Whistler!!!

I went to Whistler today for a day of skiing. It was awesome!!! I am tired and sore but I had a great time. Who else went? Ed, Yvette, Andy, Jeremy, and Tomo. Others were supposed to come but the CW deadline meant that Kevin, Rico, and Shaun couldn’t come with us. Nevertheless, we all had a fun time on the slopes.

It was a little cloudy in the morning but it cleared up by noon and we had spectacular weather the rest of the day. We were at Blackcomb mountain the whole time. 7th Heaven, Horstman bowl, Jersey Cream, etc. It was all great.

I was initially stiff and pushing at my edges pretty hard to slow myself down. I’m sure if I see a video of myself, I will realize that I am not going fast at all. But it feels fast and I get freaked out so I dig in my edges and totally tire out my legs. I really should relax more when I ski. As the day wore on, though, and the more runs we did, I felt I was skiing better and more relaxed. My “S curves” were smoother and more consistent. After lunch, I was relaxed enough to just let my skis go a bit more. I probably was going faster but it felt okay and I was not freaking out.

One of the last runs we did, we rode the Glacier Express chair and when we got off, we veered left. I didn’t realize until it was too late that all the groomed runs were to the right. Going left meant lots of moguls and loose snow. I found myself in an area that was pretty steep and with some rocks jutting out. I’m sure there was a sign somewhere that marked this as a black run and if I had seen that sign, I definitely would not have come down this way. I looked around and saw Yvette, Andy, and Ed on the “road” below, watching me and cheering me on. They had gone down the part that was packed with moguls, the part I thought was too difficult for me. But now, I found myself in an area just as difficult. I picked the path I would take - the one I thought was the least steep and far from the rocks. I made my way down my chosen path. Then there was no going around it anymore, I had to go down the steep face in order to reach the road they were on. I took a deep breath, encouraged myself to relax, keep my weight forward (i.e. do the pumpkin), and take it one turn at a time. I will eventually get to the bottom. And I did. But, boy, my thighs were burning! And we were at the top of the mountain! The last runs as we made our way all the way down to the base were definitely painful.

But inspite of the pain, I really enjoy skiing - being out there on the mountain, pushing the speed I’m comfortable with, and getting better as I go along. It’s a fantastic way to spend the day!