feeling alive

so this blogging thing hasn't really been working out for me. don't know what i was thinking and where i thought i would get the time to sit at a computer, with mountains, snow, friends and a 9 day lift pass?  priorities change in this picture and computers don't fit in that frame.  now that we are in geneva, away from the slopes, i can actually get myself to sit in front of a computer.  but putting an outdoor adventure experience into words on a computer is not that easy.  maybe it will come to me later, but right now i am still trying to soak it all up.

snowboard history

In 1964 the first snowboard was made by a surfer, Poppen, who wanted to surf the snow. His first attempt was to bolt two kids ski's together.  Later he created the "snurfer", which was seen as an uncontrollable toy. 
In 1970 the first snowboard was created by Milovich, following the design of short surfboards.  He started the first snowboard company, called "Winterstick".  This company went bankrupt in 1980. 
Jake Burton Carpenter, a young student, kept developing the snurfer. From these modest origins, he started Burton Snowboard Inc. in 1977, at a young age of 23.  This company has since developed into a flourishing enterprise.

The first snowboard contest was held in 1981. Until 1985 snowboarders were still banned from most resort, and if they wanted to go down the runs, they had to sneak in at night and walk up the slopes secretly.
In 1987 the first European Snowboard World Championship was held in Livigno and St.Moritz and a new sport was born!  The rest is history ........

white fantasy world

in order to get to the snowy fantasy world, we have to leave our "real" one behind.  with 30 degrees Celsius , daily chores, surfing and a job, it is difficult to imagine the feeling again of - 5 degrees, snow under your shoes, wet socks, red noses, slipping on ice, hot chocolate, beanies, goggle tans, smoke coming from chimneys,  mars bars, big boots, big jackets, hoodies, scarves, frozen fingers, gloves, thermal underwear, white and more white, big pants, going outside with three layers, only to take it all off again when you go inside... you know, the regular snowy europe kind of thing.  so, in order to prepare myself and psyche me up, i spend my off time in the office looking at things like this...it definitely does the job of psyching me up, but at the moment i only see images on a screen..and I want to be in the screen and part of the image..