Over 450 Responses to “Where Was the First Place You Ever Went Skiing or Snowboarding?”

We requested our followers, “The place was the primary place you ever went snowboarding?” The flood of responses (483 as of September 1, 2025) spanned from yard hills to iconic resorts, and even a landfill or two. From the Nineteen Fifties to the 2020s, these tales reveal how snowboarding and snowboarding spark lifelong passions, regardless of the place you began. Under, we dive into the highlights and share standout quotes.

Key Observations and Attention-grabbing Information

Geographical Variety: Most responses got here from the U.S., with California (Badger Go, Mammoth) and Colorado (Winter Park, Steamboat) main the pack. Midwestern and Jap hills, usually with rope tows, had been additionally widespread. Globally, we noticed firsts from New Zealand’s energetic volcano, Italy, Norway, Scotland, Argentina, Chile, and even Greenland.

DIY Beginnings: Over 15 folks began on makeshift slopes—backyards, golf programs, or a “pile of outdated automobiles coated in filth” in Saskatchewan. Improvised gear, like canine collars for bindings or pool cues for poles.

Time Journey: Reminiscences stretched again to 1953, with many from the Nineteen Sixties-70s. Rope tows had been a nostalgic staple, and a few spots, like Hidden Valley (CO) or Iron Mountain (CA), at the moment are gone.

Distinctive Venues: Standouts included Mt. Trashmore (a Michigan landfill), an Alaskan pasture, and a New Zealand volcano. One particular person combined up snowboarding with water snowboarding at a lake—traditional!

Younger Starters: Some had been toddlers who “couldn’t stroll but,” whereas others, like a 2022 transplant from the Philippines, picked it up later and caught with it regardless of sore butts.

These responses present that whether or not you began on a world-class slope or a trash heap, the fun of that first run sticks perpetually.

Standout Quotes

Right here’s a style of the tales that caught our eye:

Jim Teo: “Badger Go in Yosemite! And after a yr, after we had been 7-8 years outdated, our dad and mom merely informed us to fulfill at lunch.” (Child freedom at its most interesting.)

Michael Snr Van Staveren: “In 1953 I skied at Mount Ruapehu, an energetic volcano in the course of the North Island of New Zealand.” (Discuss an epic first.)

Bïll Cōnrad: “Bolton Valley in Vt. I moved to the US from Philippines in 2022 and my spouse introduced me for snowboarding that winter for the primary time. My butt bought damage rather a lot after that day and my spouse thought I’d give up however I by no means did.” (Proof that falling doesn’t imply failing.)

Hello Brooks: “Black Strap “Mountain, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Actually a pile of outdated automobiles coated in filth.” (Snowboarding ingenuity at its finest.)

Shannon Larson: “The neighbor’s hillside pasture, on hand-carved wooden skis my Nice Grandfather introduced with him from Norway, leather-based canine collars to exchange the rotten leather-based straps, over Sorel winter boots and a few outdated pool cues for poles,…..it didn’t take lengthy for it to not go effectively,…….” (A recipe for chaos and allure.)

Clinton Westerberg: “Badger Go. California oldest resort. First run straight up the entire hill. To crash on the backside and knock wind out of me.” (We’ve all been there.)

Tom Bakos: “Mount Trashmore AKA The Riverview Highlands. Trash Dump landfill with 2 lifts SE Michigan. I realized there in 92 on my Hooger Booger 165.” (Snowboarding a landfill? Legendary.)

Knowledge Breakdown: High First Ski Areas

To make the traits pop, we counted essentially the most often talked about resorts (excluding imprecise “yard” entries). Under is a bar chart of the highest 5 areas, based mostly on response counts, representing about 30% of particular resort mentions. California and Colorado dominated, however the selection was wild.

Chart Insights

Badger Go (Yosemite, CA) led with 10+ mentions, usually tied to childhood recollections and its standing as California’s oldest resort. Crashes, like Clinton’s wind-knocking wipeout, had been frequent.

Mammoth Mountain (CA) adopted intently with 9 mentions, widespread for each snowboarding (Nineteen Sixties-70s) and early snowboarding.

Winter Park (CO) had 8 mentions, a family-friendly starter spot, with some recalling pre-Eisenhower Tunnel days.

Steamboat Springs (CO) and Bridger Bowl (MT) rounded out the highest 5, with Steamboat evoking Nineteen Seventies nostalgia and Bridger drawing Montana pleasure.

The remaining responses had been a mixture of distinctive resorts and quirky spots, from defunct hills to worldwide gems.

Wrapping It Up

From a New Zealand volcano to a Michigan landfill, these first-ski tales show that the magic of snowboarding or snowboarding isn’t concerning the place—it’s concerning the feeling. Whether or not you crashed, laughed, or bought hooked for all times, these preliminary runs form us. Received a narrative? Share it within the feedback! Because of our followers for the recollections—right here’s to extra powder days. 🏂⛷️

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