Winter Thrills -by Mihir Sharma

Have you ever gone skiing or snowboarding?

If you have, I bet you have felt the exhilaration of going down a slope that you weren’t able to go down before.  If you are a snowboarder, you are basically skateboarding (without wheels) except on snow and ice. If you ski, you are going down a slope with your feet attached to two thin strips of wood, plastic and metal.  Imagine that. You are standing at the top of a steep slope covered with bumps, small bits of undergrowth, and rocks that are hidden beneath thin snow.  And you are supposed to go down it. With two strips of wood, plastic and metal on your feet. That is how it feels like when you are going down a Double Black Diamond, which is the hardest slope to go down. The second hardest slope is a regular Black Diamond, which usually isn't as steep. The third hardest is a Blue Square, which doesn't have many bumps or obstacles. And finally, the Green Circle or Bunny Slope, is the easiest slope to go down on, because it isn't steep and has NO obstacles (Blues may have some).

      There are three levels of skiing. The safest one is Type 1, in which the ski techs tighten your ski screws just a little bit so that if you fall, your skis will come off and you will not get hurt. It is extremely useful for greens, because there aren't any sharp turns, and the slopes aren't very steep, either. Type 2 has a medium level of safety, where the techs tighten your skis more than they do in Type 1, but less than they do in Type 3. This is most useful for blues, because lots of blues require sharp turns and this type helps you not lose your skis. The least safe one is Type 3, where the techs tighten the screws tight so that your skis will not come off very easily. This is very useful for going down Black Diamonds and Double Black Diamonds because you will not lose your skis. Snowboarders, on the other hand, have only one level, because they have to strap themselves in. I am much better at skiing than I am at snowboarding. But, that is to be expected since I have been skiing since I was six but I snowboarded only. The last time I went to Lake Tahoe, I went down my first Black Diamond EVER!!! It was so much fun that I had to go down it again. I will remember it forever – it was called the Ridge Bowl. I went to a place called Heavenly, and half of it was in Nevada! Plus, it had great views of Lake Tahoe. The actual lake!! It looks way cooler from the top of the mountain and has various shades of blue/aqua. Cool, huh? But you know what’s even cooler? I went to the Nevada side. TWICE!! I was proud of myself after that trip to Heavenly. You should be proud of yourself after YOU do something you enjoy and do it well.

I have a few questions for you.

1. Do you either ski or snowboard?

2. If you ski, what type are you?

3. Do you have a favorite snow sport?

From: Master of Skiing

(Get it? MS=  Mihir Sharma)=D Haha!!