Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
“Hey, what's up?” calls out a teenager in a San Jose Sharks sweatshirt. “I'm Matt from
Idaho. My friends and I were at a Bible camp in Switzerland and decided to come
here—teach snowboarding and help out.”
“Yes. We prayed to God, and he told us to come here,” says another kid, who looks to be
about 18. He has blue eyes, freckles, and a wispy blond beard.
TheBosnians—who,itwouldbefairtosay,haveseenitall—arestunned.TheEvangelical
boarders are here with a local adventure group called Nova Zora (New Dawn) run by an
American guy from Georgia, Merle “Tomas” Jones. One of the boarders has a smiling Jesus
on her helmet.
“All right,” Biogradlic tells them. “Go to the big kicker and start clearing out the dirt and
larger stones.”
In a few minutes, the Evangelicals are scrambling over the muddy hump, stones flying in
all directions. Soon their bright jackets are covered in dirt. One by one, they sit down on the
side.
Biogradlic looks at them and shakes his head. “I think it's time to call it quits,” he says,
pulling out his cell phone. The Europa Cup at Bjelašnica will be postponed.
Two days later, on a warm Saturday afternoon in Sarajevo, streetcars covered in ads for soda
and bubble gum trundle along the city's main boulevard, Zmaja od Bosne, once known as
Sniper Alley. Except for a few pockmarked facades left unrepaired for lack of money, there
are no visible reminders of violence. A new skyscraper, the Avaz Twist Tower, rises over the
minarets of the old town. A dump truck crawls its way toward Sarajevo's downtown skate
park. Seeing it, a girl in a black hoodie yells, “The snow is coming!”
The truck humps over the curb and stops in the middle of the park. A crowd of about 30
skiers and snowboarders awaits. Vilić and Krneta are here, along with some friends from
Madstyle Team. So are the jibbers for Jesus. Biogradlic, beat from the week's efforts, stayed
home.
VilićandKrnetahadsuggestedtheidea:ifwecan'thaveaEuropaCup,let'sbringatruck-
load of snow to the skate park in Sarajevo and have our own jib session. Sublime is blasting
from Krneta's parked Audi, the four doors wide open, the hatchback full of beer.
“You have to make the best of the worst, dude,” says Matt Gencarella, the evangelist from
Idaho,sippingfromacanofSarajevskobeer.Hehas
BFC/DFL
tattooedonhiswrist.Itmeans
Boarders for Christ/Down for Life.
“The sports I do, I do for God,” he declares.
“Funny, I've never been in a mosque or a church,” Vilić says, grinning wide.
Thetruckunloadsthesnowtocheers.Acoupleofguyspickupshovelsandbegincovering
the approach ramp with powder and preparing the landing. Some snow is put aside for a
makeshift beer cooler. In 20 minutes, everything is ready. Waiting patiently on top of the
