I’m a sixteen year old who’s been snowboarding for three years. I live in the small town of Manitoba, Canada. On New Year’s Eve my buddy and I were snowboarding at our local pipe, Assessippi. We were boarding for six hours when I decided to call it quits after one last run. I went up to hit a jump hoping to pull a stalefish. but caught an edge and went sailing into the air. I came down on an ice block and felt a sharp pain in my left arm.

Ski patrol took me down the mountain, and I went to the doctor. It turns out I snapped my humerus bone and damaged some nerves. The doctor said if I didn’t have surgery I’d lose all use and feeling in my right arm. I had surgery, and now I have a seven and a half-inch scar in my left arm, with a plate and five screws. I was out for eleven weeks and basically lost a whole season of boarding. I’m back this year and riding better than before. Hurting yourself sucks, but I didn’t lose faith, and I read your magazine every month to make sure I didn’t miss out on any sweet snowboard action. Thanks for having such a stellar magazine devoted to all of us!

Roblin, Manitoba, Canada

P.S. Peter Line and Jeremy Jones are amazing!

Chad, rookie maneuver. If one of my boys called last run, I’d be out, period. I’d unstrap and walk down the stupid hill if it came to that. Last run’s a death sentence, Chad. You broke the cardinal rule: never call last run. On the upside, chicks dig scars–they’re cool, and you’re all tough-looking now. Think of the mileage you can milk out of your "war story." Always wear short sleeves, and collect the ladies’ digits.–Cody.

"Chant Down the Mountain" by Michael T. Finnestead

From the summit I plummet, no way to be higher,

Gliding, sliding, setting my line afire.

My red’s a rushing, my edge’s cutting a silver white dusty dance,

And not a sliver of this I’d leave to chance.

For my center knows just how to tweak it,

For the temple shows gravity’s a secret.

Tying the weave of the fall and the fly,

Riding the wave of the snow and the sky.

With my feet bound to board,

My will’s released to roam the world.

Like an Arctic dragonfly in dream,

Like a shadow silhouetting a winter’s sunbeam.

Et cetera.

Family

I have been snowboarding for about three years. It was introduced to me by a friend. My dad has never really been a super happy person; it seems as if he always gets the short end of the stick. Why? I don’t know. Until this fall he has never had a really close person to him except for me. Then it happened: He met a young, beautiful girl. She has made him more happy than anyone I have ever seen, which is great. That’s only half the story, though.

Early this winter his wonderful new girlfriend asked him if he’d like to try snowboarding, and he agreed. From what I hear, he bit it time after time. When he got home from the slopes, he called me and told me what he had done. I laughed. I shouldn’t have–now he’s as good a freerider as me. Now my dad and I are very close and we enjoy snowboarding together. I would just like to thank the sport of snowboarding and especially Tanya.