With each new generation comes new forms of entertainment. Forty years ago, snowboarding did not even exist. A day in the snow consisted of ice skating, sledding or skiing.

“When I was in high school, not one person owned a snowboard, or had even heard of it for that matter,” Principal Gary Schultz said. “The most popular thing to do was ice skating and ice hockey. If we wanted to fly down a hill, most of us did it on a toboggan. There were not many skiers, but then again, there were not too many resorts where I lived.”

Along with society’s near obsession with extreme sports has come a strong trend towards either skiing or snowboarding. Followers are currently just about split between the two sports, but the scales have already tipped in favor of snowboarding.

Even so, there are still a surprising number of people still following up the more traditional recreations. A random survey of several people on campus yielded unexpected results.

“I have been ice skating since I was really young, and no matter how trendy snowboarding is, I would not give it up,” Janet Cranfield, ’05, said. “I think ice skating and sledding are every bit as intense and thrilling as skiing or snowboarding.”

Some people simply do not have the energy and desire to take up any of these pastimes.

“When I was younger, I was an avid sledder,” Cheryl Pohl, high school secretary, said. “Now I am content to drive my family up to the snow and just sit in the car with some hot coffee while they freeze their own buns up.”

Another commonly overlooked winter pastime is extreme indoor reading.

“I love to curl up with a good book the fire,” Yoko Kilbourne, high school secretary, said. “I would much rather spend several hours at a time reading than flying down a hill and risking breaking my neck.”

Many of those who do not snowboard admit to having never tried, but a few have tried and never followed it up.

“It’s too expensive,” Tim Westra, ’05, said. “I tried it once and loved it, but there’s just no way I could afford to go even a few times a year.”

Many teenagers have inherited a love for skiing from their parents.

“I learned how to ski a little while after I learned how to walk,” Krista Johnson, ’06, said. “It’s just what my family does, and I would never switch over to snowboarding.”

Snowboarding still seems to dominate over other pastimes in the high school age group.

“There is nothing you can do in the winter that compares to snowboarding,” Nick Carrera, ’05, said. “Pretty much all of my friends snowboard and I’ve been doing it for years.”

For more information on skiing and snowboarding close to Fresno, visit www.sierrasummit.com or for information on ice-skating, look for Icelandia in the phonebook.