To all the snowboarders out there, I don’t know how you do it! Snowboarding requires some amazing skills. I went to Mountain Creek in Vernon, NJ for my last time fix of Snowboarding. Didn’t really know what to expect besides being told I will fall down endlessly. The day started out waking up very early (earlier then going to work!) and taking the bus there. First we had to go to NYC then take another bus to head to Mountain Creek. $20 round trip ride is not too bad. Weather was in the 40’s (Fahrenheit) so it wasn’t too cold.
I’ve been to Mountain Creek before during the summer. The park converts from a Ski resort to a Water Park somehow. Everything gets rebuilt each season. It was clear though that the Ski resort is the main attraction for this area. We decided to purchase the “All-Inclusive” package which included rentals, lessons, and ski lift tickets for $90. I really wanted to get the proper form of snowboarding since this will not be my first time snowboarding so I decided to get the lessons. The lessons weren’t too bad. I got what I needed out of it to improve. Snowboarding seems to be a self-taught sport so I don’t think I’ll need anymore lessons anytime soon. Breaking was the most difficult task for me and the only way I knew how to stop was falling down on purpose. Teresa had a hard time getting both her legs ON the snowboard LOL! It’s alright, you’ll get the hang of it!
We continued to snowboard in the beginner area but it started to get crowded. Time to “level up” to the next section! The next area we went to was called Sugar Hill. I’m sure to the experts this hill was nothing but a piece of cake however to us it looked like it was a nice way to break a few bones. Starting out in the very bottom part of the hill, I started getting the hang of it and worked my way up higher and higher each time. Of course by now I’ve fallen hundreds of times in every single direction. Becoming numb from the pain, nothing was going to stop me from getting better. Eventually I got so high that I could feel the breeze rushing through my face from the speed I was going. Incredible rush. I wanted more though so I decided to go all the way up on top of the hill. For the first time in my life, I took a ski lift. I’ll admit, I was nervous going up especially since you had to snowboard OUT of the lift (That turned into me FALLING out of the lift). Once I got to the top, I had an amazing view of the nearby mountains and looking down of the nearby Snowboarders falling down which I was soon to join in on. I sit down to just relax and clear my head for the amount of injuries I will have at the end of this. I buckle up my board to my feet and prepare to go down. I stay confident and go down. I lasted a few seconds before I fell on my ass. Get up and repeat. I knew I was getting better because I could feel myself going faster. After a dozen more falls, slides head first, and snow rushing onto my face – I’ve made it down. Done for the day.
We wanted to go snow tubing next but it required reservation and the day was full. Since we already returned our rentals and had time to kill before the bus came, we went to the bar they had at the resort. Today couldn’t have been any better. All the bruises and soreness was definitely worth it. Teresa and I spent a wonderful Valentines Day together doing something different. This day was certainly inspirational to keep trying new things.
