Riding the Surf

Some people compare snowboarding to surfing, with the rising and falling of the terrain.

Showing that even a green run can be enjoyable, I was making some warm-up trips down the mountain when the feeling of surfing kicked in. Finally!

The trail was fairly flat, but it had sufficient dips and rises in the terrain (some day I’ll find the technical terms for these things) to make the interesting. Actually, more than interesting–simply, a blast. Down … up … down … over … up. Woooh!

It’s hard to describe, but at some point, I did get the feeling that I was riding a wave: playing with and not against the terrain on the (snow) water on a sunny day, “catching” a ride up or down, depending on what was before me. Not that I fully understand what that is like, though; I’ve only been on a boogie board, not a full-sized surfboard. But I have a better “feel” now for why pro surfers enjoy snowboarding, and pro snowboarders enjoy surfing.