Windham Mountain: Sunday March 9th, 2014
This past Sunday, us folks over here at OvR ran a trip up to Windham. It was a smooth ride, we had a good crew, and even some team riders from our friends over at Skate Brooklyn joined us for their first day (ever!) We arrived at the mountain to find it snowing… which was fine, I mean come on this is SNOWboarding after all, but I was hoping for a little break from this bountiful yet brutal winter. Little did I know that I was in for my first day of true spring riding so far this year! Sure there have been a few flukes throughout the season… a short lasted spell of sunlight on the mountain, the unexplainable 40 degree day in the dead of February… but this was a truly beautiful day. As evidenced above.
We all hopped off the bus, grabbed our gear (and a few beers!) and headed inside to to get ready. I was especially excited due to the fact that I had just set up a new Arbor Draft and couldn’t wait to ride all of that buttery goodness. I soon found out that it was wrong to think that I was the most stoked in the crew. Kempsey, one of Skate Brooklyn’s team riders was amazed upon arrival. Not only was it going to be his first time on a snowboard, but it was his first time outside of NYC. He said he “could really feel the adrenaline now” as he gazed upon mountains for the first time ever. This is the look of wonderment that we hope to inspire in all of our guests here at OvrRide.
Once we got all our gear on, drank a brew or two, and listened to all of Black Sabbath’s timeless album: Master of Reality, we headed to the lifts to get us some runs in. The crew split up, some opting to help Kempsey and Kevin on their first time riding, while the rest of us hopped on the A-Lift. The day started out decent enough. The snow was dense, with the occasional ice patch in the middle of the run, but for the most part conditions were promising. After several laps thru Upper Wraparound, the boardercross park, the main park, and Windham west (pretty much the entire mountain) we reconvened at the bottom of the mountain for a beer.
It was in this short siesta that the weather started to change for the better. As our beers emptied the sun shined and it was a brighter day for everyone. Not wanting to waste the warmth we all hurried back to the top of the mountain en masse to get in some sunny runs and also amuse ourselves with the ever humble beginnings of a skateboarder’s first time on a snowboard.
As the day went on, the sun kept shining, making the snow softer and significantly more fun. I was having a ball as I adjusted to my new extra bendy board. My favorite part of this learning experience was that, several times, I actually popped too high and would just completely overshoot my landing. All falls aside I did manage to land a couple of backside 360’s and by the end of the day even Kempsey was popping ollies off of rollers and succesfully attempting to do frontside 180’s. Everyone was having a great time that we didn’t even notice that we had ridden for almost the entire day. We all rushed back to the buses, threw the beers on ice and greeted all of you lovely guests as you made your way back. It was a truly great day, and for me, the perfect kickoff for the Spring season.
-Jeremy Hill