A Trip to Breckenridge

My first successful snowboarding experience began on Sunday at Breckenridge, Colorado. Ricci, my friend from IWU, super passionate about snowboarding, graciously volunteered to spend a few days teaching me the basics of the sport. She's been so excited about our trip that over the past month she's had my board waxed and edged, and even taken it out one weekend to test it out. I guess it passed the test, because it was sitting by the door when I walked in on Saturday.

Ricci took a week vacation to snowboard at Breckenridge with some friends, and was adamant that I tag-a-long for a few days. I accepted the offer with out much of a thought and was graced with a place to stay and personalized snowboarding lessons for free.

Sunday, Ricci spent most of the day teaching me the basics, then cutting down the slope a ways, stopping, and looking up to where I was so ungracefully making my way down at a snail's speed. I took some tumbles, but managed to avoid people and trees, which was an answer to prayer. By day two I was making my way down the slopes on my own, turning (though every so slowly), but managing to appear somewhat like a snowboarder.

Ricci and I worked out a deal upon my departure from Breckenridge. For all of her help and use of her buddy pass, I gave her my new bindings, and to encourage me to continue boarding, she gave me her old bindings and boots. I feel blessed to have a friend who would slow down and take the time to patiently teach me a skill of snowboarding, when I know she would've rather been carving her way down the slopes at break-neck speed. Thank you Ricci!