There's a war going on for my mind. The various factions want it for it holds the key to something they seek: my spending power and potentially yours. I'm comforted by the knowledge, however, that if I'm thinking, I'm winning; and right now I'm thinking, are you?
Every day we are bombarded with advice on how we should live. We call this advertising, it's the blueprint for modern life. We need better music, faster cars, greener grass, and bigger penises. Fortunately there are many competing blueprints to choose from. It is still a matter, however, of choosing one of the pre-defined options; free thinking people need not apply.
Snowboarding is one way to stay out of the war's line of fire. It's an endeavour that, while you are doing it, all that matters is you, the mountain, nature and your friends. The snowboarding industry itself, however, is not so pure. This was evident during this year's Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival (and festivals past I'm sure). The most visible things in Whistler village from April 11th to the 20th were: Schick (to look good), GM (to get to the place where you need to look good), Kokanee (to make those people look good to you) and of course Telus (to tell people how good you looked). The most important element of the festival seemed to have been forgotten, or at least was not immediately evident: the snowboarding. If you looked hard enough, however, you would quickly see that it was there lurking beneath the surface.
One of the reasons that I like snowboarding is because I like snowboarders, and by that I mean REAL snowboarders. Not those with fake goggle tans and orders of magnitude more time riding mahoganee ridge than actual play time in the snow. In many ways, snowboarders are much more genuine than most people. They have experienced the harshness of winter head on and walked away with a smile. They might not face this with incredible skill or style, but it does not matter how good they are at snowboarding only how much joy the get from it. Though it may be hard to distiguish a goggle tan obtained in a tanning salon from one obtained while hiking up a steep aspect to earn some turns, if you look into a snowboarders eyes, you should have no problem identifying the true ones from the rest. Rest assured, contrary to the message in their add campaigns, Expedia has no idea how those snowboarders feel about winter. They'd probably just as soon take a vacation to somewhere with snow in the middle of summer than go somewhere tropical in the middle of winter, counter to what is customary.
Although true snowboarders represent something quite contrary to the industry itself, they would be nowhere without it. For this reason, it's important to remember that you vote with your dollars. Make sure when you buy your gear, that you aren't supporting something that you don't believe in. Certainly not because that product has a flashier ad than another. You probably wouldn't let me tell you who to vote for in a democratic election, so don't let me, or anyone else, tell you what to ride or what to wear. By avoiding monoculture, we ensure that snowboarding remains a feeling rather than a look or an attitude. Admittedly, people look up to me for advice on snowboarding, this follows from being a teacher. I always try, however, to make sure to only provide factual information. You should always synthesize any advice with your own needs and desires, otherwise eventually, every snowboarder will be a clone of every other snowboarder. Then the sport will become yet another victim of the corrosiveness of conformity.
Indeed there is a war going on for my mind and it has been for some time now, but the warring factions are engaging in an excercise in futility. The real prize, the item of the most value, is my heart and they'll never be able to take that away from me, I've already given it away.
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