Chad Thoughts

Back in early 2015, I was a few years post divorce, discovering my new “I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want” powers. It came to me that I’ve always wanted to snowboard. It looked fun and cool. I loved skiing and this was a natural extension of enjoying that hobby. I thought that if I didn’t get into it soon, it’d be too old to learn. So I booked a trip, booked lessons and headed out West with my kids to learn to snowboard.

I wasn’t going to go small with an East coast resort. The true slopes and full ski resort were West. I queried friends and learned of the Keystone resort in Colorado. It’s main selling point at the time was that it was “kid friendly”. Little did I know that, now, nearly 10 seasons later, I’d have spent nearly every season snowboarding there since. And after many falls, I’ve become a great slope snowboarder (meaning, I don’t get into the trick park very often).

I didn’t know all the benefits of Keystone at that time. It’s only about 2 hours from Denver Airport (and Southwest Airlines has two direct flights a day from my home city), you can buy a Keystone Only pass that pays for itself after about 3-4 days and Keystone truly has some of the best runs of any resort I’ve been to. It isn’t much of a party resort which is great for me. I only want to snowboard and really the truth is that I’m way too tired after a day of riding to think of much more than just relaxing, hot tubing and eating well after a full day on the slopes. I don’t want much else to get in the way of being on the slopes.

Having familiarity with a resort lessens the stress of taking a vacation with two kids. I don’t worry about losing them, missing a turn or ending up on a difficult run. We all know the resort very well now. As people of a southern state, we all love being on the snow, it doesn’t make much of a difference which resort we’re at. Also, Keystone feels less busy than most resorts and I’ve learned the times of the week that tend to be less busy.

Skiing/Snowboarding really is my ideal vacation. You’re busy most of the day but it’s active. You’re burning calories and building muscles while having fun. If only it was slightly cheaper, though I’ve done many things to lower the costs over the years.

With all that said, I think about snowboarding year round. It’s a major part of my life. The snow, the disconnection from the world. I rarely check my phone during the day, I’m hyper-focused on riding the best I can. I often plan my days to work on certain skills, polish up existing skills. The joy I feel when I’m gliding down the mountain, hitting my turns, legs slightly burning, is nothing like anything I experience in my day to day existence. I plan my exercises and stretching routines, year around, to make sure I’m ready for the season. And when I’m not out in Colorado, I often think about my next trip.

I really do wish that when I was younger, I moved to Colorado and made winter sports the main focus of my life. Obviously, I’m very happy with the role it fills in my life now but I want more!