Snowboarding is a sport that one can advance in very quickly once past the psychological setbacks of a wrenched wrist, spinal shock or deadly whiplash slash and burn. After four times out on the board at local Bolton, Vermont, it was time to get serious. So I gave my supervisor notice, packed up my borrowed boots and board (thanks Tiff); also my recently purchased "discounted" $80 helmet; and new music by the Dresdon Dolls and Reverend Glasseye and embarked upon my first adventure in travel riding. I enrolled in the Burton Women's Snowboard Camp at Stratton Mountain in southern, Vermont. Not exactly exotic or erotic or far away, but it included free food, free Burton Women's equipment and free guys modeling next year's line of Burton women's clothing....hmm. Here's Maryanne – snowboarding diva instructor extraordinare. She's also co-author (along with husband) of The American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI) Freestyle Accreditation program. She also helped design and build the features at this year's U.S. Open at Stratton.
Within the first 10 minutes at Stratton, I decided I didn't particularly like ski resort chic. It wreaks of exploitation of the local worker economy. Except for the unending enthusiasm from the expert instructors in the Women's program and the positive vibe from the Burton Retail employees that fitted me out, I was greeted by everyone else with something other than what I call "customer service".
Does any customer ever enjoy the attitude of a low-waged, disgruntled, seasonal service worker whose greatest benefit (though nothing to frown at, and worth my consideration) is a free ride between two day jobs and a half-priced clinic with a 2006 Olympic champion?
Well, despite my cynicism, here's a little photo of the resort anyway, and of Bromley Mt. beyond--looking a bit more stoic in the distance than Stratton's Village Tower nestled at the base in the foreground.
I unknowingly rode an entire run with the bindings set up backwards, thinking it was a great ride. I couldn't give her any shit though, as she was distracted with the task of recruiting what looked to be a lack of male models for the fashion show that night.
By day two, my group's riding skills had improved so much that we were considered good enough to ride with the cream of the Burton crop! We rode two hours with Donna Carpenter, co-owner of Burton snowboards. Well, I admit, maybe it wasn't really our skill level that afforded us this rare opportunity but it sure was good public relations on her part, and she gave me great tips on the snowboards I should demo. She's a lovely, laid-back woman, originally from the South, with great stories about this year's olympics in Italy, about travelling and riding in New Zealand and the bad pick up line that Jake used on her in the bar where they met. Donna is peddaling the pink -- expect to see a lot of it in next year's line of Burton women's apparel. Our group actually included a New Zealander named Peta (now a New Yorker, shown here resting). Peta was good at riding her board what our instructor called "la la style" – like a surfboard – something Peta does in her other life, but Maryanne put a stop to that bad habit right away. Like I said, we all have our bad habits.
