I was ten years old. I had seen very little of what the world had to offer. Yet I knew that I would be hard pressed to match the bright eyed sense of wonder & stomach in my throat feeling I was experiencing while winding through the Rockies on I-70.
It was the first of many ski trips to Colorado for me and my family. We were accompanying some family friends who were seasoned vets on the slopes. They hooked us up with the mountain cabin, hot tub patio and everything. I was in heaven. I didn’t know this way of life even existed. The humbling massiveness of the mountains covered in thick trees and capped with powder literally took my breath away and still does to this day. Just like everything else in life, only first hand experience will do it justice.
Everyone was planning on skiing…except me. I was about to be buck the trend and be the only snowboarder out of 10+ people. Snowboarding was spiking in popularity during this time in the early 2000’s. I had been a dedicated (obsessed) viewer of the winter and summer X Games and had plenty of experience whizzing down the local Skyview sledding hill with my Wal-Mart 3000 equipped with the highest quality dual strap slide-in bindings. I even built a drop-in runway with a ramp in our yard every winter so I could practice everyday after school. But this was the big time. I was not being persuaded from snowboarding by my Mom, who was slightly concerned about her overconfident and anxious son.
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| My little brother Jordan catching a whole 10 inches of air off of our state-of-the-art drop-in runway ramp |
The anticipation was like Christmas Eve for a Santa crazed child x 1000. Not only was I unable to sleep, I could barely close my eyes. Tossing and turning all night, I finally sprung out of bed at 5:30 AM and started getting my gear on. After eating some cereal and sweating profusely for a couple hours, everyone slowly started to wake up. I was begging them to hurry up so we could be first in line at the lift (lifts open at 9:00 AM). They laughed at how ridiculously ecstatic I was about the whole thing.
We’re in line to get on the lift… my mom, dad, and sister get on a chair together. I am instantly separated from my group. No worries, I’ll just hop on the next one coming up… I’m by myself. My mom is looking back nervously. She is yelling at me but I can’t hear what she’s saying. I’m fine though, no need to worry, Mom. Until we start to go over some pretty steep, high sections and the lift periodically stops and swings due to newbies trying to get off at the end of the lift and falling. I didn’t know there was a safety bar to pull down so I’m hanging on for dear life. Finally I get to the summit, just hoping I don’t make a fool of myself trying to get off. I forgot to mention I also didn’t know snowboarders are supposed to keep their back foot unstrapped to maneuver on and off the lifts. This is what I get for being the only snowboarder in the group. I faceplant and they have to stop the lift like they did for all the other first-timers and my family is laughing their ass off while I peel myself off the ground. I shake it off. I’m ready to show em what I’m made of now.
I ended up doing alright. I didn’t fall often, but when I did, I fell hard. By the end of the day I was keeping up with the best of them. I don’t remember feeling that intensity of joy for such a sustained amount of time. Like most first time experiences, nothing will ever match the rush of those first few sessions carving down the mountain. Eventually I got the courage to try out the terrain park and finally caught some real air hang time which quite literally felt like achieving flight. It honestly seemed like I was never going to come down. I had opened up a whole new realm to the experience.
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| For those of you wondering... yes those are both actually me but I have been questioned/doubted numerous times. Props to the camera man. It's not near as high or impressive as it looks. |
We would continue to go on ski trips over the years and my dream of living in Colorado only continued to grow and fester in my head. I refused to accept any reality other than that of being surrounded by mountains and trees everyday. Once a year wasn’t good enough. Twice or three times a year wasn’t either. I was too in love to not make it part of my everyday life. The peace, the serenity, the beauty. Sooo cliche, but like most cliches, so true.
My Colorado virginity story is significant to me because it sparked something that I cannot and will not be able to put out. After all these years I have finally seen the aforementioned dream come to fruition and will soon become reality. I will be leaving my beloved home state of Nebraska and call Colorado home come June. For me to be able to write those words means more than you know. I was prepared to move to Colorado on a shoe string budget working at a fucking gas station if I had to. It’s something so much more than just snowboarding or mountain biking, hiking, jeeping or any of that. While those are most definitely huge factors, it’s the diverse people, active culture, progressive society, nature…. the concerts, restaurants, opportunities, venues, trails, the good vibes I feel from just being there. It's hard to explain but I literally feel more at ease and in sync during my time spent in Colorado.
Now I’m not saying Colorado is the only place for me. There are mountains and trees in other places and much more to see in this world, but not this close to home. I will always call Nebraska my home. It has served me well in my developing years and made me chase my dreams with even more intensity I think this way. After just graduating from UNK with a bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, I will be working for Kiewit Building Group as a Construction Engineer in Colorado Springs for the next stretch of my life and then who knows?.. But for now I will be calling the Centennial state my newest second home.
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| Hanging Lake - Glenwood Canyon, CO |
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| Winter Park, CO |
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| Denver, CO |
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| Trestle Bike Park - Winter Park, CO |
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