On the mountains, skiing and snowboarding has helped shape many personalities. My family is built of skiers who would ski any time they were presented with the chance. Although when my parents were young, they couldn't afford all of the good skiing accessories, they would make sure they would have as much fun as possible. As their son, they wanted me to experience what they came to love. Although I don't get to go skiing very often, I always cherish the memories my brother and I make. These days you never know who you might run into, but from all of my experiences on the slopes, I will be presenting in this paper my favorite type of skiers’/snowboarders’ personalities. From park rats to beginners, I have met them all, but I have managed to make a list of my favorite personalities in this essay.

While skiing, my favorite type of person is the Park Rat. Although some people might think they are annoying, that is just a stereotype. I find the Park Rats to be some of the nicest people found on the slopes. Some people might think what they do is pretty boring, but what I see is a person who is passionate about learning and improving his/her skill sets. Another big reason I like Park Rats is that I love going into the park and going on the big jumps and trying some new tricks. To me, it’s thrilling to be in the air and to try and do some cool tricks. In addition to the thrill, I find this community of people to be very supportive. 

For example, once in Park City (Utah), a friend and I were in line to hit a big jump, but we were nervous to try out a new trick. Then we ran into a young man who had previously done this trick, and we asked him for tips. Not only did he give us great tips, he went on the side of the ramp and helped us direct ourselves correctly for the trick. Unfortunately we both messed it up on the first try, but the man went out of his way to follow us and help us succeed the very next attempt. What the man did was not asked for, but was actually voluntarily done. It felt really good to have  met somebody who was willing to help us. Hopefully I can carry on this cycle of helping other people who might need some help.

Next on the list would be the infamous Jokester. The Jokester is a person who puts having a good time in front of both challenge and precision, even if it means doing easy runs that have little jumps on them. The most significant thing they do is the cheeky snow spray; this is when you build up speed and wait for the last second to stop, but while stopping, you send all the snow on the person next to you. These skilled skiers always seek the fun challenges such as going through the forest, and wouldn't mind going slow for a friend who is not as skilled as he might be. One of their best personality features would be their humbleness; they never make less skilled skiers feel inferior.

The next person I would add to my list of fun people to be with is the Map Memorizer. This person likes to switch up the terrain and find some new runs. A reason I like this person so much is that I like finding new runs to do, and also to explore. The Map Memorizers are perfect for warming up, they know where there would be a simple run that is adjacent to a harder/more fun place. Other than the runs, this person is also very useful for breaks; for example they would know where to go if you needed to use the bathroom, as well as where to find the best food. 

Near the end of my list is a person I hate, instead of a person I like. This person is a reckless skier. This person is the type that is not very good at controlling where they are going, and instead of turning a few times they decide to straight line all the way down the mountain. Due to their lack of control they regularly cut people off which is dangerous and frustrating. They are also the type to skip the line for the lift and go as soon as possible up the mountain.

Luckly, this past President's Day weekend I was able to go out to Aspen, Colorado with one of my good friends who has a house out there. While in Aspen, we spent a good time skiing. Through this skiing experience I had great little encounters with different types of people. My favorite had to be when I ran into a ski lift operator manager. He explained to us the different things he has to deal with as his job, which we had found very interesting. For example, there is this long catwalk next to one of the big restaurants, but he showed us a mini house that was abandoned in the words. We skied to the hut and took a look in; there was some pretty cool old snow gear. He also showed us some cool spots on the mountain. One great thing about Colorado skiing is that they always have great snow there and lots of powder. This makes the skiing more enjoyable, more fun, and safer. This enabled me to try harder runs with less risk since falling down was as if you were falling on a pillow. Since we had to do school from home for two skiing days, the only time we were able to go was in the morning. This trip taught me that morning skiing is very rewarding. Although you have to wake up earlier and are more tired, the positives outweigh the negatives. Skiing in the morning makes sure that you ski in fresh snow. There are also less people on the slopes in the morning, and when you're done, you have the rest of the day to look forward to.

At the end of the day, skiing and snowboarding are always fun, but it's always nice to have certain personalities there with you. From the “Park Rat” to the Jokester, these people can really make your experience more fun and more interesting. These people always take you by surprise and make your day. This is where you create fun memories that you would tell all of your friends just to have a laugh. From all of my years skiing I think it's safe to say that the community is full of great people who support each other.