Happy Birthday Skiing!

Yesterday was Stephen's birthday, and we went SKIING! Outdoor Rec had a special pre-season trip, and for $25 plus lift tickets! They provided the ride up there and back, the where to go knowledge (so we didn't have to look anything up or find anything) and the boots, skis and poles!

I skiied the hill 8 times. The first time was painful. Emotionally and physically painful. I was frustrated, upset, and pretty sure I could not do it. But I was determined. This is something Stephen REALLY enjoys and I wanted to be able to do it. I can waterski, skate, and ice skate. And I skiied once as a kid. Shouldn't be too hard...right? WRONG. I fell about 100 times and every time was a GIANT struggle to get back up. I would get 1/2 way and my ski would go forward. It was terrible. FINALLY, when we got toward the bottom, it leveled out a little, and the snow was perfectly packed without being icy. I did really well on that part. So then I knew a little better how to control myself and the skis. The second trip was a little falling, but more up than down. By the third and fourth trips I was falling only once, and where I was falling was a REALLY steep part. Even he agreed it was a particularly steep part for the easy hill. The 5th and 6th trips...I DID IT! NO FALLS!

Then we ate lunch at the little restaurant, and went for the big lift. To this point we were riding the little rope pull thingy. You grap a disk as it's going by and put it between your legs, sitting on it like a rope swing. It pulls you along on your skis to the top of the hill. It was a lot like waterskiing and I liked this part! After lunch we got on the chair lift that went all the way to the top of the hill. Once was enough for me on this. It was much colder up there, a lot of wind, and VERY LITTLE visability which was a big problem for me. Also, the snow was very powdery and it is much harder to not fall in these conditions. It fed into the smaller hill we had been skiing all morning, and once we got to that part I was fine. Again only falling on the steep part.

Now I was ready to take a break. So Stephen went back up the chair lift about four times and I sat and people watched a bit. There was a beautiful black lab that was much thicker than Dude, and was sniffing all around the snow and getting snow on his face, too cute. Another dog was chasing his owner down the sledding hill barking and running all around. That was pretty funny. I was AMAZED at the children. There were a few that were 4-6 yrs old all cruising aong on their skis like it was nothing. I even saw a toddler with a pacifier dressed in a tiny snow suit toddling along in the snow. She wasn't skiing, but I saw her parents held a tiny sled. My first thought was "that seems a little young to be out here", but then I realized that it is all in what you are use to. This is their life every year, so just like we take kids to the beach before they can walk, these families are on the slopes from birth. Snowboarders are an interesting bunch. It looks much easier to get up from a fall, but you definitely fall a LOT from a snowboard. You can't just stand on it like you can skis. If you are up, you are going. So if you have to stop, you have to sit down. Some of the snowboarders were even going to the end of the hill and then doing tricks (like skateboard tricks) off the snowbank at the bottom.

After about 3o minutes I decided I better go one more time because it was going to be time to board the bus soon. I got on my skis and went up as we had been doing before. Again, I did great all the way down until I hit that steep part. But I went for it. I got going REALLY fast and when I wiped out, and it was major. I slid probably 15-20 feet (although I later told Stephen 50 yards) and a lady from our bus happened to be coming by, "are you okay??" yep, I said, I'm use to this part! I got back up and finished the hill. Stephen and I met back at the bus. He had a good time, and got a little crazy. When he came back to the bus he was covered with snow, inside and out of his suit. He had done the top of the mountain 4 times, and the smaller one another 3.

I think it was a successful trip, we will definitly go again. Once my body stops hurting ALL OVER. a couple of places (neck, back, knee and ankle) hurt from falls and twists, and the rest hurt from using muscles I don't have (arms-front, back all of them, chest, legs, butt, hands, etc!)

Off to take some more Advil...