Read Snow versus Sand: Part One

EDITOR’S NOTE: In honor of spring break, The Daily’s Kyle West and Colin Henson are debating which vacation location is better. Today, Colin Henson will make the case for the beach.

Yesterday, Kyle West argued for the ski slopes.

Picture yourself in your first class of the morning. Let’s say it’s 8 a.m., you’re in the back row, you’ve zoned out and stopped listening to whatever you’re teacher is saying. You’re dreaming that the week is over and you’ve begun spring break. In your head, you’re miles away from this random, frigid weather in Oklahoma and your classroom.

Where are you in that head of yours? If you’re anything like me, you’re on the beach, relaxing in the sun and drinking a soda, or maybe a beer and smoking a cigar. This is the ultimate spring break destination. Any beach, anywhere.

Why go to the beach over the snow you might ask? You save money at the beach. All you’re going to have to spend for your bench vacation is money for your sleeping arrangements, food and possibly refreshments if you’re into that sort of thing. You could get a nice condo for around $250 a person, plus you save money on clothing because you won’t need a shirt virtually the whole time you’re on the beach, whereas with skiing, you’ll need lodging money, you’ll have to buy a big waterproof coat and waterproof pants, plus a lift ticket and rental of skis and boots.

Honestly, none of us poor college kids have that kind of dough. So take the cheap road and head to the beach.

Going to the mountains for a little skiing is too much work, and entirely too dangerous. The most dangerous part of all might be the drive. You have to go up dangerous mountain roads that are steep and scary. You might not even make it to your destination. Once you get there, you’re just exercising. Pushing the poles and working your feet, who wants to exercise while relaxing? Not me, that’s who. I want the easy drive to the beach and the knowledge that when I get there I won’t have to do anything.

Although a drive to the beach may be a little longer than a drive to the mountains, isn’t that what a spring break vacation is all about? A road trip with your best friends stopping every 45 minutes so your girlfriend can use the bathroom, playing road games and sticking your head out the window so you can let the cool breeze through your hair is one of the most fun things you’ll do in your life.

This long drive is just one of the many great things about the beach, you can have your 10 hour drive to Colorado, but I’ll take the 16 hours to Florida any day of the week.

The beach also offers something the mountains never will be able to offer – scantily clad women. You’re guaranteed to see hundreds of hot girls at any beach you go to. You might even spark up a beach romance you’ll never forget at a late night beach party. That’s not going to happen on the slopes when everyone is whizzing by you too fast for you to get a good look at their face.

“Was that girl hot?” you will say to your friend. To which he’ll reply, “I couldn’t tell she had on goggles, a beanie and a neck roll.” That won’t be a problem on the beach.

So when it comes to this argument I’d rather make like the Beach Boys and go on a “Surfin Safari” rather than get any sort of John Denver-esque “Rocky Mountain High”.

-Colin Henson is a journalism sophomore.