Around this time every year snowboarders and skiers across the nation will find themselves going through a little process I like to call the five stages of grief due to snow loss. It will depend by region when the process begins but once we reach acceptance there are some great places to vacation to, to help deal with this loss. I will be doing a little research on these get-away destinations to visit over the snowless months and let you know all about what I find. But as many of you maybe have not reached the stage of acceptance yet these are some symptoms to expect:
You may notice that warm blue bird days become more frequent. We may have a tendency to tell ourselves it’s just a heat wave and a blizzard is sure to follow bringing with it at least two feet of pow. This is denial, and after about the third week in a row of warm days we may begin to realize, amidst our blissful playing on the slopes, how late it is in the season. It is not just a “warm spell” is actually the inevitable end of all that we hold dear, till next season.
Anger is sure to quickly follow this realization and trips to the hill will probably become more frequent as we try to get as many days in as possible before it’s all gone. More aggressive riding could pursue as we realize we have not gotten that trick we promised ourselves this season. The snow may have now become a nice soft landing, but do remember that though the snow is softer, rails and boxes are still hard.
Once the snow begins to disappear around us at a rapid rate we may begin to bargain with God to send just one more big storm, or to turn global warming on its head and create global winterization. When we realize that God has not headed our offer to never duck a closed trail sign again in exchange to abolish the other three seasons, a state of depression may set in. We now have to pack away our boards for the summer and there is nothing we can do to stop it. We reminisce all the amazing runs we were able to lay down and the epic sessions shared with the hommies.
Pick up your chin fellow shredder! There will be another season coming and there are many great times to be had while it’s warm too. Acceptance of the warm coming days at first can be a tough pill to swallow, but I intend to share with you ways to enjoy it to the fullest. Resorts still have much to offer without snow and there can be some great destinations to visit that won’t break the budget. I’ll do a little research and get back to you on the places I find and any tips about traveling to them. Be sure to check back in!
