A wise person once told me to pursue your hobbies in your spare time to balance your work life. The young professional that I was at the time thought “when would I even find the time to pursue a hobby?” Well almost a decade later, his words have remained with me and they are becoming more true the more I think about it.

At the time I was living and working in Whistler, BC. I was a hop, skip and a jump from the base of the mountain gondolas. Even though a good year on the mountain was 70 days, each of those 70 days cleared my head, no matter what was troubling me at the time. Snowboarding was my hobby and I dearly miss it living in the busy flat city of Toronto.

There is no thing that I have done that provides a deep sense of concentration from the conscious to the subconscious levels. The only thing that can be on your mind is the next turn you will make, or the obstacle coming up that you need to avoid. It’s a symbiotic relationship with nature.

Now there are two types of snowboarders in my mind, park rats and powder junkies. Although there was a time where I would have wanted to associate myself as being a park rat, I see less benefit now in throwing myself of a 50 foot kicker spinning like a ballerina looking for the tutu that fell off. No, I much prefer seeking a line in an untouched place on a mountain (preferably a bowl) and carving deep lines into a place no one has touched, or has overlooked. The closest feeling to surfing on snow that you can ever have.

Snowboarding on powder is a workout. It requires an intense amount of endurance and patience to find the perfect spot to drop in. Yes it often requires a hike to find that spot you are looking for, but the hike is often rewarded with a line of perfection.

With a combination of risk versus reward, this hobby was very beneficial to me at the time. It provided me with a social circle and truly gave me balance in my personal time. One day I will be back to my happy place in Whistler. Until that day, my board will be waiting, waxed and ready for the call.