Be Happy : #13- Learning to SKI

So as I have mentioned a few times recently learning to ski is on the list for this winter. I have been talking about learning to ski forever. We never really skied growing up except we had this old pair of cross country skis that I used to put on and go down a hill in our back yard. When I finished university every winter I would say I should learn to ski. As much as I thought it would be fun I never ever got around to it. It was a must for the list. This was the perfect thing on the list that I hoped I could convince a few of my friend to help me with. And that I did; I’ve enlisted a few friends from work and I have a weekend booked at Calabogie Peaks. That will be next weekend but I figured I better try my skills out on a hill so I didn’t break something the first time I hit the hill and ruin everyone’s weekend.

Last night my friend Emily took me for my first time, to a local ski hill In Alice. There is a winter carnival going on in the area this weekend so it was free skiing and $10 rentals making for a relatively cheap evening - if I hated it I wasn’t out much money.

So we picked up the rentals first. Ski boots are extremely difficult to walk in- I felt foolish walking in them and thought I must be doing something wrong. Emily assured me everyone looks funny walking in ski boots. When I thought about it I figured how I looked walking in ski boots was likely to pale in comparison to how I would look stumbling down the ski hill ass over tea kettle which I was certain would occur before the night was out.

So rentals on, lift tickets attached to ski pants, and we were off . We head out to the little hill where lessons are usually conducted. We walk up to the lift. Alice has a t-bar lift and poma lift at a small hill. We went to the poma lift first. After I get my skis on- which was no small feat in and of itself- I watch Emily grab onto the poma lift with great ease and agility. That looked simple enough. Think again… So I grab it with my right hand and feel as though my arm might be pulled from its socket so quickly let go stumble a bit, skis lift off ground and I appear to flail a bit…that can’t be right? The guy running the lift is in stitches (thank you sir that’s very helpful!) So I realign my skis and try the next one and manage to hang on this time still feeling like it’s an awful jolt. We make it a little ways up the hill. Emily dismounts first, again with great agility and ease. I let go, lose balance a bit but with some serious arm waving and flailing (lucky I didn’t impale poor Emily with my poles) I manage to stay up right. Emily gives me some basic instructions. Lean on the left foot to turn right, lean on the right foot to turn left (or maybe it was the other way around?), Keep your knees bent, don’t go to fast etc. looks easy enough. She shows me a move she calls the snow plow, an easy way to go back and forth across the hill without gaining too much speed and getting used to being on skis. The first time down was okay. I stayed upright and stayed going slow.

The next time we went up I picked up speed way too quickly skis crossed in the front (apparently a big no no) and I fell on my ass but didn’t stop. I decided to call that the “butt plow”. Cue uncontrollable laughing. Picture me going at a decent speed, basically sitting on my ass on the back of the skis laughing uncontrollably. I eventually remember a friend told me you have to throw yourself to the side to make yourself stop. I did this and finally stopped. Emily comes racing down the hill- are you okay she says- I’m laughing so hard and all I can say is I hope you got that on video. The next biggest challenge was getting up. I had fallen in the middle of a steeper part of the hill so as soon as I shifted my weight back on to the skis I would start to move. I then would just sit back down because I didn’t know what to do once half way standing and moving and losing control again. Emily wasn’t sure how to explain to get up so we eventually just took my skis off and walked to the bottom. Not to be discouraged, we did a few more trips up and I was getting a bit better still falling about half the time but was making progress. We decided to do one more round on the poma lift then would try the T-bar. On the poma lift you can get off at a number of different locations. About halfway up I called back to Emily “Do you want to go right to the top this time” , “sure” she said. I promptly hit a bit of a dip in the trail, lost control fell off the poma lift and decided right there was a good enough spot to get off.

To the T-bar. I finally decided we should do a couple of runs on the bunny hill and conquer the T-bar. The T-bar itself is no easy feat. My biggest fear was falling off of it and not being able to get up with my skis on and just being in everyone’s way. They have all these signs on the way up saying “Fallen skiers- exit track immediately” Yeah right! easier said than done I would think.

Emily was a great instructor though and we made it to the top intact. As we were heading down the second little hill on this trail I said “Hey Emily I really think I’m getting the hang of this!” The words were honestly not even out of my mouth when I promptly lost control and fell on my ass again. “Deserves me right for getting too cocky” Emily said. Luckily I was on a flat part and got up pretty easily.

Anyway I made it the rest of the way down without too much to do and did one more run of that bunny hill before we called it a night. Though I don’t expect to be doing moguls or jumping anytime soon I’m certain it’s a winter activity I could grow to love. The wings and beer afterward were a nice treat too. Can’t wait for our girls weekend away!