What’s up, I’m Oliver Gillett, and one thing about me is that I love snowboarding. It all started back in 2017, when I was ten years old. My twin brother and I first got on the mountain with our dad, but before we were allowed anywhere near the real slopes, we were stuck in ski school. Snowboarding came pretty naturally to me. With a long family history of surfing, skateboarding, and just about every other board sport, balancing on a snowboard felt instinctive. I grew frustrated fast and wanted to get the hell out of ski school, but my dad had already paid for the lessons. This was ironic considering he used to be a snowboard instructor. Once ski school finally ended, my brother and I hit the real slopes, and from that moment on, I was hooked.

Fast forward to today, and my love for snowboarding (and board sports in general) has only grown. My profile photo was taken on my most recent trip to Aspen Highlands, where we hiked the Highland Bowl on a perfect day. It was easily the best ski day of my life. My board floated effortlessly over the snow, giving me just enough speed to launch some clean side hits. Everything felt locked in. Then I broke the unspoken, superstitious rule of skiing: “Let’s do one last run.” By then, the sun had softened the snow into slush, making an unforgiving landing. Near the bottom of my favorite run, I hit a jump way too fast, went airborne, and committed to a backside 360. I came down wrong, landing directly on my arm and dislocating my shoulder—ending the trip on the spot.

I still love snowboarding just as much as ever. But next time, I might think twice before sending that one last run.