I skied! I skied! I skied!

Clearly, there is much excitement over this.

After what we'll politely call my utter and abject failure in Park City four years ago, there was a certain amount of trepidation involved in skiing again.  But I was determined to accomplish what had eluded me last time:  actually skiing down a ski run.  Without stopping every few minutes for instruction.


And I did it!  (And it was a much longer run than the run I never got to ski in Park City, too!)  Much joy!  It was actually pretty fun, too.


(It was fun because ski school at Northstar in Tahoe is way better than ski school was at Park City.  Rather than just having a little space roped off, they had a whole learning area with hills groomed at just the right incline for the best practicing.  So, I got that whole uncontrolled speed thing more-or-less under control.  And my instructors were really helpful when I told them about my previous knee issues, so made sure I was holding myself correctly.  And the fact I ended up with kids' boots probably helped too.  Also, that there was a lot less me for me knees to hold up.)  So, after my two-and-a-half hour lesson, I could either take the gondola lift back down the mountain or try the whole "Village Run."  And, I was a bit tired, but my knees were doing ok, and this is what I was freakin' here for, and no guts, no glory, and all that rot.  So, (after hiking back for my sweater, which I'd left back in the snow in the practice area), I plopped on my skis and set off down the mountain. 


I'm sure I looked like the insane beginner I am (weaving back and forth across the slope while little kids just sailed straight on by at twice the speed), but, dammit, I did it.  Didn't fall.*  Didn't stop.  Didn't even wildly lose control.  And had fun.


Go me.  :)






*OK, I fell once in the whole day, but I have it on good authority that it didn't count.  I was wearing my skis at the beginning of the lesson, and the instructors told us to take off our skis and walk over to the lesson area.  So, I poked at the release thing with my pole, missed, and ended up toppling over.  We're all in agreement that falling down while taking off your skis does not actually count as falling down skiing.