One of the biggest reasons I love skiing and snowboarding so much is because you always have the opportunity push yourself to do something you've never done. Unlike other sports where you might be limited by the competition, the playing field or just limited physically (at 5'8" tall, basketball just wasn't in the cards for me), you can always try something new on a snowboard or skis. Maybe you've gotten good enough to ski black runs, so how about trying to master the bumps? Or maybe you can push yourself to learn how to navigate through the trees? There's always a way to think bigger when you're on the hill, and its awesome to watch people try something new and really push themselves for really no other reason than just getting better at a hobby.
"Whatever you're thinking, think bigger" came from Zappos co-founder Tony Hsieh. I'm typically not big on motivational sayings, but this one really connected with me. There will always be barriers in our way, but if we're not thinking big, if we're not dreaming a little and stretching or pushing harder, we're doing ourselves a disservice. There is always a way to get better, smarter, or work harder to accomplish what you thought was impossible. Solutions to problems are out there, maybe we're just not thinking big enough. That holds true for hobbies, work, social issues, family and pretty much anything in life.
My goal for the ski season was to be able to do a 180 on my snowboard - which is absolutely nothing compared to the 12-year-olds who are doing three times as much in their sleep. But by late January I accomplished what I set out to do, and yesterday I finally landed it consistently using my opposite foot. By no means is it even close to a "big" deal to land a switch 180, but it was bigger than what I set out to do originally. And now I'm wondering if I can land a 360 by season's end...whatever you're thinking, think bigger. Even if its something small.
Each year thousands of people avoid the frat party beaches that are Spring Break and make their way west to Summit or Eagle County for a week on the slopes. For Coloradans, that typically means long lift lines and dodging the "Texan Wide Turn" on nearly every run. The hard part is, March is one of the best months to be on the hill, but also the busiest. For those of us who are constantly debating the shortest-lift-line-best-time-to-leave-to-avoid-traffic-don't-want-to-run-over-a-kid-or-get-mauled-by-a-gaper strategy, its easy to forget about a Colorado Classic: Arapahoe Basin.
One of the biggest reasons I love skiing and snowboarding so much is because you always have the opportunity push yourself to do something you've never done. Unlike other sports where you might be limited by the competition, the playing field or just limited physically (at 5'8" tall, basketball just wasn't in the cards for me), you can always try something new on a snowboard or skis. Maybe you've gotten good enough to ski black runs, so how about trying to master the bumps? Or maybe you can push yourself to learn how to navigate through the trees? There's always a way to think bigger when you're on the hill, and its awesome to watch people try something new and really push themselves for really no other reason than just getting better at a hobby.