Skiing is America

(Guest Blog Post - Andrew Fosbrook)

People who know me may be surprised that I haven't already written an ultra-patriotic blog entry here on TheSkiMonster. Not one to disappoint the loyal fans of the Monster, shredding and all that is brave and free; the time has come. Skiing is America!

When the Founding Fathers penned the documents that separated us from the Empire and laid out our basic freedoms, they clearly had one thing on their mind. Americans are meant to go wherever they choose, when they choose, how they choose. What better way to celebrate this self-evident truth than ascending a precipice of your own choosing and on the fly, discovering your line as you rocket down an open face or through the trees?

Skiing and snowboarding; unlike most sports, allows for the ultimate freedom of expression. Although we can drill gates into a trail or build a course of jumps and banked turns to measure ourselves against one another, isn't the very core of this sport open to personal interpretation? Where else can participants of all levels come together in one place and share the joy of freedom, of individuality and of adrenaline on their own terms?

If a lift can't take you to the gnar that you need, you can strap your boards up and forge ahead into new frontiers just like the earliest settlers. After all, when you find that perfect run, what is that feeling that separates what you do for fun from what others do? While your friends may conform to games, confined by a network of rules and regulations, you stand breathless on top of that daunting run, fixated on the freedom the land provides you as it drops away from under your ski tips. Smell the air around you. It's freedom, baby. Ski season is officially here. Take it in and let go.