The big day has arrived and I’m all rested up ready to conquer this new sports activity. As we wait for our instructor we watched the other skiers come down the slope. There were little kids as young as 3 going down the slope by themselves. (Ha!! If a 3-year-old can do this, I can definitely do this! I’m not going to let some 3-year-old show me up! Let’s go!) Yes… that my pep-talk my head as I tried to mask the pure horror I felt deep down inside. I was beyond scared and already ready to quit, but when I calculated all the money I spent… I sucked it up and gave it a shot.
FIRST HALF
We were lucky to have our own instructor who provided each of us the one on one care we needed. She taught us all the basics so we could get a handle of the technique. We continued to practice and move a level. It seemed so easy and I was getting such a handle for it that the fear subsided.
And with repetition comes boredom. I was over the basics. I felt I aced it and was ready to take on the big slope. I’m sitting here practicing in the school area and I want to go down the slope with everyone else. The teacher finally asked if we wanted to practice on a baby slope. The slope would give us more space to practice slowing down and stopping.
This practice slope was nothing. Me being such the dare devil I think I am decided to pick up speed. I picked up speed alright. Picked up enough speed to scare myself to thinking I was going to go off the edge! I tried to slow down and stop myself and fell in the process. Hitting the ground was like getting a plate of humble pie! I had second thoughts about the big slope now especially knowing we were going to try it after lunch.
Needless to say, I slowed my behind down after that. The struggle to get off the ground was enough for me to know I don’t want to fall anymore. We went up and down the slopes a few more times before the teacher said it was time to break for lunch.
SECOND HALF
Reluctant to return, I stared at the slope I was soon to conquer. The teacher guided us to the ski lift to take us to the top.
She clearly forgot to share two tidbits of information.
One, the top of the slope was NOWHERE near where I thought it was. Nowhere… to the point I was looking at the wrong slope the whole time! We kept going up and up which felt like forever! When we finally got off the lift brings me to the second tidbit.
Two, it is easier getting on than getting off. Thanks to my father, I am mainly leg. These here legs were not made for that there ski lift. The moment she said get off I did, but it was such a long way up that I fell right back. That’s right… I fell off the ski chair. Then a man came out of nowhere yelling get down. I almost got my head knocked off by the next ski chair!
I was so embarrassed! It was in front of everyone! The man came, picked me up, and told me to stand. Still stuck in my embarrassment I yell back “I can’t! I can’t!” My legs kept slipping under me and I just couldn’t do it. He then whispered in my ear “Lean forward” I was leaning back on the man the whole time which is why I couldn’t stand up. Double embarrassing.
I was ready to get this over with. She told us the stop points and we skied to each. We stopped at the midway rest stop, which was a little hut on the mountain. By this time, Lauren and Ashley both shared my experience of falling and were over skiing as well. Now all we had to do was make it to the bottom.
As we head to the bottom all I could think about was how I wanted to get out of these horrid ski boots. My feet, ankles, and shins were all just aching. Screaming “Give us free!” Continuing down the mountain, we finally made it to the final stop point. The instructor told us to go towards the ski lift then go down is an easier way down. Trying to head towards the lift I picked up speed. All I could think of was the cliff or getting hit by a ski lift and started freaking out! The instructor tried to step in front and stop me, but I took her out too and we fell.
Man! I was done. After multiple tries of getting up, I just gave up. In my mind, I was at the bottom… I was just a couple of feet away. Walking that wouldn’t hurt. I asked the teacher to take the skis off because I quit! I was ready to head back to Denver.
Skiing… CHECK! XOXO