Vincent Hsiao

Whistling winds ring through the Hidden Valley hills. Snow crunches under the metal edges of a snowboard. Looking down the hill, adrenaline builds up. Everything stands still, and all Noah Stark (11) can think about is hitting a 360 trick on the steep slope.

Noah has experimented with boardsports such as wakeboarding, skiing and skateboarding since he was 6 years old. This eventually led to him trying out snowboarding when he was 12 years old.

“My dad inspired me to get into [snowboarding],” Noah said. “He took me up [to

Hidden Valley] for lessons. But I had already been in the world of boardsports at that point.”

After giving snowboarding a chance, Noah has not looked back and has contin-
ued to explore his limits. Every time Noah landed a trick, he’s felt a sudden rush of dopamine that makes the hard work worth it.

“[Snowboarding] is so fulfilling because of the thrill of going as fast as you can,” Noah said. “Or [the thrill of] hitting the jump or landing a trick you never thought you would a year ago.”

Through father-son trips, Noah’s dad, Matthew Stark, has not only been able to create tradition in a sport he enjoys with
his son. He has also recognized his son’s determination in achieving his goals.

“I appreciate [Noah] when he gets something in his mind, he’s not afraid of putting in the effort and taking hard falls
to make it happen.”

As Hidden Valley became a second home to Noah, he started to think of ways to give back to the snowboarding commu-
nity. One way he thought to do this was by giving lessons to younger children.

“I wanted to work [snowboarding] into my life beyond just me going out and doing it for myself,” Noah said. “So I thought, ‘What better way to do that and help others learn and grow in the sport [than by giving lessons?]’”

During, his time as a snowboarding student, Noah has first hand experience with struggling to complete tricks. Noah has also learned how to teach younger children how to navigate their challenges.

“I will just try to put myself in the person’s shoes,” Noah said. “[I try] to remember how I thought as a kid, and what kind of analogy or captain or strategy I could use to get them to begin to understand, even if it doesn’t fully complete the action.”

Noah has utilized snowboarding as an opportunity to empathize with other people’s situations and learn how to keep a calm mindset in high pressure situations.

“I have had instances where kids I coach have gotten injuries, and I’ve never had anything too serious, but there’s always that kind of panic of, ‘Oh, are they seriously injured?,’” Noah said. “They will fall and then there’s just a second where I’m like, ‘Are you okay?’ And they don’t respond, [which] freaks me out a little bitevery time. It’s easy for me not to think about
myself at all, but what I can do to help the other person.”

A year ago, Noah crashed on his way down a hill and almost broke his jaw. Since then, he has been taking precautions.

“Being mindful of other people who are above and below you [is important],” Noah said. “If you do crash, the best thing to do is stick out your hands or try and brace yourself to minimize your injuries.”

Gaining experience as a snowboarding instructor has encouraged Noah to consider how he wants to incorporate the snow hobby into his future career aspirations.

“The people that I work with are people with real careers who have free time on the weekend,” Noah said. “If I live out near a resort when I’m older, it’d be cool to pursue a higher certification level as a snowboarder.”

Noah believes that snowboarding can pave a path of human connection despite people having different beliefs.

“Even if you don’t agree with someone’s political values or their favorite Marvel movie, snowboarding will bring people together,” Noah said.