Being part of a close-knit crew, the anticipation and excitement of hitting a new feature or learning a new trick, a sense of accomplishment and the adrenaline: these are the things Jenna Anderson loves about hitting the terrain park.
The 23-year-old has been riding park for several years now, but admits it’s still a male-dominated environment.
Anderson has spent several seasons in New Zealand, where she saw “lots of girls riding and supporting each other.”
“There was a great camaraderie between the girls, bringing each other up and giving tips. It doesn’t seem to happen at a lot of other resorts.”
Anderson said she’d love to have more female riders to spend time in the terrain park with: “Most people, especially the girls, would be stoked to have more people to ride with.”
While she admits it can be intimidating — and painful — at first, she said most of her fellow riders were “super supportive.”
“People are more excited to see you trying and giving it a go than they are to see you falling over or looking like an idiot.
“If you don’t want to get hurt, maybe it’s not for you, but learning how to ride park is a really good way to spice up riding the mountain.
Taylor Cooper agrees. Cooper has been snowboarding for 11 years, and started riding park four years ago. “It’s really rewarding at the end of the day to be able to do something you couldn’t do at the start.”
Cooper said she felt many girls might feel intimidated by the sport, but encouraged them to give it a go.
“Girls shouldn’t limit themselves based on gender. We’re physically capable of doing anything the boys do in the park, and we should take advantage of that and express that.”
Annalise Kerr started snowboarding last season and has just started learning to ride park. Kerr said she felt there was “a bit of a movement” among female riders in Sun Peaks this season to learn.
“It really pushes me more and it helps my technique, and it’s really fun,” Kerr said.
Anderson said new riders shouldn’t be afraid to ask for advice from some of the more experienced riders in the park.
“It never hurts to ask. I don’t think anyone would ever turn you down. Or find an experienced friend and get them to take you into the park. And don’t be turned off by your first fall.”
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