About 10 years ago I was addicted to snowboarding. I was convinced I’d became a professional snowboarder. I read every magazine and watched every video I could find. Meticulously inspecting each images as if it was going to teach me the secrets of spinning 720 degrees in mid-air. I was very serious about it.

I could do a couple nice tricks, although very simple, 360, 180s, grabs and all. But one day I decided I was gonna try a frontside rodeo 540 (front flip + 540), which was a big thing at the time. I watched several videos in slow motion to learn the initial motion required to spin it.

After a big snowfall I went to the mountain and decided to try it. There I was, waiting to drop-in to a pretty big jump, about to throw myself head-under-feet. To this day, I still remember the feeling I had before riding up the jump. I swear I nearly peed my pants, I was so scared. By I kept repeating to myself that I could do it. So I did. I dropped in, full speed. Threw my head forward while looking to my left, to initiate the spinning and flipping motion, grabbed my board with my right hand, waiting to spot my landing. Next thing I knew, I stomped it and rode away, flawlessly. I still remember this day, and I will for the rest of my life as the best snowboarding day I ever had.

From that time on, I wasn’t scared anymore and stomping that trick became second nature for me. I remember talking to people in the park telling me they’d never try that kind of trick because they were not good enough. But I knew it was not about being good, it was all about having the guts to push your limits. Once you’ve pushed that limit, it is gone.