I think we have officially become Coloradans… we took our first ski lesson! (dramatic pause for cheers). I have to admit that I was pretty nervous for the lesson. Back in middle/high school I went snowboarding from time to time and remember being fairly decent. But that was 10+ years ago. Now I am an older, wiser, and a much more cautious young lady. The thought of falling on my face didn’t sound so great. Mike has been talking about skiing since we moved to Colorado, so I knew I better suck it up before too long and give it a go.
To be totally honest, my coworkers peer pressured me into signing up. We were supposed to go a week earlier with some friends, but that ended up being over my cold when I still felt so crummy and couldn’t stop coughing for more than 5 minutes, so I figured going into the mountains to exert all energy, probably wasn’t the best idea – so Mike and I rescheduled our lesson.
The girls went and had a blast, but somehow that didn’t help my nerves. Was I going to be too cold? Was I still not going to feel well? Was I going to completely suck?? All of the questions flew through my mind.
We got up at the crack of down to get on the road in hopes of avoiding as much traffic as possible. We still hit some, but made pretty good time getting into the mountains. We even had time to stop at a …cute… little cafe for breakfast on the way up.
Once we arrived, it was an absolute zoo! People everywhere trying to get ski and boot rentals. A somewhat organized chaos, but a very small building with far too many people. We went through the lines, grabbed our gear, and were ready to go! No one mentioned to me how awkward walking in ski boots would be! I don’t remember snowboarding boots feeling like that…
Before long it was time for our lesson to begin. It was a rather large class with a very loud, and overbearing teacher. Not the most positive and optimistic teacher, but one that wasn’t afraid to call you out in front of everyone if you did something wrong. Not exactly my style… what did I get myself into? I was practically ready to quit before we even hit the slopes.
We started on the bunny hill, and after one quick trip down, he deemed us ready to move on. Up the magic carpet we went, and back down the hill, learning how to french fry, and pizza. The next trip up, we got to ride the lift! This time learning how to turn, and the hockey stop. It was a busy afternoon, more exhausting than I could’ve imagined! Every ride up the lift was a well deserved break to sit and breathe.
Overall, it was a huge success! Mike turned out to be phenomenal (show off 😂). He quickly became the star student of the class, and loved all of the compliments and attention from the teacher. I did okay, but don’t think that skiing is going to be too often of a venture for me. I did enjoy our free time a little bit more than attempting to do something specific I was told – I think I’m better without the added pressure and eyes on me… Oh well. Glad we went! I’m sure we’ll be back eventually! I can certainly see why everyone loves it so much, though!
Laugh often – Rachel
Simply Stoops 