I have never tried skiing before. To be honest, I’ve spent the last many years loathing every flake that fell, since I became old enough to accept the responsibility to shovel it. When one has to shovel snow, all that is accomplished, after 3-4 hours of shoveling, is moving snow from one place to another. While it needs to be done, I find it very unrewarding (although I do use the time to get caught up on various podcasts that I don’t have time to otherwise listen to.)
So, when my friend, Katie, said she’d teach me how to ski, this was something we had to talk about! I’ve always enjoyed being an active person (walking, biking, roller skating, etc.,) but the cold… I really don’t like it. So, I did a bunch of research about the gear I needed. It can be expensive, so I bought most of it on Amazon, but a few things locally too. If you want to try it, I would advise getting at least your own ski pants, jacket, helmet, and goggles, so you know how your clothes fit and how free you are to move around.
Katie was a ski instructor in Colorado for several years, so I felt like I was in good hands. She was exceptionally kind and patient with me. I heard all day about “pizza!” (That’s when you put your skis like a pizza slice so you can stop.) I wish these things had a brake like roller skates! Hahaha! My experience was very exhausting, but very rewarding.
We went to Elk Mountain in Union Dale, Pa. There are a few mountains to ski in our area, but we chose Elk because it was the highest mountain nearby, with other choices being Montage (not so high,) and Camelback (busier.) Being that we were there during the day, it was busy, but not crowded. Our lift tickets were good until 4:30, and by then, the older after school crowd started appearing.
The pics and videos below document my day on the slopes. I haven’t had the opportunity to get back on the mountain yet, but I hope to do so in the next few weeks, before the spring thaw hits.
