Snowboarding: Skiing and Bright Red Mohawk

Snowboarding is a sport that is geared towards youth. When it was just beginning snowboarding was sort of an outcast activity on most mountains, now it's become more mainstream. In fact it's so popular now that it's become an Olympic sport and mountains now cater towards snowboards. With this increase in popularity some of the traditional skiers are switching to snowboarding, which seems to be upsetting some of the younger snow boarders. The younger snowboarders don't like the fact that they are sharing the mountain with their parents and in some cases their grandparents. To youth snowboarding is a way to be different from the norm. This is sort of like the youngsters with nose piercings and spiked hair; a way to get noticed when they walk down the street. Now each time they strap on their boards they see a ‘geezer' next to them doing the same; what if the old person next to them also had a bright red mohawk and a metal dog bone sticking through their nose, it would be like the end of the world. The ‘geezers' like snowboarding as an alternative to skiing for several reasons. They say it's easier on the joints, which I think would be really important to a 60 year old on the mountain. Most of them are there for the recreational value of it not for a workout or to be sore for the next week. Also they like it for the exact reason that youngsters do, it makes them feel young. They want to feel hip and cool just like the new generations. This reminds me of the movie American Beauty where the middle-aged man starts lifting weights, buys a hopped up Camaro, and smokes pot. It must feel good to act young when you know your growing older. My dad also is a good example, since my brother and I have started to do things on our own it seems he's trying harder to ‘hang' with us. He bought a street bike, wears designer jeans, and jokes around with us a lot more than he used to. I kind of like it personally, it makes him easier to be with than when he's trying