Rachel Thomas. 20, of Kendal, writes about her life as she studies for a year at university in Vancouver.

After a weekend away at the world famous ski resort Whistler Blackcomb I made a promise to myself that before the season was over I would master the art of making snowboarding look as effortless and as graceful as the people I admired zigzagging their way down those pristine white slopes.

Thankfully (for my bank balance at least!) I don’t need to head up to Whistler every time I want to practice. Minutes drive from Vancouver’s city centre there are three exceptional ski mountains and yesterday afternoon my friends and I headed up to try the first of these resorts, Mt. Seymour.

After a shaky start and a few minutes of sheer terror as I teetered on the edge of the beginners hill (it looked a lot steeper than it was!), I was off!

And I will never, ever look back. I can honestly say that snowboarding is one of the most enjoyable winter sports that I have ever tried.

For four hours I completely immersed myself in learning the techniques behind ‘heel side’, ‘toe side’ and ‘joining the J’s’.

My initial fear of being quite literally bound to my snowboard didn’t last long. I quickly discovered that you control speed and direction through your hips and your shoulders and although your legs do get a good work out most of your balance is controlled with your upper body.

My friends were amazing. Being true 21st century Canadians they had snowboarded for years and were whizzing down the black runs and tackling the biggest jumps without even a hint of fear.

They were very patient when teaching me and they didn’t even laugh (well not very much anyway) when I tumbled off the ski lift in the most undignified way possible. They even taught me how to use some snowboarding jargon such as ‘shredding’, ‘carving’ and ‘hitting the fresh powder’!

The views from the ski slopes were spectacular. It was a lovely clear afternoon and I could look out over the entire city down to the bay or gaze over the mountains stretching into the distance.

I am absolutely determined to go again. Besides, me and snowboarding are clearly meant to be. At the end of the afternoon my bindings were completely iced over and it took three of Mt. Seymour’s lovely staff to separate me and my snowboard! It was very embarrassing as I sat in the café pouring warm water over my boots to melt the ice!

The only part of this whole experience that I haven’t enjoyed was waking up this morning. Getting out of bed was agony – every single muscle in my body ached. I guess this will take some getting used to!

Thank you for reading. I will keep you informed on my improvement. Hopefully one day I will be a snowboarding pro!

* Visit the Mt. Seymour Resorts website for more details and photography - http://www.mountseymour.com/home

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