In February, I reluctantly agreed to go on a snowboarding trip in the Poconos at Camelback Resort in Tannersville, Pa., for my cousin’s 31st birthday. While I appreciated the overall experience, especially after learning about a couple of Black women professional snowboarders, I hated it and will never do it again.
Snowboarding was not at all what I expected. I didn’t have the proper snowboard gear, which was my first mistake. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, and my expectation vs. my reality was skewed.
Source: Deniqua Campbell / Deniqua Campbell
I layered gray and black army fatigue thermals on top of leggings and put on thick boot socks and fur leather Uggs, none of which were appropriate snowboard gear. I later discovered that the resort offered a 30-minute class to teach novice snowboarders the basics.
No one took the class. Instead, before we headed to the resort, we looked up a few beginner snowboarding tutorials on YouTube that taught us nothing.
Shortly after arriving at the resort and getting fitted for boots and a snowboard, I headed for the beginner slope, aka the kiddie slope. I passed by adventurous children on skis and snowboards, attentive and cautious parents, and intermediate snowboarders and skiers before strapping my dominant foot into the snowboard.
Source: Deniqua Campbell / Deniqua Campbell
Slowly, I ascended the lift, watching fearless children fly down the slope with an uncanny yet admirable ease. I was nervous but excited as I pulled out my phone and began recording, letting my cousin and her friend who were in front of me know we were never doing this shit again. They agreed.
As I tried to get off the lift, I slid and fell into the rest of the group. And I was the very last one to strap my other foot in, ignoring my cousin and her friends trying to “encourage” me to hurry up so we could go down the slope together. I was stalling, but I eventually secured my left foot into the board and inched my way to where the slope began to descend. The quickness with which you start sliding down the hill and the speed you pick up are disconcerting.
What’s balance? Was it on the slopes with us?!
Remember the viral “Scarlet Takes A Tumble” video on YouTube? I tumbled down that damn slope like Scarlet. For every few feet I slid down the slope, I fell. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but damn, I thought I would have a little bit more finesse than I did. I made it—not even halfway—down the slope and gave up; I was over it. My ass was cold and wet, my hands were freezing, and I was sweating.
I unfastened the straps, freeing my feet and snowboard, and walked the rest of the way down to the bottom.
Source: Deniqua Campbell / Deniqua Campbell
Black people are often stereotyped as not liking the snow or the cold, let alone winter sports. I love the snow but- snowboarding- not so much. But what about the ones that do? Like Gabrielle Maiden, the first African American professional snowboarder, or Latrice Pringle, who became the first African American to compete in a Winter X Games Special Olympics Unified Snowboarding competition in January 2020.
You do not often see or know a person of color who’s into skiing or snowboarding. According to a report from the New York Times, the National Ski Areas Association reported that “87.5 percent of skiers during the 2020-21 season, the last one for which it has data, were white,” while “Black skiers made up 1.5 percent of the group.”
It’s the reason groups like the National Brotherhood of Skiers Inc., founded by Ben Finley and Art Clay, were created to champion Black skiers and snowboarders.
Find your people. They’re out there. Mine agreed we are not about this life, and that’s okay.
