An Unlikely Community: The Last Of SA Snowboarding
E365> Features - Sunday August 12 2007
E365 -- So, loyal readers of E365, the trip up into the highest mountains of the most Southern nation in Africa has come to a sliding halt, and the realities and pressures of working are starting to set in again. If anything, this roving reporter of all things extreme has a big thank you to hand to the trip funders. How many jobs give you a bar spending budget as part of your travel expenses?
Not this one, but you get the idea.
Rather than spew out some spam, some Internet fodder for you readers to rectally egest two minutes later, I'd like to describe the whole five-day trip as it was: a mesh of moments, colours, lights, sounds, tastes and feelings. So, what follows is a list of all the best parts of the trip. Thanks, TEAMtalk South Africa.
Whether it was the crunching sound of powder snow and hollow wooden walkways beneath my feet or the muffled shouting from behind the closed doors of the bar, there was always something to be heard. If you've ever been on a resort, you'll know the sounds of the rustling of you puffy red jacket when you walk and the chattering of the common rooms where the people gather.
There's loads to be seen at high-profile events like the South African Ski & Snowboarding Champs. A quick smile at someone you've seen around the resort but have not met, the clearest blue skies or sick shots of the day's action. So one thing I learned is that you gotta keep your eyes open.
And, of course, the taste overload every morning for the world's greatest breakfast buffet something to write home about. Muffins, fresh toast and fruit salad, full egg and bacon breakfasts, coffee, fruit juice. Hell, they gotta have something to get the hungover athletes out of bed in the morning.
Then there's the feeling. Frustration, sure. Slow Internet, repeated falling while trying to re-learn boarding, having to work while everyone else is on the slopes. There's that. But moreso, the feel of pumping thigh muscles as I grind to a halt, or the iciness of the worn down landing pad at the top of the slope. Or better, a small, cosy bed at the end of a long, hard day.
But most of all, it's about the feeling of camaraderie, any time, anywhere. The togetherness of an unlikely community which I'll treasure till the end. And yeah, I'll be back next year. For sure.
| FURTHER SURFIN' |
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| EXTREME INSPIRATION |
| "The fearless are merely fearless. People who act in spite of their fear are truly brave" |
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