Photo By Rick Emert | FORT CARSON, Colo. — Fort Carson Soldier Daniel Bowman watches his wife try on snow...... read more read more
By Walt Johnson
Fort Carson Public Affairs Office
FORT CARSON, Colo. — The Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (DFMWR) Outdoor Recreation office hosted its annual ski and snowboard expo Nov. 5, 2022, at the outdoor recreation building for the first time in two years.
The event was designed to help Soldiers and their Families prepare for the upcoming ski season and to let people meet various vendors to make their outdoor recreation activities the best experience possible.
With the winter recreation season quickly approaching, people are starting to prepare by purchasing necessary equipment to take advantage of the Colorado snow and ski season. One of the biggest reasons people came out for the event was the discounted prices they were able to get on outdoor gear. There are numerous places where outdoor enthusiasts will be able to take advantage of the Colorado outdoors and outdoor recreation had information on as many as possible during the expo. There were also many vendors on hand to inform the community on the outdoor adventures that wait for them this winter season.
Two couples that came to the expo are also new to the area and are eager to get the experience of Colorado outdoor recreation. Kyle and Zoe Mattix, are from Indiana, and while the weather there can be very rough in the winter, it doesn’t quite measure up to the outdoor experience people find in Colorado.
“The snow in Indiana is more like artificial snow because it turns into ice so quickly before you can enjoy the outdoor recreation activities associated with snow. When it turns to ice if you are snowboarding you go really fast and if you hit the ground, you hit the ground really hard,” Kyle Mattix said.
One of the great experiences of Colorado snowboarding or skiing is you hit soft snow. Another is the chance to do something different especially in the winter when it can keep people indoors.
Kyle Mattix said he and his wife have already felt being in Colorado has been a blessing for them because they are getting a chance to do something they love.
“We like the outdoors because it gives us something different to do and helps us relax. It’s a lot better than doing things like being on our phones all day for example. It also is a way for us to pursue a new hobby,” Kyle Mattix said.
Zoe Mattix echoed her husband’s sentiments while adding the plan for the couple is to explore as much outdoor recreation activity as they can get in this winter, even if it might be a bit uncomfortable.
“We tried doing outdoor recreation activities in Indiana where we are from, and it wasn’t nearly as much fun as it will be here in Colorado. We brought the epic pass, and we plan to go to as many of the ski lodges that we can get to,” Zoe Mattix said.
“If this turns out to be as much fun as we think it will be the only thing that will stop us from being outdoors a lot is making sure we get to work. Before we knew we would be stationed here we wanted to move to Colorado because we knew this is something (outdoor recreation) we always wanted to do. Since we got here, we are doing everything we can to get outside. We have gone hiking and camping even when it was 25 degrees last weekend. We slept in the tent, and we were so cold, but we are outdoors people, and we can handle it,” she said.
Daniel Bowman and his wife are also going to experience outdoor recreation life in Colorado for the first time this year. The couple said the first step in enjoying outdoor life was coming to the expo to get information and stock up on cold weather gear.
“I have been an outdoor enthusiast since I was a kid, and always loved being outdoors. My wife and I both grew up in Florida and now that we are here in Colorado, we want to experience outdoor recreation,” Bowman said.
“When we are outdoors, we want to stay warm so that is why we are here today to take advantage of these great sales because its beautiful out here in Colorado, and you must get out and enjoy it. We want to get into the skiing, snowboarding and sledding,” said Bowman. “It is something to think about falling in the snow and being cold but that is why we are getting this gear to try to stay as warm as possible.”
| Date Taken: | 11.05.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 11.10.2022 11:32 |
| Story ID: | 433062 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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