Colorado (Jan 13 - 17): Going Green

Sometimes its not hard to wonder why we wreck ourselves day in and day out, sleep on floors, sit in cars for hours on end (and eat in more fast food restaurants than I can count on both hands), and endure freezing temperatures, when there are many other more appealing options. We ask ourselves why we CHOOSE this lifestyle over hundreds of other that might be more comfortable or more secure...

But then something happens, and it's a feeling you can't quite explain. It's a little glimmer  of hope, and the knowledge that you are pursuing the life you want to be living. It could be a stomped trick or a perfect day, or a piece of the puzzle that fits into the larger picture you are trying to create. It can even be as simple as an encouraging smile or a text message. It is a moment of clarification stronger than any cloud of doubt, and the promise of more of these moments that keeps us going.

We set out on the 9 hour drive to Colorado on Thursday afternoon. On the way there, I took a big leap: I switched out the board I have been riding for 4 years for a new one that I had never ridden before. I had tried a couple different boards over the past few years, but every time I returned to my Rome. However, as time has its ways, I realized it was time to move on. Switching snowboards is like moving houses: you leave everything you know and love in the hopes that the new one will be all that and more, but you run the risk that it won't be. I had heard good things about Niche snowboards from the boys, and I strongly supported the eco-friendly construction, but for the most part I dove in head first, hoping I could trust what I heard.
Call it green-washing if you'd like, but as soon as I held my new Niche in my hands things felt right. It was more than just a snowboard; it was values I believed in. The board is made of recycled materials with a sustainable wood core and a digi-print topsheet that doesn't use lacquer and cuts up to 60% of the material and 75% of the energy wasted during alternative printing processes. This is true progression of the sport - providing a sustainable alternative in a changing world. Obviously there are still a lot of materials and energy that go into making the board, however as we move into the future, industries need to find ways to make their footprints a little smaller as our resources begin to deplete. Niche is taking a bold step forward in leading the snowboard industry to take action in order to save the industry. Without snow, there are no snowboards. Michael Pollan says in his book, Second Nature: "We won't get anywhere until we come to terms with this crucial ambiguity about our role [in nature] - we are at once the problem and the only possible solution to the problem." We all need to believe we can make a difference, and every little bit helps.
Maybe green-washing helps me snowboard, because the next day on snow was one of the best days all season. Keystone's park was unbelievable, the sun was shining, and the feeling of a new board under my feet was amazing. I had put all my trust into my Niche Minx, and I felt like there was so much more than just a snowboard under my feet. It had all the pop of a new snowboard, and all the enforcement of my beliefs... it was all that my Rome was, and so much more. We had an awesome day of filming on endless features at Keystone and returned to our condo exhausted, but grinning ear to ear. Life was just awesome.
We woke up early the next morning to head to Vail for the Gatorade Free Flow tour. The morning started out a little rough with cloudy skies and sore bodies from the day before. The course wasn't great - a little on the small side and it was pretty hard to see. For a while, things were looking pretty dim. But we had 4 hours to turn our attitudes around, and as 2 pm rolled around and after a long day of sitting and waiting the girls finally got to go, the clouds broke open and it was sunny! We actually got to do our runs with blue skies and perfect visibility. I hadn't landed my run in practice, so I was just hoping I would be able to land it in the competition. Things started off really well, I landed my first backside 360 ever in a competition off the first jump, and unfortunately got a little too excited and ended up overshooting the third jump by about 20 ft on a straight air (oops) and didn't end up landing my run. That aside, I was ecstatic for having landed my unnatural 3. Jessika Jenson once again swept the competition and got first place, making her undefeated up to this point, and the boys both made it to finals. All in all, a crappy day turned into a very exciting one and we once again returned back to the condo tired, but happy.
We got to sleep in for a little on Sunday morning then headed back to Keystone to ride the awesome park. Unfortunately the light was a little flat, but we made a day of it on the rails (there were so many!). It was ridiculously crowded because of MLK weekend, but ended up seeing some old friends which is always nice. After riding we headed to Woodward, where we can trampoline and hit snowflex ramps on our snowboards into a foam pit. Learned some new tricks, perfected some old ones, and had an overall good time.
We woke up Monday to the wind howling outside. As it always does, weather overtook us and Keystone was closed. After working hard for three days, we finally packed up Clifford and headed home. Overall a very successful three days in Colorado: stomped some new tricks, had a perfect day, and added a piece to the puzzle of the larger picture I am trying to create. It is so important to live a lifestyle you believe in and believe in the lifestyle you live.

Moral of the weekend:
Find what you love... Then find a way to make the world a better place for everyone around you.

Oh yeah, and did you know there are no recycling bins at Colorado gas stations?  Come on Colorado! Step your game up.

Thanks, Niche for the awesome board! Keep doing what you are doing.