I
know sappy posts are boring to read. That being said, I needed to
write one:
This
summer in Govy has taught me more than I could have imagined, certainly more
than one post can cover. I have met so many wonderful people who have showed me
so many more aspects of this industry than I ever knew existed. Every single
time I think I've learned about each part of the vast industry that my life is
based on, another part astonishes me and I realize that I haven't even reached
the tip of the iceberg that is this ski community. I can't help but feel
terribly gifted every night when I lay down and reflect on my days here. As I
grow up and try to find my way in the ski world, I have begun to learn that,
ironically, it has little if not nothing to do with my actual skiing. So many
times we get caught up as individuals in this world because, lets face it, it's
an individual sport. In reality the skiing community isn't about our
accomplishments as individuals but as a family together, where we learn and
grow from each other and our shared love of the sport.
I
have crossed paths with so many people who play completely different roles in
the ski world. I have learned so much from you all and I am eternally grateful.
This community is so vibrant and each of its members bring something new to the
table. From park skiers continually pushing color coordination boundaries, to
racers trying to pull the radius of an impossibly straight ski, to big mountain
pros hucking themselves off of cliffs I could only dream of; the whole idea of
sliding on snow brings out the kid in each of us in the best possible way. From
the upper echelon of this industry all the way down to the J5, we all feel the
same skiing spirit. I have truly found a family in skiing, a family that has
welcomed me with open arms.
A
love for the mountains and the ski life is something that I wish I could bestow
upon everyone, but it seems like only a select few become fully enthralled with
its magic. I guess the only thing I can do is be thankful that I have fallen
head over heals in love with skiing because to say it has changed my life,
would be an understatement.
"We all come from the mountains,
but we are not all of the mountains. Those of us who are, we children of the wilderness,
must return to it again and again, until the day we don't come back leaving
only that which was touched along the way."
