Senior Louie Imbs got interested in snowboarding after watching the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. So he started snowboarding when he was only ten years and he even used to do competitions as a kid.  

With one lone ski resort in St. Louis, it’s no surprise that Imbs likes to travel out of state to ski.

“My favorite place to ride is Keystone in Colorado,” Imbs said. When choosing a place to ride, a common theme around snowboarders is going to Colorado, places such as Breckenridge, Aspen, and Vail are all among the most popular.

“I do take trips to Colorado,” Imbs said. “But usually I snowboard at Hidden Valley because other places for example in Colorado are way better than the ones here and there’s a lot more room to ride.” For convenience and budget reasons, riders around the are find themselves going to Hidden Valley which is located in Wildwood, Missouri. The difference is that the snow is not very powdery but it’s more on the icy side, which makes it more dangerous and easier for people to get hurt.

Since Imbs has snowboarded since he was little, he looks up to some famous snowboarders.

“My favorite snowboarder is Sage Kotsenburg,” Imbs said. Sage Kotsenburg is an Olympic gold medalist. He won the first ever men’s snowboard slopestyle at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Other famous snowboarders include Shaun White, Chole Kim, Redmond Gerard, just to name a few.

Snowboarding at the highest level, is all about the tricks and catching air, which comes with risks.

“My biggest fear is definitely getting paralyzed,” Imbs said. “My parents don’t mind that I snowboard though. They like that it’s my favorite thing to do.” Even professionals are at risk at getting hurt. Olympic medallist Mark McMorris suffered numerous injuries, including a broken jaw, ruptured spleen and a collapsed left lung in 2017. He recovered.

“I usually spend three to four months out of the year snowboarding,” Imbs said. “But it depends on the weather.” The season begins as early as October to as far May but for best for best conditions, its ideal to go through the winter. When fresh powder is falling, Imbs will likely be heading to Hidden Valley alone.

“I tend to snowboard by myself,” Imbs said. “But it’s fun when friends come. I just like to ride how I want and I like to just have fun with it.”