Snow sports swoop into town
As winter approaches, it is time for the skis and snowboards to be brought out and be put into action. Even though the California heat does not offer the best snowy places, those who are interested, do have a few places to go to. The most popular, being Mammoth.
Tim Schaeffner, senior, moved from Switzerland to California during the summer before his freshman year. Although, he was born in Texas, but then moved to Switzerland when he was 3 years old.
Schaeffner makes time and heads over to Mammoth for about three weeks of the year. Back in Switzerland, he began skiing at age 3. “I loved skiing from a super young age,” Shaeffner said. “Skiing has always been apart of my life because I used to live next to a ski area and always had a lot of fun with skiing, and it has been one of my favorite things to do.”
For Schaeffner, the sport is a way of expressing himself. “It’s like an artistic form of expressing yourself,” Shaeffner said. “In ski racing, every turn can teach you something new, and it’s just a very special way of expressing yourself. Similar to my connection with surfing, it’s a beautiful way of doing things.
Leon Burg, senior, was not brought up in this country his entire life. When he was 9 years old, he moved from America to Germany and then moved back when he was 15 years old.
Due to the big move from Germany back to California, Burg is unable to go as often as he used to. “When I lived in Germany, I used to go skiing for about two to three times a week, but now I go at least 5 weeks a year just because we live in California,” Burg said.
Burg’s love for skiing was primarily due to the races. “I enjoy skiing because I did ski racing, which was one of my main sports alongside soccer,” Burg said. “I think it’s just really fun … it’s a bit competitive and it’s not like a lot of other sports, so its not played with a ball or anything, it’s very different.”
Jackson Calderwood, senior, is a snowboarder who started his journey at age 10 all the way in Maryland. “I was in Maryland for the winter with my mom, my friend and his mom. I’ve never seen actual snow till the day I first strapped into a snowboard,” Calderwood said.
At first, he had a rocky start, but that did not make him hate snowboarding. “I remember my first attempt going down a small, little hill on the side of the road, and it didn’t go well at all,” Calderwood said. “I love snowboarding because it’s such a dangerous, yet amazingly fun and creative outlet to enjoy your time at the snow… I love how unique you could get with the sport and how there’s always new tricks or styles or riding that are being introduced everyday.”
Calderwood tries his best to go snowboarding throughout the year, having different spots in mind depending on the season. “I personally love Mammoth Mountain because it’s such a huge mountain with so much to do.” Calderwood said. “Everything on that mountain is meant for everyone so there’s always a beginner run, and also expert runs so everyone has fun! … For more experienced riders, I suggest Mt. Hood. It’s the only mountain in the northern hemisphere that has snow in the summer.”
For Calderwood, “I noticed how no one in the sport is the same as the other one. Everyone is very different from the next but yet they all have this natural community with every other snowboarder they meet. It’s like a network that every snowboarder is connected to where everyone just gets along so well. That’s what really inspires me.”
