(Conversation while sitting on the gondola)
"So.. where are we getting off?"
"This gondola only goes one place.. to the very top."
"Um... WHAT?"
"Yeah. And there's only one way to get down."
I stare at the (very far away) snowy ground, gradually inching higher up the peak, fearing for my life.
It felt like we were in a wind/rain tunnel while sitting on the outdoor chair lifts (we had to transfer from indoor gondola to outdoor chairlifts to get to "the peak"). I swear, getting off the chairlift was one of the hardest things I had to do today. One foot strapped into the snowboard, the other one expected to glide on as I push myself off the seat. My guide, Dan, must have explained this process to me about 10 times before we reached the end of the chairlift, in attempt to prepare me. When the time came, I launched myself off, indeed, and ended up FLAT on my face in the snow. Then he pushed me out of the way so that I wouldn't get hit by the next oncoming chairlift. SUCCESS. I was off the damn thing.The process of "skating" along flat ground on a snowboard is very difficult. I'd much rather be going downhill. Well, at least that's what I thought until I saw the edge of the hill. It looked like a cliff. Of snow. Well, technically it was. I told him it was steep. He told me it wasn't. I strapped myself in and
hoped for the best. After that very first (very scary) part, the hills were more reasonable - not as steep, and not as many turns. I felt relieved. Plus the serious rain storm had stopped and it was just light snow. Things were looking up.
Once I mastered (note: I use this term very loosely) heel-side snowboarding, he wanted to teach me toe-side. I found this to be much more difficult, so he literally held my hands and slid down the hill with me, board-to-board, and we tried to turn and lean forward together. Another two face plants.
At a few points during the day, I had my board facing straight, and I was picking up good speed. It was so much fun! The first time I did it successfully, he shouted to me "Woo! You're boarding!" and I turned around to cheer "Woooo!" - Boom. An butt plant this time. My feet were up in the air, attached to my bright red snowboard and my bum was sliding backwards down the hill. Apparently all you could hear from the top of the hill was "ahhhhhhwoooo!!!!!!!!!!" Two big bruises would be inevitable.
Sometimes, when he gave me a new exercise, I would explain why it was difficult for me to understand or do. He eventually started throwing snowballs at me whenever I made excuses .. prompting a serious snowball fight in the middle of the hill, while pro snowboarders and skiers glided past us.
Another tip he gave me was that when you want to change direction, all the control is in your shoulders. In other words, the direction of your shoulders will determine where you go. I decided that the easiest way to make sure I do this is by POINTING the direction I want to go. So throughout the day (please note:it took me an entire day to get down the mountain), you could see me "carving" down the hill, zig-zagging left and right, with my extended arm and pointed finger changing direction every time. It looked like I was a bicycle rider downtown, signalling left and right turns with my hands .. but riding a surfboard, on snow.
***By the way, there's two styles people can board:
1. regular (where you guide with your left foot and your right foot is behind - which most people do) and
2. goofy (where you guide with your right foot and your left foot is behind).
I'm goofy. Figures.
diary excerpt, 2011
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