The indoor snow centre Chill Factore, near Manchester, says it has carried out research which found that almost one in five snowboarders (18%) would sacrifice a serious relationship rather than cut down on their snowboarding.
The study also found that snowboarders feel sadder in April when the season ends, compared to when the clocks go back in October.
Chill Factore decided to carry out the research after hearing that back in 2012 one of its snowboarding instructors cancelled his £10,000+ wedding and ended his relationship of four years, all for his love of snowboarding.
40 year-old Chris Davies (pictured above) commented, “One of the main reasons for cancelling my wedding and ending the relationship was my love of snowboarding. Although my ex fiancée boarded, she didn’t want to go away every year and made it clear that she didn’t want me to carry on doing what I do.”
The research also revealed that snowboarders suffer from last run blues at the end of the ski season – as opposed to when the clocks go back in October, which traditionally triggers winter blues often referred to as SAD. Almost half (45%) admitted they felt sad on their last run of the season, with some even confessing to shedding a tear.
Over a quarter (29%) of snowboarders also confessed they would sacrifice their summer holiday to ensure they could go on their winter getaway, with a further 36% willing to do away with their bank balance.
There’s good news for Chris, above, who has been enjoying snowsports for 33 years and a boarder for the past 20, his new fiancée Liz shares his passion for snowboarding.
“…so much so that we have decided we don’t want children as we aren’t willing to give up our lifestyle or being able to go away every winter, snowboarding,” says Chris, who added, “I feel really low when I get back from my annual winter holiday, which takes me a long time to get over. When I got back from Mayrhofen in January, my 2018 snowboarding trip was booked within 7 days of being back!”
Chill Factore conducted a survey of 1,002 skiers and snowboards but don’t say if skiers gave the same responses as snowboarders.
