The blinding white

The snow crunched underfoot, white and glistening in the sunshine. Not a cloud threatened the blue in the sky, and from this altitude only the thin morning mist blocked the view of the landscape below. The whole world was silent. No wind howled and threw gusts of snow in the air, no birds chirped and darted across the sky, and—most importantly—no cars or other man made devices disturbed the calm. Martin could stay up here forever.
   He was not going to, however, so he sat down in the cold snow and put his newly sharpened snowboard in front of him. Slowly he pulled the bindings, one foot in each. Then he sat, perfectly still, just watching the white heaven unfold before his eyes.

When the early fog had been driven off the peak, he stood and eased himself into motion down the gentle slope. He placed the goggles he had had sitting on his head in front of his eyes and all he saw faded into a pale, yellow tone. The speed picked up as the slope increased and he leaned backwards to keep the front of the board from diving into the powdery snow.
   Moments later, the landscape flew by. He made the snow spray in wide arcs as he turned smoothly from side to side to keep the pace. He focused intently on the ground in front of him and saw only shades of white. Suddenly he leapt into the air, twisting in a full revolution before hitting the snow again in a cloud of white powder. He could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins, pounding at his temples and the rush of the speed warmed his soul.

The rocks were approaching fast. Sharp, brown-and-grey islands in the white ocean he surfed. He knew the fall behind them was high but he was determined to make it. Crouching down, facing the cliff edge, he charged himself for the jump. With full force he leapt over the ledge, drawing his legs up beneath him to avoid scratching the board on the snowless mountain. He was flying.
   The colourless landscape was more than ten meters below, his arms were flailing violently to maintain balance. Thoughts raced through his head, none of which stuck. With a heavy thud and a blinding plume of pale smoke he landed, shouting at the sky with all his heart. Stopping, his face cracked up in a wide smile. He cheered again, savouring the feeling. All alone, breathless, with no one to share his moment. This was what he lived for..