The sNOwBoundaries Evolution
sNOwboundaries.com was born February 5, 2010. I created the site while attending Champlain College. In one of my marketing classes I was required to develop my personal brand. Initially, sNOwBoundaries was geared towards women and the purpose was to encourage them to “step out of the expectation box and do something that is challenging, rewarding, different & fun”. At that time I felt like I was on to something with sNOwBoundaries, but I wasn’t quite sure exactly WHAT.
The sNOwBoundaries project came to me one morning after I dropped my son off at school (he missed the bus). I remember wishing I could just head to the mountain to shred for awhile and decompress. I wanted to feel sorry for myself because it had been a heck of a morning, but it was shortly after many towns were devastated by Hurricane Irene. I realized that I was at very fortunate that my home was in tact and (because I’m obsessed with the mountain) that I still had my equipment. Remembering that a friend of mine had asked me if I had any snowboarding gear I could spare for her neighbors son whose gear was destroyed in the floods; I started feel incredibly guilty. On my way to work that morning The sNOwBoundaries Project was born. The sNOwBoundaries Project is committed to acquiring gear/equipment to give to people that had theirs destroyed in the Hurricane Irene floods. The goal is to help Vermonters get back to doing what Vermonters do best, enjoy the snow!
The sNOwBoundaries Foundation was developed parallel to the The sNOwBoundaries Project. As I was thinking about how I wanted to help families impacted by the floods, I realized that they aren’t the only people that need help getting to the mountain. In fact, as a single mother of 3 kidos I know how challenging it can be to take the initial leap. That is when I decided to establish The sNOwBoundaries Foundation, a nonprofit committed to encouraging families to be active in the winter by providing them with the resources needed to ski or snowboard. I am REALLY excited about the foundation and I’m currently interviewing potential board members along with anyone else that has expertise in the field of nonprofits. Someday, I hope every snow loving community in the country will have access to The sNOwBoundaries Foundation. For now, we’ll try it out on Vermont and see how it goes.
The sNOwBoundaries Foundation: Eliminating boundaries and spreading winter love.
I plan to keep the sNOwBoundaries blog up and running. I will continue to post about The sNOwBoundaries Foundation and The sNOwBoundaries Project’s progress, I will also post about my adventures on and off the mountain.
Thank you for visiting sNOwBoundaries! Get ready ~ Winter is coming! K.
RIP Steve Jobs 1955-2011
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
Thank you Steve Jobs for encouraging myself and others to “think different”.
The sNOwBoundaries Project: UPDATE
The project goal: to collect donations of ski/ride equipment and winter gear for Vermonters that had theirs destroyed in the Irene Floods. Please read previous post for more information.
Thank you to everyone who has offered to help with this project! I am starting to gather donation commitments and I could not have done it without your help! Some of the things donated so far are goggles, snowboard boots, snowboards and jackets!
I want to send a special thanks to a few key supporters of this project:
Smugglers Notch, VT: This is the resort that I learned to snowboard at and it’s where I fell in love with the mountain lifestyle. While I love many of the Vermont mountain resorts for different reasons, Smugglers Notch definitely holds a special place in my heart. Smuggs has suggested that they may be able to obtain donations from their employees – Just another reason why Smugglers Notch rocks!
David Z: I connected with David when I first started sNOwBoundaries almost 2 years ago and he’s helped me build my network in the snowboarding community. His blog Agnarchy Snowboarding is informative, amusing and courtesy of two guys from Michigan who “just want to shred gnar and have fun”! David has offered to make a donation to The sNOwBoundaries Foundation. (more information about that below)
Jillian Bejtlich: I just connected with Jillian through The sNOwBoundaries project and I am grateful that I did. Jillian will be visiting 54 ski areas in New England during her upcoming seven week vacation! Seven weeks of vacation? Yeah, totally unfair but it’s great for Jullian and I’m excited to follow her blog Tenders & Trails to hear about her adventures! I highly recommend following Jillian if you’re a Mountain Resort in New England because she will be visiting your resort and she will be blogging about it! I am excited to be partnering with Jillian on The sNOwBoundaries Project. She will be letting people know about it through her blog and collecting donations in her New Hampshire community.
Steven Weiss & Gina Begin: 11,000 miles, 19 states, 2 provinces, 36 North American climbing areas: Does this sound like The Most Epic Trip?! Well, that’s exactly what it is. Steve and Gina are the amazing travelers who have committed to this adventure known as The Most Epic Trip. During their travels they have stayed connected with fellow adventure seeking friends through twitter, facebook, and their blog. I am thrilled that they have shown their support and love for the mountain lifestyle by reaching out and offering to donate a snowboard to The sNOwBoundaries Project!
How will I distribute the equipment/gear?
I have a list of the communities that were impacted by the floods. I plan to market the donation events through Facebook, twitter, and by emailing flyers to schools in the communities for students to take homes and/or to post at the school. If you have other ideas on how to market the event email me and let me know your thoughts.
What if there is equipment left over?
Currently, I am in the process of establishing The sNOwBoundaries Foundation. The foundation is a nonprofit organization that will encourage families to be active in the wintertime by providing them with the resources needed to ski and snowboard. I will make every effort to distribute donations to people that were impacted by Irene. If the season passes and there is gear left, it will become property of The sNOwBoundaries foundation. The foundation will have a continued commitment to helping people impacted by Irene obtain gear/equipment. Also, at your request and if demographically possible, I can return donations not distributed at the end of the season.
I would love to partner with resorts, companies and other mountain enthusiast on gathering donations.
PLEASE email me if you have gear/equipment that you want to donate: snowboundaries@gmail.com Thank you!!
The sNOwBoundaries Project ~ Hurricane Irene donations.
“It’s been really inspiring to work on the sNOwBoundaries project over the past few weeks! So many people have offered to help with the project; I have to admit I am still in awe every time someone asks “how can I help?”“
The project goal: to collect donations of ski/ride equipment and winter gear for Vermonters that had theirs destroyed in the Irene Floods.
Right now I am in need of donation commitments; if you are able to make a donation please send an email to snowboundaries@gmail.com and let me know what you are willing to donate. I need to ensure that I can gather up enough items to make it worth creating at least one event to distribute donations to families in need.
What to donate? Skis, snowboards, boots, jackets, snow pants, helmets, goggles, gloves, hats.
I am requesting donations of quality ski and snowboard equipment/gear. This is a “gift” to those in need and I want to offer them quality items. For example, if a snowboard is a few of years old and in need of a wax bath that would be considered quality. If equipment is 10 years old and has spent more time with spiders then it has on the slopes it probably wouldn’t be considered appropriate for this. I don’t want to sound ungrateful of the fact that people are willing to donate their stuff, but I think you might know where I’m going with this explanation. 
Definitely email me if you have questions or concerns.
How will this help? Let’s help Vermonters get back to living the Vermont lifestyle we all love!
I respect the fact that this is a very traumatic and stressful time for many families. The first priority for these families is rebuilding the foundation of their lives. This requires money. If you want to make a monetary donation I encourage you to visit the State of Vermont’s website which can provide you with guidance on the process.
The sNOwBoundaries project is ANOTHER way to give. Maybe you can’t make a monetary donation and/or are unable to volunteer time towards the recovery efforts but want to do something to help. If you have a jacket that doesn’t fit anymore, or are upgrading your equipment, or have an extra item that you are willing to spare then this is your opportunity to help.
I came up with this idea when a friend of mine asked me if I had any extra snowboard equipment. She was looking for the equipment because her friend’s son had his snowboard destroyed in the flood. It made me realize the last thing families were going to consider replacing was their recreation equipment. As a snowboarding addict this really hit home for me. The sNOwBoundaries project is to help families get back to living the lifestyle they were living and loving before Irene’s devastation.
What’s to expect? Lots of smiles.
If you send me an email making a donation commitment I will respond to it and confirm that I received your message. Once I have enough donation commitments I will then schedule events in areas that were impacted by floods in order to reach the people in need. I am hoping to partner with Ski Resorts or schools located in those areas for the donation pick up events. Once the events are scheduled I will send out an email to everyone in order to coordinate the drop off (or pick up) plan.
It’s important for you to know that I won’t be confirming that everyone who receives a donated item was a skier or snowboarder prior to the flood; however, I am coordinating a way to confirm that they were impacted by the floods. The families are going through a difficult time; if this project opens the door for them to try a new recreation then I feel like something good came out of it.
Not carved in stone. “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Helen Keller
If you’re reading this – thank you. I appreciate your time and interest in learning about the sNOwBoundaries project. This is not a perfected plan it is a work in progress. If you have any questions, suggestions, advice or partnering opportunities please do not hesitate to send me an email: snowboundaries@gmail.com.
Thank you for your support! K.
The sNOwBoundaries Project.
As many of you know, Hurricane Irene plowed through Vermont causing small towns across the state to experience some of the most destructive flooding the state has ever seen. Our small state has been quite resilient despite the devastation many families are facing and communities have come together to begin the recovery process. The families are in need of everything from furniture, food, dishes, towels, clothes and the list goes on and on. One thing that I didn’t think of was the recreational equipment that was lost in the flooding.
Recently, a friend of mine asked me if I had any extra snowboarding equipment that her friends child could use. Apparently his snowboard, bindings and boots were destroyed with everything else in the basement of their home.
The question inspired me to start to organize a donation event where people can donate their “gently used” ski and snowboard equipment to the families that lost their equipment in the flooding. I know it’s not the #1 thing that the families impacted by the flood need, but I’ve already talked to several people who have equipment they don’t use and would be more than happy to donate it. It’s just another way to help.
Working on this event has encouraged me to begin the process of establishing The sNOwBoundaries Foundation. It’s something that I’ve been wanting to do for a couple of years now and I finally have the time to commit to it. The sNOwBoundaries Foundation is committed to helping families be active during the winter by providing financially challenged families with the equipment and resources necessary to enjoy skiing and snowboarding.
The process of establishing the foundation is tedious and time-consuming to say the least but the reward of bringing families together, promoting a healthy lifestyle and building individual confidence will make it all worth it.
“The sNOwBoundaries Project” is the process of establishing The sNOwBoundaries Foundation. That’s where I need your help. I’ve created a short survey to determine how big the need is for the foundation. If you support the idea please complete this quick 6 question survey. Also, please share it with your friends via Facebook, twitter or email.
Thank you!! K.
Your Song.
Warning: This is not about snowboarding.
This site is ALSO about inspiration and that is what this post is about:
We are born into a world that is not ours and our first big task is learning how to walk on our own two feet. Once we master the art of walking our journey begins by testing boundaries, finding comfort, and creating expectations. Often times our world is molded by others. In our existence we reach many crossroads where we have the opportunity to lead, or be led. There is no right or wrong direction; after all it is always our choice. Many times we follow; there is comfort in following, there is security in following, and there is learning in following. Certain factors impact what direction we choose. These factors are the sounds of life; the music which consist of chaos, laughter, fighting, glory, setbacks, opinions, expressions, insecurity and many many other influences we experience throughout our life. What does your internal iPod sound like?
I recently found myself standing at my crossroads and for the first time I looked around and there was no one to follow. I didn’t just randomly find myself standing there alone; I was alone because I wanted to be. It was a victorious moment for me. In life I have always been the follower. Trying to impress a boy, a friend, a boss, my mom, teachers, and the list goes on and on. Over the past couple of years I started to separate myself from everyone. I wanted to learn about me. I needed to learn to love, trust, and respect myself. I didn’t separate from people socially, but I learned to stop compromising my opinions and feelings. I did it with respect, tact, and certainty. This created a confidence within me that I didn’t know existed. It was empowering.
When I realized I reached my crossroads alone I expected to hear angels singing! I thought it was going to feel heavenly and amazing, but it didn’t. It felt uncomfortably quiet. So, I took a moment to try to understand what the silence meant; it didn’t take long for me to get it. The sounds in my life, the music I followed – was not mine. It was everybody else’s. It was time for me to make my own music… and at that moment it started. My song; it was slow and soft and it gently started to move through my soul uplifting my spirits and straightening my stance. You want to talk about an incredible feeling. Tears of joy, uncertainty, and confidence filled my eyes and I began to take my first steps.
When you hear it; you may want to share your song with others, and you may need to avoid some people. When it’s time you pick your playlist based on who you are, not who you’ve been told to be. Take your time, find yourself and you will find your song.
Be the exception, K.
Going to the Boston Ski/Snowboard Show?
I will be there on Thursday with the Ski Vermont crew! Come visit us!
Tips for saving money before hitting the slopes.
Are you thinking about hitting the mountain this year but wondering how you’re going to afford it? Are you thinking maybe someday you will, but not this year? Are you definitely planning on spending lots of time at the slopes and would love to save some cash if possible? Whatever you’re thinking; sNOwBoundaries wants to help you make amazing affordable days at the mountain a reality for you and your family.
Get There:
First, there are deals everywhere. I suggest you pick out three mountains that are close to you and then look for the best deal on a season pass. Passes are a must if you think you will be spending a lot of time at the mountain. You can also look into programs offered through your states ski/snowboard associations. For example, in Vermont we offer the 5th grade passport program. 5th graders ski/ride for free at many of the resorts in Vermont. This is a national program and while the guidelines are different depending on your state, if you have a grade school child you should definitely look into it. You do not have to be a resident to take advantage of the Vermont program. Are you thinking about traveling to Vermont for a mountain get away? You’re 5th grader can ski/ride for free! Another way to save money is to take advantage of your friends ~ they want you to! Do you have friends that buy passes? Chances are they have discounted tickets to the mountain they bought their pass to. I have a ton of ½ off passes to the mountain that I bought my pass to, and I want my friends to use them so they can have a blast at the mountain too!
Equipment:
Lease, Lease, Lease. Many shops offer leasing programs for adults and children. You have the option to buy your equipment at the end of the season if you want to. If you have children there is a good chance none of their equipment this year will fit them next year. Lease their equipment for a reasonable price (typically $100 for the season), and then return it when the season ends!! This season I leased my kids equipment from No School Snowboard shop in Jeffersonville, VT & The Alpine Shop in Burlington, VT. I recommend both of these shops if your in the area. You can also visit ski/ride swaps to purchase used equipment. I have not done this, but I have friends who have and they have been very happy with the equipment they’ve obtained at the swaps. It’s important to make sure equipment you purchase at these events is tuned up, because that will make your mountain experience much more enjoyable. You can get your equipment tuned up at any ski/ride shop.
Priceless:
The mountain experience offers you and your family a great time that builds confidence, promotes exercise & guarantees smiles. The mountain experience has been priceless for my family. My kids love the challenge, thrill, social aspects and the quality time we get to spend together as a family.
This is the year…make it happen!
Planning a vacation? Check out USA ski holidays and book a trip to enjoy winter’s playground this season!
Be the exception, K.
50 more days…
Today’s magic number is 50. WHY? Because there are 50 more days until the mountains of Vermont crank up their chairlifts and welcome anxious riders and skiers to their bliss! On November 26, the day after Thanksgiving Vermonters will flock to the mountains to devour the few trails that possess snow! If we’re lucky an early winter storm will venture through the state, but if not the manmade snow will do!
Is it hard to understand my excitement? Think of it this way. I love snowboarding like a 13 year old loves their cell phone…like a girl loves girl’s night out… like a guy loves beer! It’s been 173 days (but who’s counting) since I’ve had some quality time on my snowboard….could you image going 173 days without your cell phone, your girls, or a beer!?
There are a few things this time of year that make the count down a little less painful. With only 50 days left its time to buckle down and start prepping for the season. Preparing for the season includes ordering a season’s pass, leasing my kid’s equipments, buying new ski / snowboarding gear, and tuning up my boards. It’s also time to hunt for the best’s deals around. I happen to be partial to new gear, so if I find something that is definitely worth its weight and gold or something that’s a steal I will let you know!
As I anxiouslywait to play at the mountain the ski / snowboarding movie makers helps take the edge off with epic movie premiers! Make sure you check out TGR’s Light the Wick and Deeper, Absinthe’s Nowhere, and Standard Film’s The Storming to name a few! I’ll be going to a “Light the Wick” premier this weekend so I’ll be sure to give you a full review!
And finally, the best thing about the 50 day countdown is …. I’m back! I’m re-evaluating the sNOwboundaries site and will be making some subtle changes, but for now I will once again start to blog about the things I love: my kids, my life, and snowboarding!
Be the exception, K.
Vermont Wildlife
A friend of mine was kind enough to share with me some pictures of Vermont’s wildlife he took in his backyard this summer. I normally wouldn’t be thrilled about sharing pictures of nature without snow, but these are definitely worth it! ENJOY!
