When a Once-in-a-Lifetime Trip Kick-Starts a Lifelong Love of Snowboarding
You could live in snowy Alberta your entire life and never even glance at a pair of skis or a snowboard, until you see the sport from a different perspective.
Shirley Liang caught the bug for snowboarding when she left Canada and moved to Korea to teach and travel for 18 months. She had never strapped onto a snowboard until then, but then the love of the sport well and truly caught hold of her.
With the slopes waiting in Alberta, Shirley was eager to progress her turns and techniques with her return to Canada, and that she did!
Progression looked like: fun days at Mt. Norquay Ski Resort with a group of friends teaching one another, encouraging one another, and sharing the stoke on the mountain.
This is where Shirley began to immerse herself into the snowboarding world and develop the knack for the sport that she had picked up in Korea, here in Alberta. Whether it be learning to carve, surfing in powder, or hitting a few features at the park, living in a Province that has one of the longest ski seasons in the world was sure enough going to fuel her obsession and advance her skills even more.
Then, in 2020, Shirley’s love for time on her snowboard was unfortunately forced to take a pause, due to a broken femur. But, thanks to a contest win with Go Ski Alberta, Shirley was recently back to it with a complimentary two-night experience at Castle Mountain Resort!
And it didn’t take long for Shirley to get reacquainted with the thrill of downhill.
“It’s an unparalleled feeling gliding down the mountain; you can add your own style to it and there’s always ways to improve and progress.”
Not only does the adrenaline and snow keep Shirley coming back to Alberta’s many ski resorts but the entire experience that comes with snowboarding and skiing; sitting on a chair lift and gazing at a 360 view of towering mountains, being outside in nature during the winter and spending fun and quality time with family or friends.
“I’m excited to pass this onto future generations, it’s a sport that gives so much.”
