I had an amazing childhood, but did not know about a lot of opportunities that were available to me.

I met Karen last week at a local college event, and discovered we had some wonderful things in common, such as motherhood, blogging, and a passion for the outdoors. Karen shares with us how she discovered outdoor recreation, and what it means to her family today.

What experiences did you have as a youth that influence how you interact with natural spaces today?

As a kid, other than going to a local park to play, or playing in my own yard, I did not do a lot when it came to outdoor recreation. And as a young adult, my idea of working out was going to the local gym. Which is not a bad thing, but it can be limiting.

How did your relationship with the outdoors change as you grew older and why?

When I met my husband, he exposed me to a whole new world of outdoor recreation. We went hiking, skiing, swimming, camping, and saw amazing waterfalls and scenery on various trails. Our kids love these activities, and are now amazing soccer players that can out run me any day. They also really enjoy rock climbing at a local gym for kids and adults.

What are some favorite things you enjoy doing with your family?

Once a year, my family goes to Tahoe for long snow trip weekend. We go with a couple of friends and family. It is always such a blast! Lots of snow, sledding, food and fun.

What is on your bucket list?

I would really love taking a Zero-Gravity flight, where you can float like an astronaut  in space. That looks like a lot of fun!

Any final thoughts?

Yes! While growing up, I was not exposed to all the outdoor activities that are out there. I had an amazing childhood, but did not know about a lot of opportunities that were available to me. My kids have no idea how lucky they are to be able to do all the things they can do today. I never went on snow trips, stayed in cabins at Tahoe , went on hikes, or had a chance to experience rock climbing as a child. I think that people have to realize and be educated that it does not matter what race you are, or what culture you come from – any one can go out with family and friends and enjoy the out doors. It’s not just for one race of people or culture, anyone can enjoy it! Go skying, sky diving, swim with dolphins, go hiking in the mountains and look at amazing waterfalls. It is something that we can all enjoy and is more attainable than most people think.

Karen lives in the Bay Area with her husband and two daughters, ages 9 and 11.

So why did you guys decide on a trip to Tahoe?

Well… Joseph, owed me one, so I cashed in my IOU! We went up Thursday night,  and it took about 3 hours from the San Francisco Bay. We spent the night at a cheap hotel and in the morning, we went to Kmart, picked up a $15 plastic sled, and then found this place for sledding on Yelp: Adventure Mountain. And it was another $15 dollars to park the car.

A great deal! What was the set-up like?

There were about 10 different runs for sledding varying in size, e.g., S, M, L, and we were on a medium size slope. This was a great deal because sledding at one of the Ski Resorts, e.g., Heavenly, Sierra Ridge, etc., is super expensive!

We spent a couple of hours there sledding, playing with the snow by building a snowman, and throwing some snowballs at each other. Joseph had a great time even though he’s never had a desire to head up to the snow. Caelan, obviously, had a blast.

Caelan Sledding in Tahoe 2010 from Christyna Serrano on Vimeo.

He loved it so much that he had put some snow in his sweat shirt pocket. While we were chillin a little later by the lake, I noticed that his sweats were wet. It almost looked like he had peed in his pants. We then noticed that he had tried to save some snow! It was so funny. We had to take it out of his pocket and explain to him that you can’t save snow.

What do you recommend to others who might want to take a trek to the mountains?

Now is the perfect time of year to go to Tahoe and get your ski/sled on. It’s the end of the season so the crowds were not there, thus making for cheaper lodging; the snow is still there, but the spring time warmth is in the air so that it actually feels hot when your on the slopes; and the area is just absolutely gorgeous at this time of year.

Christyna is a graduate student at UC Berkeley and lives with her son and fiancé Joseph in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Continued from Part 1

Now you need something for the head and hands. I usually wear a synthetic stocking cap. The word synthetic pops up a lot because it is the fabric most commonly used in designing “performance clothing” that is clothing specifically desinged to be used in a number of outdoor activities from climbing to cycling, running etc.

I think I own more performance wear than I do any thing else. A good fleece hat and they come in many weights can really help you regulate body heat. A good hat will be soaking wet at the tip top on the outside, leaving your head bone dry, that is the beauty of performance wear. The head, as you probably know, is like a chimney. Massive amounts of heat can easily be lost if it is left uncovered, so get a good fleece hat. Now you need gloves or mittens. My preference is mittens. Fingers together in a dark warm place are much warmer than gloves with fingers separated by fabric with cold spaces in between.

Footwear depends on what you plan to do outside. Don’t wear snow boots and go for a run. You will be sore and sorry you ever left the house! Blisters will do you in even before you get started. If you are going running, wear running shoes and wool socks. If you are going to hike, wear a boot that will give you full range of motion, that is not too heavy and won’t sweat your feet out causing more blisters. With skiing,  you  simply have to wear ski boots.

Now move your body! The trick here is slow and steady, slow and steady. When the temps are in the single digits or below zero you want to move just enough to get a work out in and just enough to heat the pockets of air between your skin and the clothing you have on. You will be amazed at how much heat you can produce running down a trail covered with snow in 20 below zero wind chills. Here in Northern Minnesota I will get in 20 to 25 miles of running a week on snowmobile trails through the woods in the dead of winter. I also cross-country ski most winters and find it a blast even when it is zero degrees out. I also bike all winter over snow packed country roads if conditions are not too bad. The same principals apply in all cases, dress in layers.

So if you’ve never tried exercising outdoors in the winter, treat yourself to a whole new world of fun. If you follow these tips you just might enjoy winter again, just like when you were a little kid.

Dudley Edmondson is the author of Black and Brown Faces in America’s Wild Places, and is available for speaking engagements.

Now let me start out by saying that what I do outdoors in the winter may seem extreme to many. I am not one to shy away from extreme cold or deep snow, I just do what I do and use it as a measuring stick for my next outdoor adventure. Having said that, I thought it would be helpful if I explain to folks the best way to be comfortable in cold, even sub-zero weather outdoors during the winter months.

First thing, no Cotton. I commonly refer to cotton as the “Death Fabric.” IF you want to freeze to death, then by all means wear it in winter to exercise. The search party cadaver dogs will find you contorted in a ball huddle up next to downed tree log with your lips frozen and blue as the blue man group.

Morbid kidding aside, cotton retains moisture close to the skin, and that is a very bad thing. Cotton can be the catalysts for hyperthermia. What happens is that your body, regardless of what you might think, will produce sweat even in sub- zero weather. Sweat is the body’s way of cooling itself down. A moving body burns calories, calories produce heat, heat produces sweat which as I said cools you down in warmer weather so you can continue exercising. In winter though the air around you will keep you plenty cool so instead you need to trap dry body heat so you can be outside as happy as a clam and comfortable for hours if you like.

Think layers, synthetic layers.  Things like spandex, polypropylene, nylon. These types of fabric move moisture away from the skin and that is a good thing. Ideally what you need to do is move moisture to the outer most layer of your clothing while keeping in the dry heat. You can start with a base layer perhaps a synthetic top and bottom. Then over that you need a warm layer like fleece or wool. These fabric trap heat but allow moisture to keep on moving away from the skin. Over the warm layer use what we call a shell layer that is usually a coat or jacket that is made of some type of synthetic material that will usually repel water and block wind but hold in your heat. I always prefer these types of layers with what are called “pit zips” that means you have zippers in your underarms that you can open and close so the moist heat in your armpits can escape. The beauty of the pit zip is you can open them as wide or narrow as you want to suit your comfort level. Would not buy a jacket without em! Now that you are all layered up you are just about ready to go.

…to be continued in Part Two

Dudley Edmondson is the author of Black and Brown Faces in America’s Wild Places, and is available for speaking engagements.

Tomar and Karen

When asked how they each got involved with snowboarding together they said it started with rugby, which they have played competitively for the past ten years, and is where the two met and became a couple. “Rugby seems to have started a lot of things for us,” said Brown with a laugh. In the off-season she explained that some members of their rugby team take their sporting camaraderie to the slopes, so they had a ready-made community of support to get started. Even though some years ago, Karen took her young son out on the slopes to snowboard for the first time for the both of them, she found she enjoyed the sport more than he did. So she was delighted to meet Tomar years later, who re-ignited her interest in the slopes — something they enjoyed doing together.

When asked if the two ever felt uncomfortable or experienced stares while snowboarding, especially in settings where there are few people of color, the two shrugged it off and said that the slopes can actually feel anonymous as people are hidden behind layers of protective clothing and accessories. And the  journey down the mountain feels quite personal and solitary, where Tomar admits she might bump hip-hop or Kirk Franklin to get her snow groove on!

For the beginning snowboarder, Karen says, “forget the big trips and go instead to small towns.” Her favorites include North Conway, New Hampshire or when with a group, Steamboat Springs, Colorado.” She says that March is a great month to find deals in small towns, and when snowboarding away from the crowds, the experience feels more personal, and lodge bartenders remember your name! Both agreed that the most important thing is simply to learn how to snowboard, and along the way expect the sport to “beat you up, and take you down.” But once you gain control, finding that personal zone of fun and exhilarating release makes it all worthwhile.

What are your experiences skiing and snowboarding? If you have never tried, what holds you back?

Sitting down at Mammoth: Matthew Reese

As a long time athlete, he felt confident he could take on a challenging run his first time out, but the mountain humbled him. Reese frankly calls that first time as “pretty horrible” and he even called it quits early in the day to tend to his battered limbs. However Reese was undeterred by the initial bruises, and was determined to try again a couple weeks later with an Urban League group for a Valentine’s Day event. The trip had a good mix people with varying skill levels and was where he found his snow groove that launched a new obsession for the rush, challenge, and excitement of snowboarding.

As an African-American male, I asked if he ever felt discriminated against while participating in the sport: “not at all,” says Reese. He finds that snowboarders are passionate about the sport and welcoming to anyone who feels the same way. The slopes are a great equalizer, however he does admit that it’s hard to be taken seriously in the board stores. Reese humorously recalls shop visits where employees learn after he starts talking, how knowledgeable he is about the sport and quickly change their customer service tune!

Reese is not playing around when it comes to snowboarding — in just this year, he has traveled to five different mountains and now skis every weekend. A favorite is his local Stevens Pass, but he also enjoys traveling to surrounding states to experience new challenges. For Reese, snowboarding has opened up a whole new path of fun, travel, and networking and he hopes others give snow sports a try as one way to discover new things about themselves, and the world around them.

Matthew Reese

Matthew Reese’s tips for Outdoor Afros who want to get started snowboarding:

• If you are not certain about the sport, renting gear initially is fine
• As soon as you know you want to continue with the sport, buy your gear as you’ll save money over time
• It may be a big initial investment, but if you shop around, you’ll find many deals

Still not convinced black people and the snow mix? Do you have other ideas and tips to share? Comment about it!

Great work Brian!

Hoods to Woods trailer #1 from Brian Paupaw on Vimeo.

Click to hear the archive of today’s show that featured Stacy Evans, an African American attorney from Baltimore and dog sledder. A great, insightful show!

At age 75 and a 9 year survivor of lung cancer, Barbara Hillary of Queens, New York became the first African-American woman to reach the geographical North Pole by skiing. Today she is 78 and joins Outdoor Afro to share a little about her passion and accomplishments that challenge assumptions about the participation of African Americans, women, and seniors, in the great outdoors.

Learn more about this amazing women or to book her for speaking events, click here for her website: BarbaraHillary.com