Okay, okay, chill. My name is Zazi, and guess what? I just did a super cool AND super scary thing! I snowboarded in a real competition! The Laax Banked Slalom! In Switzerland! It’s only been a year since we moved from sunny Barcelona. Talk about a HUGE change! Just one more small fact to baffle your mind, I am Indonesian. Ha ha ha โฆ
So, here’s the deal. This Bali surf girl moved all the way from the beach to the mountains so I can be a freestyle snowboarder! Crazy, right? Barcelona was all sunshine and ice cream. Laax is all snow andโฆ well, more snow! My parents said the snow park here is the BEST. And it is! So many jumps and rails!
I’ve been training in the half pipe for the first season like crazy this whole year. Falling is my specialty. I think I’ve tasted more snow than hot chocolate. But the feeling of surfing the superpipe (yes it is the biggest on the planet)? SO AWESOME!
Then my coach IPod was like, “Zazi, you should try the Banked Slalom!” And I was like, “The what now?” He showed me videos. It looked like a snowy snake with walls! You go down super fast and turn, turn, turn! My tummy did a little flip. It looked funโฆ and also like I could totally fall and roll all the way to the bottom.
Everyone here in Laax talks about the Banked Slalom like it’s the biggest party on snow. So, I thought, “Okay, Zazi, be brave!” Plus, my new friends were doing it. Peer pressure works, even on snowy mountains!
The day of the race? My heart was doing the cha-cha. So many people! Big kids who looked like they were born on snowboards. Grown-ups who were super fast. And me, the girl who still sometimes snowplows by accident.
When it was my turn, my legs felt like noodles. What if I messed up? What if I forgot which way to turn? What if a squirrel ran out in front of me? (Okay, maybe not a squirrel, but you never know!)
I pushed off. WHOOSH! It was way faster than it looked! The turns came super quick. I tried to remember what my coach said โ “Look ahead, Zazi! Flow with the snow!” Easier said than done when you feel like you’re going to fly off the side!
Did I win? Nope! Those speedy snow ninjas (thatโs what I call the local Swiss kids that have been riding all their lives) were like magic! But guess what? I didn’t totally wipe out! I came in fifth! Not bad for the new kid on the block, right?And the feeling of zooming through those snowy curves? It was like a rollercoaster, but way cooler!
Everyone at the bottom was cheering! Even though I didnโt make the podium, my face was all smiley and my cheeks were super red from the cold and the excitement. I am quite proud of myself with the 5th place in my first ever snowboard competition in Laax.
So, yeah. From sunny beaches to snowy mountains, and nowโฆ a Banked Slalom racer! But next year? Watch out, snowy snake! This Indonesian surfer girl is gonna shred those banks! ๐
Follow the adventures of Zazi, the Indonesian Athlete & Snowboard Girl, on Instagram: Click Here !
