snowboarding in madarao... day 2 : January 12 2025

this two day trip to the madarao mountain resort proved to be very exciting and fun. exciting and fun is such a shallow to describe the trip, i think. for one, this is my first of several snowboarding trips scheduled for this winter season. this trip will set the pace for the rest of the season. aside from the usual slight bruises, i guess no one was badly hurt and that is a good sign.

^{this picture above will be my entry to Hive account@bucipuci 's #aroundtheworld challenge.}

now allow me to go into details for the rest of the post. this is our first time in madarao and i really think that this resort had good points for snowboard learners like me. the resort offers snowboard lessons, and i could really see students both young and old taking them. so for those who have not tried riding on a board, that is already a bonus.

the area also somehow forces all goers to ride on a board or on a ski. when you reach the resort's "reception" area, you will be faced with a downhill slope right away and this forces people to slide downhill at least once. 4 paths right at the entrance, the longest of the 4 is the beginner course. beginners will take that path for sure and will have ample length to slide before reaching the bottom. and this initial downhill ride will give them their very first experience.

^{me and my new found love for a glare free snowboarding experience c/o this goggle rental.}

on my very first few snowboard experiences, the resorts will usually have a wide area right off the bat, and beginners will slide down those area of 10 meters or so, remove all gears and walk right back at the starting point. doing it this way is very tiring. might as well ride on a long path; you may fall a couple of times but you just continue riding down the slope instead of exerting useless effort of climbing back up. i certainly learned it the hard way.

^{the very first lift up the mountains}

lift experience in this mountain is still like the other resorts, scary. i fear heights and lift rides are quite tall for my comfort. my fingertips also easily get cold, so this time i had 2 gloves on each hand: an inner and an outer gloves. this proved to be useful for my cold prone hands.

the view up the mountains is just spectacular. how many days of snowfall must have took it to completely cover the grounds with so much whiteness. and i think it must be at least a meter deep of snow.

^{the first picture with the board is my entry to #pobphotocontest with "cold" as theme for the week. check it out!}

i totally forgot to take more pictures. normally, i get the initial jitters of relearning how to ride after the lift ride. but thanks to this unusual setup of having a downhill path first, that served as a great warm up. my body still knows how to ride the board, may not be the best but good enough. i can still do the "s" turns! it is a basic technique but this total newbie took years before even trying to do it. for snowboarding trips, i think it is best to have at least 2 people in the group who at least knows how to ride, that was what i lacked in the early years.

we tried several paths or courses on this mountain, we even tried the low level intermediate courses. those were a bit steeper but still manageable. we reached this area (see above pic) with a very deep drop. i couldn't dare go down though, my legs could never manage it. so here i am with photo for keeps instead.

now here was an unfortunate scene, at one point one of my board binder won't lock. the binder is that part attached to the board which locks your boots in place. incidentally, Hive account@appleeatingapple also had the same problem on her board. without the locks, how are we supposed to get down this mountain. and it was near closing time, no one was around this part of the mountain. fortunately there was a medic who came checking for any stranded people on the slopes, we asked for his help. luckily the binders locked after more than enough tries. if it were me alone, i'm sure i would have panicked.

alt

here are more shots of the mountain slopes. this part was quite narrow. i hated areas like this where beyond this flat surface lies the cliff. a little mishap would be disastrous.

here is another shot of a different lift area, this time in black and white. and about lifts, getting off one is a skill haven't mastered yet. i can manage to not fall down but i was there only sliding at a short distance and brake. more to learn i suppose.

and here is me trying to act like a pro. just don't get fooled, i had buttocks pads and knee pads under those clothes. and that is really not the proper way to hold a board.

kidding aside, the two day trip ended in a success. Hive account@appleeatingapple learned the "s" turns, and this is just her 2nd snowboard trip. such an achievement! and Hive account@ohlnwwlknat braved that one cliff area i couldn't dare to go down. such a memorable trip! as for me, still continuously learning the hobby. this mountain adds up to the list of mountain resorts i have been to and snowboarded. madarao conquered!