In search for colder, whiter place, my feet brought me to one of the coldest parts of Japan, Shiga Kogen Nagano, I can't thank God enough for friends who are as adventurous as I am. One of them organised an event to go snowboarding and without hesitation, I said yes. Then I found myself standing on soft ice with much beauty in front of my eyes. This is it! One of my dreams for 26 years has come to a reality. Its so surreal! But the real fun is up on the alps. So I got myself ready for some sliding, crushing on ice.
First things first : We went to the stock room looking for snowboarding wear, board, shoes, goggles and gloves.
"First is always the hardest" - so true for my first snowboarding. I didnt have the confidence to stand up with my feet attached to the board in just flat ice. And my knees are shaking to the thought of sliding down from that 45-degree-slope. But I tried it anyway.
So many times I fell down while practicing. I think i tried all of the stumbling positions, whether be it face buried in snow, butt-first fall(ouch), knees and elbow support combo fall, and my hatest fall - the rolling over pig fall. It hurts so bad that after falling down, it would take me a while to stand back again. So I just feel the moment, lay down the snow (insert If I lay here song), contemplating about life, contemplating about the mistake I have done - why I stumble, after that I stand up, continue to move on but better than before.
And so after all the toss and turns, I finally get the first technique in snowboarding, the falling leaf. On Day 2 we tried steeper and longer trails. It so fun that I forgot my muscle pains all over my body.
The adrenaline rush, the gushing cold air, the sparkling snow, its all perfect! Everything is just so perfect. I felt so free, experiencing nature at its fullest is just awesome. I cant wait for my next snowboarding experiemce