#everydaydecember
A few ski seasons back (2017-18) I decided to make the time to get on my snowboard once per day in the month of, you got it - December.
And so #everydaydecember was born.
2017 was tumultuous year to say the least. To add insult to injury, I was laid off that September. I was overdue in leaving Boulder, so didn’t plan to look for another job in my college town. The day after I lost my job, I found someone to take over my lease and moved out by the end of the week - into my parents house outside Denver and ready to go literally anywhere. I kicked my job search into high gear, spending hours on hours applying for jobs daily. After a week or so of this, I threw a 10 day solo road trip on the calendar just for the hell of it.
Denver, CO > Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta > Grand Canyon > Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend > Zion National Park > Bryce Canyon National Park > Arches National Park > Vail, CO > Breckenridge, CO
I landed an interview for a dream job at Breck and the interview lined up perfectly with the last day of my road trip. I met with a handful of wonderful humans I never expected to grow so close to and was confident, honest, and vulnerable in my day long interview process. I got a call with the job offer after the weekend.
I’m not even sure I can pinpoint the moment or reason I decided to go for #everydaydecember, but I’m sure it had to do with the fact that I was surrounded by incredible people and truly felt in my element in my career. I had no rhyme or reason for choosing December, other than it being my first full month in the county. A few seasons later, it feels like a great time of year to remind myself to take time to breathe, be outside, re-ground and do something for me.
What #everydaydecember is:
A goal to be on snow every day
Your time and your escape
What #everydaydecember isn’t:
What anyone else wants it to be
A competition
Especially in a community like Summit County, everyone has an opinion or judgement to place on your ski/snowboard habits. Many people told me if I was snowboarding for work, it didn’t count. If I took less than 4 runs, it didn’t count. If I didn’t hit a certain vert for the day, it didn’t count. If my EpicMix app didn’t show a scan because I was at another resort or hiked, it didn’t count. You get the picture. I would shrug and laugh, and in my head I was scoffing at the idea that anyone else’s opinion mattered.
This was my goal and I really didn’t (don’t) care about anyone’s unsolicited two cents - boi bye.
learnings and insights from my #everydaydecember adventures:
2017-18 season
This is my time to use how I please, alone or with friends (strangers often become new friends)
Being on the chairlift alone can evoke a meditative state or feeling
I pushed myself outside of my comfort zone more than ever just by virtue of getting out so frequently
I worked on improving my technical riding skills a lot, thus I fell a lot. No pain, no gain.
2018-19 season
If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. Same applies for riding, and anything in life. Everyone around you has something to teach you.
Even when my progress or successes paled in comparison to what my friends were working on, they still celebrated with me and cheered me on - especially when I ate shit in the park.
One of my best days of the season was when I ran out of my office at 3:30pm desperate to make a single lap and found myself cruising down Peak 8 in feet of powder as the snow continued to fall. YEAH - fresh tracks in feet of powder at 3:45pm.
I love snow. I hate being cold.
2019-20 season
This year I inspired a few friends and got them on board (pun intended).
I’ve had this blog “saved as draft” in various iterations since completing #everydaydecember season one in 2017. It was originally much shorter, I’m not sorry and thanks for making it to the end (almost). I hope you enjoy my snow selfies.
I finally published this because of my friends joining the endeavor. I want others to make #everydaydecember theirs too.
Stay tuned for more of this year’s thoughts at the end of the month.
See ya on the slopes,
AG
“Ski the turn you’re in. Regardless of how far or hard something is, you can only do the thing you’re doing at that moment. Doing those small things, like a single ski turn, over and over are what make up big things, whether it’s work or an adventure. You need to be mindful of where you are in the ever present moment. Secondly: You have to make the turn. You can’t be passive. If you sit back and let stuff happen to you, you end up getting bounced around, go off-course, and it can end badly. You need to be dynamic, take control, and commit over and over.”