Skiing!

I went skiing this past weekend. this is a momentous occasion, because i am still alive to write this post. let me give you a little back story about my only skiing experience before this weekend...

time vortex

the year was 2007 (i think). i went skiing with my mom's boyfriend's (Mik) family out in Boone, because Mik's son went to App-State. So, i trying skiing for the first time, and let's just say i spent more time on my back and/or sides than i did upright on the skis. I had a nasty habit of falling... all the time. I just couldn't get my head around how to make this work. on top of that, after a long day of falling, there was a blizzard that night/evening. we were staying in a rather remote cabin, which was first up a steep hill, then down again to get to this cabin by road/drive way. oh, and did i mention that there was a 6 month old baby with us? now, for reasons that are still unclear, i was elected to carry this baby up the steep hill, in the snow, to get to the house. it was not fun. those are my memories from skiing last, so clearly, it was not the most positive experience i have ever had.

Regardless of that trauma, I went skiing with Kelly and her family (and her brother's friends) this past MLK weekend. I am proud to report i fell minimally. 7 times the first day, 5 of which were on the first run down. 3 times the second day, and 2 times the last day (one of which was due to me going off an ill-conceived jump in their trick course section). I deem that progress.

we were in Snowshoe, West Virginia

Believe it or not, i actually enjoyed myself a lot, once i got the hang of it. It took a great deal of concentration during all of it though; i couldn't let up on the focus for a second, without risking falling. but still, i enjoyed myself. here are some lovely scenic pictures.

skii boots hurt. as much fun as skiing was, these were the antithesis of that. i do not want to have to ever put these on again, if avoidable. bummer they are required for skiing...

first ride up. i didn't fall.

scenic frozen lake at the bottom of the mountain. i wanted to go ice skating on it, but i was vetoed.

same scenic frozen lake, but viewed from the top of the mountain.

evidence that i did this.

so, you can see the rest on the Picasa album that i have online. all-in-all, it was a good weekend, and i am glad that i went. :)