During the winter, the Franklin High School Ski and Board club organized weekly trips to Wachusett Mountain. The group of students I snowboarded with was fluid, but most often contained 6-10 students of my age and one student a year younger than us. Coming from a school that separated most students based on academic ability, the club members did not frequently interact with one another in classes. The barriers from school that divided people by gender and by grade froze and shattered in the snow.
Within the group, the skiers invariably outnumbered the snowboarders. As I careened down the mountain trying to outperform the skiers, they were trying just as hard to outperform the snowboarders. Despite the seemingly inherent divide between these two groups, I always felt like a part of the greater community because of our shared values. We all appreciated the rush of the wintry air as we slid downhill at tremendous speeds, and every one of us saw this as a wonderful way to get out of town in the middle of the week. Most importantly, we all pushed each other out of our comfort zones and communally became better riders than we could have individually.
This community is so appealing to me because of its universality. Despite different techniques and equipment, people across the world have found enjoyable ways to get from the top of a snowy mountain to the bottom. The part of the experience that I enjoyed the most was the first daily chairlift ride up to the peak, where everyone’s anticipation built with every second, all hoping for a wonderful day as they let the stresses of school disappear beneath the clouds.