I’ve been snowboarding since I was a kid, starting with those old plastic Black Snow boards before getting my first real snowboard, a Burton Air, when I was about 12. More than 30 years later, I’m still riding, but now I get to share something I’ve loved since childhood with my own kids. From Lee Canyon near Las Vegas to Brian Head in Utah and Woodward Park City, snowboarding has become one of my favorite ways for us to spend time together as a family.
I’ve been skateboarding and snowboarding for most of my life.
Neither is something I picked up as an adult. They’re both activities I’ve enjoyed since I was a kid, although there have definitely been stretches over the years when I wasn’t doing much of either.
If you grew up in the late ’80s or early ’90s, you might remember those plastic Black Snow snowboards. Before I ever had a real snowboard, those were what I was riding.
Some of my earliest memories involve riding one down a dirt hill behind my grandparents’ house. The hill was actually just a big pile of dirt left over from when they dug the foundation for their home.
It wasn’t exactly a ski resort, but we made it work.
Eventually, I graduated to an actual snowboard, and more than three decades later, I’m still enjoying it.
These days, though, some of my favorite snowboarding memories aren’t from when I was a kid. They’re from getting to share the experience with my own children.
We’ve snowboarded at Lee Canyon here in Nevada, traveled to Brian Head in Utah, and spent time riding at Woodward Park City.
And while I still love snowboarding just as much as I did when I was younger, sharing it with my kids has given me a whole new reason to enjoy it.
From Plastic Snowboards to My First Burton Air
I was around 12 years old when I got my first real snowboard (thanks Mom).
It was a ’94 Burton Air, and I still remember how excited I was to finally have a proper board.
That first winter, my brothers and I spent a lot of time riding at places like Christmas Mountain and Devil’s Head in Wisconsin.
Snowboarding was a completely different experience back then.
At some of the smaller resorts we visited, my brothers and I were practically the only people on snowboards. It wasn’t anything like today, when snowboarders make up a huge portion of the people on the mountain.
I also spent plenty of nights getting dragged up the bunny hill by the rope tow at Christmas Mountain before I ever got comfortable enough to ride a chairlift.
Learning definitely wasn’t easy.
But I loved it.
I was already into skateboarding, so snowboarding felt like a natural extension of something I enjoyed. The boards, the graphics, the clothing, and the culture were all part of the appeal.
And just like my earliest skateboards, that first Burton is something I’ve never forgotten.
Unfortunately, when I was younger and apparently not thinking too clearly, I sold it.
It’s one of those decisions I’ve regretted over the years, especially considering how much those old boards mean to me now.
But here’s where the story gets pretty cool.
Years later, someone from a snowboarding group I’m part of sent me the exact same model Burton Air that I had when I was 12.
For free.
So while it’s not technically my original snowboard, in a roundabout way, I still have my first real board.
There’s something pretty special about that.
It’s funny how equipment you owned as a kid can hold so many memories. I couldn’t tell you what I did three weekends ago, but I can still remember the graphics on skateboards and snowboards I owned more than 30 years ago.
And now, decades later, I’m making completely new memories on the mountain with my own kids.
Getting My Kids Into Snowboarding
One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about being a parent is introducing my kids to activities that were such a big part of my childhood.
Skateboarding is probably the best example.
As I mentioned in my article, I’ve Been Skateboarding Most of My Life. Here’s Why I Still Love It at 45, my daughter developed a real interest in skateboarding when she was younger.
That interest eventually led to lessons, trips to skateparks, skate contests, and opportunities to meet some of the professional skateboarders I grew up watching.
Snowboarding has given us another activity to enjoy together.
And unlike skateboarding, where my daughter has always shown more interest, my son has really taken to snowboarding as well.
That’s been great because it’s something both kids enjoy, and we can all get out on the mountain together.
Of course, skateboarding and snowboarding aren’t exactly the same thing, but they share plenty of similarities.
Both require balance, coordination, patience, and a willingness to fall down.
Sometimes a lot.
That’s something I’ve always tried to teach my kids through skateboarding.
You’re going to fall. You’re going to get frustrated. And sometimes you’re going to spend what seems like forever trying to figure something out.
But that’s part of learning.
Snowboarding is no different.
Watching my kids become more comfortable on their boards, improve their turns, and gain confidence on the mountain has been one of the most rewarding parts of getting them involved.
And the best part is that I get to be out there riding alongside them.
I’m not just standing at the bottom watching.
We’re all doing something we enjoy together.
Lee Canyon: Snowboarding in Las Vegas?
One of the things I like about living in Las Vegas is how many different outdoor activities we have access to.
Most people probably don’t associate Las Vegas with snowboarding.
They picture casinos, resorts, swimming pools, and summer temperatures that regularly climb above 110 degrees.
But just outside the city, we’ve got the Spring Mountains.
And tucked into those mountains is Lee Canyon, our local snowboard resort.
It’s pretty cool knowing we can go from the desert to a snow-covered mountain without traveling very far.
Lee Canyon gives us the opportunity to get out and snowboard without having to plan an entire weekend around it.
We can load up the truck in the morning, head into the mountains, spend a few hours riding, and be back home that afternoon.
That’s a pretty big advantage when you’re trying to balance work, school, and everything else that comes with having a family.
Not every adventure needs to involve booking a hotel or taking time off work.
Sometimes it’s nice just to get up in the morning and go.
And since I’m trying to make more time for outdoor activities closer to home, having somewhere like Lee Canyon nearby is something I definitely appreciate.
It’s also a good reminder that there’s a whole lot more to Las Vegas than the Strip.
Brian Head, Utah: Nearly 20 Years of Memories
While Lee Canyon is great for a day trip, Brian Head, Utah, has become one of our favorite places for a winter getaway.
And my history with Brian Head actually goes back long before we had kids.
My wife and I started visiting Brian Head around 2006 or 2007, both for snowboarding in the winter and spending time in the mountains during the summer.
That was nearly 20 years ago.
And honestly, one of the things I like about Brian Head is how little it seems to have changed.
Sure, they’ve upgraded some lifts, added a few things, and have plans for a much bigger expansion.
But the town itself still has that same small mountain-town feel I remember from our earlier trips.
There aren’t a ton of restaurants or things to do outside the resort, but that’s part of the charm.
When we head up for a weekend, we usually end up trying to decide where we’re going to eat, even though there seem to be about four places to choose from.
And somehow, we almost always end up at the pizza place.
Some things never change.
Located roughly three hours from Las Vegas, Brian Head is close enough for an easy weekend getaway but far enough away that it feels like we’re actually on vacation.
Instead of the desert scenery we’re used to, we’re surrounded by mountains, forests, and snow.
It’s a nice change of pace.
The resort also has a good variety of terrain, which makes it appealing for families with riders of different abilities.
As the kids continue improving, it’s nice having somewhere familiar that we can keep coming back to.
And I especially like that we’re now taking our kids to a place my wife and I were visiting long before they were born.
It’s almost like we’ve started a family tradition without really planning to.
Eventually, I’d love to take our snowboarding adventures somewhere a little farther from home.
And since we’ve already fallen in love with traveling to Japan, I think I know where I’d like to go.
Japan, I’m looking at you.
I’ve spent plenty of time watching videos of people riding that famous Japanese powder, or Japow, as everyone likes to call it.
The idea of combining two things I love, snowboarding and traveling around Japan, sounds pretty incredible.
Once we’re all a little more comfortable on our boards, I’d love to plan a winter trip and experience it for ourselves.
But until then, I’m perfectly happy spending our winter weekends at Brian Head.
Woodward Park City: Where Skateboarding and Snowboarding Come Together
Another place we’ve had the opportunity to snowboard is Woodward Park City in Utah.
And considering our family’s interest in skateboarding, this one was particularly cool.
Woodward isn’t your typical ski resort.
It’s an action sports destination that brings together snowboarding, skiing, skateboarding, and other activities.
For someone who grew up interested in both skateboarding and snowboarding, it’s the kind of place that naturally gets my attention.
I’ve always enjoyed the culture surrounding these sports.
The videos, the people, the creativity, and the whole idea of constantly trying to learn something new.
Woodward brings a lot of that together.
It’s also a place where learning and progression are a big part of the experience, which makes it especially appealing when you have kids who are interested in board sports.
When I was younger, I never would have imagined that someday I’d be traveling to places like Woodward with my own children.
Back then, I was just a kid riding a Burton Air around the little ski resorts in Wisconsin.
Now I’m getting to share experiences like this with my family.
That’s something I never really thought about when we first started getting the kids involved in skating and snowboarding.
Their interests have ended up taking us to some pretty cool places.
And in some cases, places I probably wouldn’t have visited otherwise.
Snowboarding With Kids Definitely Isn’t Cheap
As much as I enjoy snowboarding with the family, I don’t want to make it sound like every trip is some perfect winter vacation.
Because getting everyone ready for a day on the mountain can be a bit of a production.
First, there’s all the equipment.
Snowboards, bindings, boots, helmets, goggles, gloves, jackets, snow pants, and everything else you need.
By the time everything is packed, it sometimes feels like we’re preparing for a weeklong expedition instead of a day of snowboarding.
And then there’s the cost.
Snowboarding is definitely not a cheap family activity.
Lift tickets, equipment, gas, food, and occasionally accommodations can add up pretty quickly.
But one of the biggest expenses we’ve dealt with over the years has been keeping up with two growing kids.
I’m pretty sure both of them have gone through about three different pairs of snowboard boots in the last three years alone.
And that’s just the boots.
We’ve also had to replace snow pants, jackets, gloves, and other equipment as they’ve grown.
It seems like every winter we’re buying something new because something from the previous season no longer fits.
At this point, I think my daughter might finally be done growing, so hopefully we’ll get a little more use out of her current boots.
My wallet would certainly appreciate it.
Of course, equipment isn’t the only challenge.
Some days the snow conditions aren’t great, the weather doesn’t cooperate, or things just don’t go according to plan.
That’s part of snowboarding.
But I’ve also learned that not every trip needs to be about squeezing as many runs as possible out of a lift ticket.
We don’t have to be the first people on the lift and the last ones off the mountain.
Sometimes it’s nice to take a break, grab something to eat, and just enjoy being there.
The whole point is to have fun together.
And if everyone comes home tired but happy, I’d consider that a pretty successful day.
Falling Down Is Part of Snowboarding. So Is Getting Back Up.
One of the most rewarding parts of snowboarding with my kids has been watching them improve.
I still remember how frustrating it could be when I was first learning.
I spent plenty of nights at Christmas Mountain getting dragged up the bunny hill by a rope tow, falling down, and trying to figure out what I was doing.
Snowboarding doesn’t always come naturally.
You can spend a lot of time struggling with something that looks incredibly easy when someone else does it.
But eventually, things start to click.
You get more comfortable on your edges. Your turns start feeling more natural. You gain confidence, and suddenly you’re riding terrain that might have seemed intimidating before.
Watching my kids go through that same progression has been pretty cool.
And I think there’s something valuable about learning an activity that requires patience and persistence.
It’s the same lesson I’ve always tried to teach my daughter through skateboarding.
You’re going to fall. That’s part of riding. But so is getting back up and trying again.
Of course, it’s a lot easier to give that advice than it is to follow it yourself.
I’ve taken some pretty heavy slams on both skateboards and snowboards over the years.
There have definitely been times when the last thing I wanted to do was get back on my board.
But then I think about what I’ve spent years telling my kids.
How can I tell them to get back up and keep trying if I’m not willing to do the same?
So, assuming I’m not actually injured, I get back on my board.
And I think that’s one of the best lessons both skateboarding and snowboarding can teach you.
You’re going to fall. You’re going to fail. And sometimes you’re going to have to try something over and over before you finally figure it out.
But when you do, it’s a pretty great feeling.
At 45, those falls might hurt a little more than they did when I was younger.
But I’ve been riding boards long enough to know what I’m getting myself into.
And getting older doesn’t mean I have to stop challenging myself.
I still want to learn new things. I still want to improve. And I’m not particularly interested in giving that up just because I’m getting older.
Snowboarding at 45 Is Different, but I Still Love It
I’ve been snowboarding for more than 30 years now.
That probably sounds pretty impressive until you realize that riding something for three decades doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve spent those three decades constantly improving.
Just like skateboarding, there have been plenty of years when I barely got out at all.
I’m certainly not an expert.
But I still love getting on a board.
And while I’m probably a little more selective about what I’m willing to attempt these days, I don’t think age should automatically mean you stop trying new things.
Sometimes I want to push myself a little.
Other times, I’m perfectly happy just cruising down the mountain, enjoying the scenery, and spending time with my kids.
I don’t need to be hitting jumps or trying to keep up with someone half my age to enjoy snowboarding.
I’ve been riding boards since I was a kid because I enjoy it.
That hasn’t changed.
What has changed is that now I get to share something I’ve loved for most of my life with my own children.
And honestly, that’s made it even better.
It’s More Than Just a Day on the Mountain
As much as I love snowboarding, I think the biggest reason these trips have become so important to me has less to do with the actual riding.
It’s the time we’re spending together.
As my kids get older, I’m becoming more aware of how quickly these years are going by.
It doesn’t seem all that long ago that we were buying them their first skateboards and taking them to lessons.
Now they’re getting older, developing their own interests, and becoming more independent.
That’s just part of growing up.
But it also makes me appreciate the opportunities we have to do things together while we can.
And one of the things I really like about snowboarding is that it’s an activity we can all participate in.
I’m not just driving the kids somewhere, dropping them off, or standing around watching them have fun.
I’m right there with them.
We’re all doing something we enjoy.
And that makes it a little different from some other family activities.
It’s also nice getting away from our normal routines.
Between work, school, and everything else going on, it’s easy for one weekend to start looking exactly like the last.
Sometimes we need a reason to get out of the house and do something different.
For us, snowboarding has become one of those reasons.
Making More Time for Family Adventures
One of the reasons I started Board in the World was to document more of the experiences I wanted to have.
I’ve always loved traveling, skateboarding, and snowboarding.
But for a long time, I wasn’t making nearly enough time for some of those things.
It’s easy to get caught up in everyday life.
You go to work, come home, take care of whatever needs to be done, and before you know it, another week has passed.
Then another month.
And eventually, another year.
That’s something I’ve been thinking about quite a bit lately.
I’m 45 now, and there are still so many things I want to do and places I want to explore.
I don’t want to keep putting them off.
That’s part of why I’m expanding Board in the World to include more outdoor adventures, camping, fishing, and exploring places closer to home.
But snowboarding and skateboarding will always be part of it.
They’re activities I’ve enjoyed since childhood, and they’ve become even more meaningful now that I get to share them with my kids.
I love our bigger vacations. Traveling to places like Japan and Europe has given us some incredible family memories.
But we don’t have to travel halfway around the world to make those kinds of memories.
Sometimes all it takes is loading up the truck and heading into the mountains for a day.
And sometimes those smaller trips end up being just as memorable as the big ones.
Hopefully, We’ll Still Be Snowboarding Together Years From Now
I have no idea whether my kids will still be interested in snowboarding when they’re adults.
I hope they will.
But I also know that interests change, people get busy, and life has a way of taking everyone in different directions.
What I do know is that I’m glad we’ve been able to share these experiences while they’re growing up.
We’ve spent time snowboarding at Lee Canyon, traveled to Brian Head, and visited Woodward Park City.
And hopefully, we’ve got plenty more trips ahead of us.
I’d love for snowboarding to be something we continue doing together long after the kids have grown up and started their own lives.
Maybe someday we’ll still be planning winter trips, meeting up somewhere in the mountains, and spending a few days riding together.
Maybe we’ll finally make that snowboarding trip to Japan.
Or maybe they’ll be dragging me around the mountain when I’m 65, wondering why I can’t keep up anymore.
Either way, that sounds pretty good to me.
It’s funny to think that something I started doing on those old plastic Black Snow boards, riding down a pile of dirt behind my grandparents’ house, has become one of my favorite family activities more than three decades later.
Back then, I just wanted to ride.
Now, I get to ride with my kids.
And as much as I loved snowboarding when I was younger, I think sharing it with them has made it even better.