Chang shreds the gnar gnar

This winter, Senior Crystal Chang looks forward to sliding past thefrost-covered trees, moving her body with calculating experience, while snow falls as she carves a path down the mountain. Even after seven years of snowboarding, Chang still enjoys the exhilarating rush of adrenaline she feels speeding past other snowboarders.
“Snowboarding is so much fun compared to Track which I participate in regularly because there are no specific set of rules,” Chang said. “There is no competition, which makes the experiences more enjoyable. All my problems temporarily go away and it’s a way to help me cope with stress.”
Ever since she was a toddler, Chang’s parents took her and her brother on family trips, and eventually snowboarding became her favorite. Chang and her family engage in many sports-oriented activities during vacation times, so they try to seize the opportunity to go snowboarding every winter break. Since then, the sport has become a tradition for them because they enjoy traveling and snowboarding together.
Over time, not only has Chang improved her snowboarding skills, but the bond between her family has also strengthened because of their similar interests in the sport. She enjoys traveling with them for many hours on end, despite being in a cramped car.
“Because of these trips, I’ve become a more adventurous person,” Chang said. “Every one of them has been equally memorable because they are always filled with new learning experiences, fun times on ski lifts, and embarrassing falls.”
This past year, she went to Park City, Utah which is also Chang’s favorite place to snowboard during the winter. She loves the light and powdery snow which doesn’t hurt when she falls on the ground. On this trip she decided to record her experience and posted it on her YouTube channel, Crystal Chang, which also features her family traveling.
“I like documenting my trips with videos because I get to keep track of my improvement,” Chang said. “Similar to how people take pictures for the sake of memories, I make videos as a keepsake for all the amazing times I had while snowboarding.”