My Secret Mountain Scandal

I have a secret.  I haven't told anyone...  well, anyone except a friend in Colorado.  But my BFF Divas don't know.  They would probably be appalled, considering I begged and pleaded with them to ride with me.

It's something so unbelievable I've yet to really admit it to myself... until now.

So please be kind, and don't judge me.  I'm just doing the best I can over here.  But I think coming clean will make me feel a lot better... so here goes nuthin'...

I want to ski.

There.  I said it.

I want to ski.

Four words that don't roll off the tongue of a die-hard snowboarder very easily.  Let alone one with her own boutique snowboard company and an inventory of boards in the basement.

See that caricature of a girl on the nose of that sweet ride?  Yeah.. that's me.  So how is it that I suddenly feel the need to strap on two boards instead of one?!

Well, for starters... I want to mountain in the snow when I'm 60 years old.  And that's going to be difficult on a snowboard.  So I'm planning ahead for my recreation retirement. 

Snowboarding is awkward, I'll admit.  We just don't have as much control as skiers do.  I fell down twice yesterday getting off crowded lifts when skiers cut me off, made abrupt turns, or just weren't paying attention.  I'm not placing any blame, I'm just saying that the entire lift thing on a snowboard is kind of a mess. 

And then there's the whole sitting down in the snow, buckling your bindings, and standing up again with your feet locked together.  Never mind the difficulty navigating the flats.  None of it is easy, and probably less-so in old age.  Maybe this is a sign I'm already getting old...

So I figure, if I want to be on the slopes with gray hair, I need to lay the foundation now.  The last time I skied was 9 years ago.  I was coming off three knee surgeries, and everything about getting down the hill hurt, yet snowboarding was painless. 

But my knee feels better today.  And if I'm going to ski when I'm old, I need to start doing it now, so I can build the muscle memory to be able to throw things on autopilot when my main memory fails me.

I might rent some skis over Christmas vacation and see how it goes.  The ultimate goal would be touring in the back-country, earning my turns hike-n-slide style with an avalanche beacon strapped to my chest.  But that's down the road mountain.  Until then, I'll try my skills with lift served runs, in-bounds first.

Soooo, yeah....  I want to ski.  :-/  Don't tell anyone.

Comments

[Gail Baird]

As a 60 year old skier, I'm glad you've come to your senses!!! Nothing beats the feeling of a day on the slopes with 2 boards on your feet

You don't know me, but your mom and I were college roomies and I am friends with your buddy Delisa. I have many pictures of you from Christmas cards in the past!!

[How I Mountain]

Gail! I'm sourcing equipment now. Wish I would have thought of this in time to ask Santa... or maybe it's not too late.

I remember mom talking about you, what I'm not sure about is how you met my high school neighbor. Small world.

Merry Christmas!

[Edwas]

Hola
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Edwas