, There wasn't any snow up there! I went outside to ask him what he was doing. Bob replied, "I can smell Winter in the air and its time to get ready for another season on the Hill." I watched him for a bit with interest and even tried to wax a snowboard myself. Bob taught me the different parts of the board and this gave me an "Official" feeling. I felt that now, even though I had never been on a board, that I could relate a little more to these other riders, that I was now calling my friends. It snowed about a week later on the Ridge.
Matt invited us over to his house for a "ski burning" party in preperation for an abundant snow year. So, Bob and I attend and all the while, I'm thinking "these guys are weird and really different from anyone I've ever met, I LIKE IT!" So far, I've learned that these snowboarders are an open-minded, super-friendly bunch and are always ready to throw a party for any reason pertaining to snow!!
Well, that ski burning party really brought on some good snow. By December 5th, Mission Ridge was open!! Again, I felt my nerves kicking in.. By now, I've purchased my "First Turns Package", which includes 3 lessons, boots, bindings, board rentals and a Season's Pass. Oh shi*t!! I'm committed now!
A WORD OF WISDOM for ya'all. Rule #1- Don't let your boyfriend/girlfriend teach you to snowboard!! Your relationship will go down the "crapper". Bob knew this, so I had a different instructor teach me. Its a good thing, cause I would have had his head chewed off by the end of that first day! I really had to control my frustrations around my first day instructor. But I think he sensed my frustration when, after the lesson, I threw my board into the frickin' trashcan next to Sports Learning Center!! No, I didn't do that! But I sure felt like it! What a day I'll never forget. I was totally sure that I was a hopeless case.
Now I can look back and I'm sooooooooooo glad I didn't give up!! Because the more I tried and the more practice I put in, the more I improved and the confidence I gained in myself and my board.
This concludes my story on how snowboarding "caught" me. I'll BE BACK!!
SNORIDE DANA
