Despite living in Colorado for a year and half, my experiences with skiing and snowboarding before moving to Park City were not super numerous. My dad tore his ACL skiing when I was a kid so, as a result, our family trips tended more towards beaches than mountains.
I learned to ski when I was 22 when I went to Breckenridge with a bunch of fellow USOC interns. Interestingly enough, that is also where my dad tore his ACL. So, I learned to ski at the same place where my dad ended his skiing career.
First time skiing...gotta love the '80s ski pants I found at Goodwill for $12.
My first time skiing consisted of a fellow intern going up the chairlift to the top of the bunny hill with me, telling me there wasn't much she could teach me, then her skiing off to another run. So, I did the bunny hill over and over again, watching other people and just doing what seemed like it was right. By the end of the day, she talked me into going down a blue run with her. I did pretty decently until I fell and couldn't figure out how to put my ski back on.
Despite ending my ski day on a low note, I was talked into returning to the ski hill by my lovely friends Ruth and Steven Moll, who lived in Denver at the time. We went to Loveland Ski Area a few times and had a very relaxing, fun couple of ski days.
On one of our trips to Loveland, Ruth and I decided to go up to the top of the mountain to try out a blue run we had seen on the map. Due to terrible visibility and our less-than-expert knowledge of the ski area, we somehow ended up going down a black diamond. That remains to this day the most challenging terrain I have tackled on skis. And it probably looked like I was physically trying to tackle the ski hill the entire tire since I pretty much slid down the entire run on my ass.
My next adventure in skiing occurred when my sister decided to visit me in Colorado for spring break. I had the brilliant idea of taking her skiing. So, we drove through lots of nature for several hours to Monarch Mountain. After getting rental skis and equipment, we headed to the bunny hill. Now, if you know my sister, you know that sometimes she gets worked up very quickly. After falling a few times on the bunny hill, she pretty much decided she was done. I finally yelled at her at one point in time: "Can't is the cancer of happen!" This was a crazy Charlie Sheen phrase that we had been laughing at a few days earlier. Fortunately, it made her laugh and she eventually got the hang of the bunny hill!
Skiing sistradres at Monarch Mountain
After moving to San Diego, I didn't ski for awhile. There were ski resorts a couple of hours away, but when it was 70 degrees and sunny out in January, skiing wasn't in the forefront of my mind.
Fast forward a year. After getting laid off and taking a job at the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, I found myself in Park City, Utah. And something magical happened.
After the first snowfall of the year, all I wanted to do was ski. Even though it'd been a year or so since I'd been on the slopes, it felt like yesterday that I had heard the wind as I wound my way down a run. I anxiously awaited the resort opening dates and, a few weeks after opening day, made my way to Park City Mountain Resort with my friends Korey and Ashley.
Back in the saddle again!
Now, it's January and I'm skiing at least twice a week. I bought my own ski boots, then caved and bought my own skis a few days later. My friend Julia and I frequent night skiing at PCMR to sneak in a little bit of ski time after work. I've had two ski days with my coworkers in my department. And every single time, I just love it. My quads may be burning at the end of the day and I may have a knack for falling and injuring my hands, but it's just FUN!!
First day out on my own skis at Deer Valley
Also, I got smart and bought a helmet. PSA for a moment - please wear a helmet when participating in snow sports!!
So, in short, I love skiing. Even as I sit here writing this, I'm thinking about how much I'd love to be out skiing even though my quads hurt from skiing yesterday and I have to rest for my half marathon tomorrow.
I never thought I'd say this...but can winter please not end???
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