We all want to give the perfect gift, but that can be pretty tricky.
Some folks are naturally talented at gift giving. I am certainly not one of those people. Finding the right combination of everything my gift receivers want feels impossible, not to mention finding something they’ll actually use. A great gift is two-fold: something gets you out doing something you love, but also provides loads of good times and memories.
For me, that was my first pair of skis when I was in college. My dad and I pieced together a truly horrid setup for my skiing at the time, but the specific skis didn’t matter that much. I finally had a chance to have my very own gear to ski around with my friends on. Having the chance to go skiing with my crew was more important than what exactly the gear was.
The holidays aren’t so much about giving the best gift ever, but about spending good, old fashioned, quality time together. If you ask us, there’s no better way to spend time with your best buds and family than a few minutes on a lift and chasing each other down ski runs.
To prepare for the holiday season, we asked a few members of the Pow7 Team to think back their first pair of skis and all the adventures that pair of sticks took them on.
Sam W
“Let’s see—they were Roxy girl’s park skis, 149cm, I bought them for ~$100 at a Play It Again sports that my boyfriend at the time worked at. They were black and pink and had hearts, and I was very, very stoked, because I thought I was going to become a very cool East Coast park kid sliding rails and impressing the boys.”
Stuart
“My very first pair of skis came from my parents, as hand-me-downs from my sister. On day one or two of riding them, charging down the hill at White Pass in Washington, I fell over and snapped the tip of the ski. My parents realized pretty quickly that little Stu needed his own pair instead.”
Tianna
“I bought my first pair of skis just last year, but I do remember the first time I went skiing. It was a school field trip in fifth grade back in Wisconsin. I just remember being totally terrified. I think my mom could sense my fear, so she offered to chaperone the trip. Since I was so scared, I hung on to my mom’s arm for dear life, pizza-ing down the bunny hill.”
Mikey
“My mom bought my first pair for me at Copper Mountain for a killer deal. It was an old pair of ladies Rossignol Scratches. That didn’t matter though. They were twin tips, and I was SO stoked.”
Chris C
“I can’t remember my first pair, but definitely the first pair I was truly excited about. In 1984, Bill Johnson snuck up as a dark horse in the Sarajevo Winter Olympics and became the first American to win the Olympic gold medal in downhill. Bill raced for Atomic, and everyone wanted that setup. I didn’t race downhill, but my parents got me an Atomic slalom kit, and I was totally jazzed.”
Morgan
“My first snowboard was a graduation gift from my parents. It was a Burton Deja Vu board and I was super pumped. I called my boyfriend at the time and asked them to come over as soon as it arrived to help me put the bindings on, ’cause I had no idea how to do it.”
Mike H
“I got my first pair a little later in life. They were some Armada AR6 skis. My brother helped me find them on New Schoolers from this guy, and it all worked out. I still have them, they’re just sitting in my garage in case I ever want to get into the park again (not that I ever want to get in the park again).”
Nothing screams a great gift like some custom Powder7 artwork. Check out our different prints here, and our new Icelantic and Armada custom skis.
