I am a believer in karma and energy. I believe the universe has a way of aligning itself to serve one’s motives if those motives are influenced by positive and optimistic enthusiasm. My enthusiasm for snowboarding stemmed from a profound love of nature, and more specifically, the recreational opportunities nature has continuously provided me over the course of my young life. Heading into college I knew I was going to pursue a field in which the outdoors would be my office. But as I entered my second year of university I was beginning to feel college was getting in the way of my education. I was beginning to question the education system. Why was I learning about subjects in a large lecture hall? What was this doing to help my future? Would the piece of paper I receive at the end of college define my knowledge and experience in my field of study? As I continued to question the system I ended up stumbling on “NothinButSnow” in my search to find a more meaningful professional experience; one aimed at a true passion of mine: snowboarding.
As I sit here reflecting on our first week on the program, I cannot help but think about my destiny in finding this opportunity. Every single morning I am fortunate enough to wake up to the sun rising over the mountains. Fresh snow awaits me just outside the front door. Everyone around me radiates the same passionate energy for living in the moment. My instructors thrive on my and my peers’ yearning to learn the art of snowboarding, just as they once craved similar instruction. I finally feel as if my body, mind, and energy are completely aligned, as if the universe placed me here. I cannot help but realize the profound awesomeness in recognizing that my entire life has led me to this exact moment, in this exact place, in the heart of British Columbia. I couldn’t be happier that this appreciation has set in just one week into our three-month experience. I am confident I will wake up day after day with this same appreciation.
Let me explain in more detail why I am this pleased so early on in the course. Firstly, as I previously mentioned, I get to wake up to the mountains every day. The mountains have always held high energy in my life. Every time I see the towering green and white on either side of me, my eyes light up. This, I cannot help. What better place to be learning how to teach snowboarding than at one of the most beautiful and world-class ski resorts in the world at Big White.
Secondly, the snow, like clockwork, has fallen the vast majority of the days starting at exactly 3:30, right when the lifts close. It’s as if the weather is saying, “okay everyone, get off the mountain while I lay down fresh powder all night for your enjoyment tomorrow morning.” To add on to that, the temperature constantly hovers around 0, creating beautiful, light fluffy snow and very bearable snowboarding temperatures. Our first weekend here consisted of over 40cm of fresh snow over a 24-hour period! Saturday and Sunday consisted of ankle and knee-deep powder lines all day.
Thirdly, as I also previously mentioned, everyone is down to earth and passionate about the same things as me. Skiing and snowboarding is priority number one for just about everyone residing here at Big White. We have had two days of lessons thus far, both of which consisted of tearing up the mountain whilst getting to know some of our instructors and the diverse terrain Big White has to offer.
I could go on for days just about the accommodation! Backcountry powder lines and easy piste access scatter the area surrounding our chalet. We have already taken full advantage of the hot tub, movie theatre, and numerous other luxuries that inherent our private accommodation, and its just the end of week one.
The resort is extremely simple to navigate. With a bus running from 7a to 11p, it is always simple to get to and from our chalet to the village and most importantly, the bars. I have already had such great memories with my new best friends at popular pubs like Snowshoe Sam’s and the Bull Wheel. The week began with our meals waiting for us in the fridge. And with tasty dinners like Spaghetti and Salmon, there’s rarely moments when my belly isn’t full and my taste buds aren’t eager for more.
Hopefully you can catch a small glimpse of the joy and excitement that has already found its way into my and my peers’ life through this unorthodox summary of our first week here. Words simply cannot do justice to the raw energy that radiates from everything that exists here at Big White and more specifically in the NothinButSnow course. As week one comes to a close, I cannot wait to see what the coming weeks have in store for us. I am certain I will go to sleep grinning with a sense of accomplishment and wake up craving more of the same!
TJ – Food Coma Productions