Babak Bakhtiar

Babak Bakhtiar
IMGAINE LOOKING OUT AND SEEING THE WORLD BELOW YOU, SNOW GENTLY FALLING DOWN WITH NOTHNG BUT FRESH POWDER ON THE GROUND. YOU WAIT ON THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN AND TAKE IN THE BEATUIFUL SCENERY AROUND YOU BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO START GOING DOWN. THERE ARE NOT MANY FEELINGS IN THE WOLRD THAT CAN BEAT THE FEELING YOU GET WHEN YOU GO ON A SKIING OR SNOWBOARDING TRIP. I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE PLACES I HAVE BEEN SNOWBOARDING, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE PLACES I HOPEFULLY WILL GO IN THE FUTURE.
I FIRST STARTED SKIING WHEN I WAS FIVE YEARS OLD. IM FROM VIRGINIA AND THERES A SKI RESORT ABOUT 10 MINUTES FROM WHERE I GREW UP CALLED MASSANUTEN MOUNTAIN. THIS MOUNTAIN IS NOT VERY BIG WITH THE HIGHEST ELEVEATION BEING 2,900 FEET, BUT IT WAS A GREAT PLACE TO LEARN THE BASICS. AS ANY OTHER BEGINGER MY PARENTS SIGNED ME UP FOR LESSONS AND I STARTED TO LEARN ALL THE BASICS OF SKIING FROM PIZZA TO CARVING AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN. I WOULD GO ALMOST EVERY WEEKEND AND BY THE TIME I WAS TWELVE I COULD DO EVREY SLOPE THAT MASSANUTTEN HAD TO OFFER. WHEN I WAS TWELVE MY BROTHER PICKED UP SNOWBOARDING AND I DECIDED TO TRY THAT TOO. IT WAS HARD AT FIRST SINCE I WAS USED TO SKIIS BUT WITHIN ONE SEASON I GOT PRETTY GOOD AT IT AND ENJOYED IT MORE THAN SKIING.

THE FIRST TIME I WENT ANYWHERE OTHER THAN MASSANUTTEN I WAS 14 AND ME AND MY FAMILY WENT TO SNOWSHOE MOUNTAIN IN WEST VIRGINIA. THIS MOUNTAIN IN COMPARISON TO MASSANUTTEN WAS A LOT BIGGER WITH ITS TOP ELEVATION BEING ABOUT 5,000 FEET. I HAD BEEN SNOWBOARDING FOR TWO YEARS NOW SO I HAD GOT A PRETTY GOOD GRIP ON IT. WE WENT IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER AND IT JUST HAPPENED TO BE AFTER THEY HAD GOT HITTEN BY A BIG SNOW STORM. SO WE WENT OUT FOR THE FIRST DAY TO RIDE THE SLOPES AND IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST EXPEREINCES IVE HAD. THERE WAS ABOUT A FOOT OF POWDER ON EVERY TRAIL AND IT MADE FOR AN AMAZING DAY. IT WAS HERE THAT I HAD A MEMORY THAT WILL LAST FOREVER. IT WAS TOWARDS THE END OF THE DAY SO MY BROTHER AND I WENT FOR ONE LAST RUN. WE WENT UP TO A BLACK DIAMOND TRAIL AND AS SOON AS WE GOT UP THERE MY MOUTH DROPPED. THE SUN WAS SETTING AND THE VIEW THAT I WITNESSED WAS UNBEALIVABLE. RIGHT THAN AND THERE I DECIDED I WANTED TO GO TO AS MANY SKI RESORTS AS POSSIBLE IN MY LIFETIME. MY BROTHER AND I STILL TRAVEL TO SNOWSHOE ONCE EVERY WINTER FOR A COUPLE DAYS AND HAVE A GREAT TIME.

ANOTHER RESORT I WENT TO WHEN I WAS 17 WAS BIG BEAR MOUNTAIN IN CALIFORNIA. WE WENT TO VISIT FAMILY OUT THERE AND HAD THE GREAT IDEA OF GOING AND RIDING THE MOUNTAIN. THIS MOUNTAIN IS A LOT BIGGER THAN BOTH SNOWSHOE AND MASSANUTTEN WITH ITS HIGHEST ELEVEATION BEING AROUND 8,000 FEET. EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A LOT BIGGER AND HAD MORE TRAILS I PERFERRED SNOWSHOE OVER IT BECAUSE OF HOW CROWDED IT WAS WHEN WE WENT. THAT BEING SAID I STILL HAD A GREAT TIME AND WOULD LOVE TO GO BACK AT SOME POINT IN MY LIFE. THOSE ARE THE ONLY THREE MOUNTAINS THAT I HAVE HAD THE CHANCE TO RIDE AND AM HOPING THAT I CAN GO MORE PLACES IN THE FUTURE. ONE PLACE I WOULD LOVE TO GO SNOWBOARD AT IS LAKE TAHOE. I CAN ONLY IMAIGNE HOW BEAUTIFUL IT WOULD BE TO BE RIDING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN LOOK UP AND SEE THE LAKE ALMOST RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. MANY PROFESSIONALS HAVE SAID THAT LAKE TAHOE IS ONE OF THEIR FAVROITE PLACES TO RIDE DURING THE WINTER SEASON BECAUSE OF ALL THE FRESH SNOW THEY GET AS WELL AS THE VIEWS.
IN CONCLUSION, I HAVE ENJOYED EVERYWHERE THAT I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GO SNOWBOARDING BUT STILL WANT TO GO MANY MORE PLACES. I HOPE YOU CAN TAKE AWAY A FEW THINGS FROM THIS SPEECH AND MAYBE GO OUT AND TRY SKIING OR SNOWBOARDING. FOR PEOPLE THAT ENJOY WINTER AND BEING OUTDOORS, I BELIVE THAT SNOWBOARDING IS THE RIGHT SPORT FOR YOU. QUESTIONS?