Snow Hurts

I decided to go snowboarding for the first time a few weeks ago. And I went in telling myself that I wouldn’t quit. No matter what.

After a quick spending spree, getting the necessary waterproof pants and Dominic's Luigi outfit we were set. Get me to thy Stevens Pass.



Well, I took lessons and had this feeling that I wasn’t getting the hang of it yet. But I decided to just go with it - with only a few tears. There was a Mom and Daughter team who quit mid-way through our lesson and looked like, well quitters, because of it. I wasn’t gonna be them! I was gonna tumble down a mountain if it killed me. But hopefully it wouldn't really kill me.

After 2 hours of lessons, Dominic and I took the ski lift. I held on for dear life awaiting my demise. And I should’ve known that things weren’t gonna be good when I immediately fell just getting off the lift. But again, I persevered.

So now I’m on this mountain and I’d go. And I’d fall. I’d get up again. Slide down a little ways and fall. Hard. On my knees. On my wrists. On my butt. Again and again.

I cried. I cursed at myself. And sometimes I laughed.

But I mainly cried because I was scared of falling. Then I started crying because I felt like I was really getting hurt. Days later, I could barely sit without aching. My poor bones hated me. And I had no bruises to show off. So I just had to except the fact that I'm a pussy. A pussy who hit her knees, wrists and butt on cement-like snow at least 5 times a piece.

I thank god for helmets.

---

The one great thing I took away from this experience is that I think doing these kind of activities are a good test for relationships.

Dominic was such a trooper and didn’t get mad once. He stood by me the entire time, telling me that it’s okay. That I’ll get through it. And even pointed out the things I was improving on and how to fix the things I was fucking up. And I wasn’t getting mad at him. I was thankful for his help and patience. We were a team.

When I finally got down the mountain, an hour later, I was done. I tried it and decided it wasn’t for me. It wasn’t really the falling (oh wait, yeah it was) but it was more of sliding down a hill at high speeds. The whole heights thing freaked me out a bit and I just wanted to get to the bottom as fast (but slow) as I could.

The next few hours I enjoyed my hot chocolate and sitting by a fire, while Dominic and Miles took a few more trips down the mountain. Dominic was a total natural and has the snowboarding bug. So we agreed that from now on, I’ll be doing the snowshoeing and he’ll be risking his life on some silly snowboard.

I think that’s fair.