You Are Doing Great, Mom!

I can almost define each year of my learning to ski adventure: first year, I was happy enough to go down the chair lift without falling. Green runs were good, blue runs were challenging and black runs were way out of my league. Second year was when blue runs were not a mystery anymore and I was comfortable in blues no matter where I was, but blacks were still very challenging.

This is the third year and all the time dedicated to learn and the money invested in new gear is paying off. Blacks are not a mystery anymore and I even adventured myself into a double black this week!

I still can’t separate my upper body from my lower body, so my turns are not necessarily the most gracious and technically perfect movement, but I keep trying. The thing is, the longer I spend on top of my skis more comfortable I am. I still can remember the feeling of sliding down a hill and how I felt the panic building up, as I couldn’t control that thing.

But the thing is way more controllable and manageable now. We just came from a two days skiing in Whitewater, Nelson, BC. Situated on the Powder Highway, we were lucky enough to be there for the best two days of the season, offering a powder I never experienced before. Tiring, but so special to ride.

Yesterday, we (me and Ian) spent the day at ‘our’ resort, Lake Louise, and it is amazing the difference between the beginning of the season and now. We are now comfortable enough to go almost everywhere and use all the chair lifts. Double blacks are still a mystery but we tried a small one yesterday. My skis came off and I felt, but Ian went down without any problems. It was steep and bumpy but we managed to try it, which is a victory in itself.

Double blacks open up a whole new world in Lake Louise, a world that I will probably have to leave till next season. But more than that, I finished the day thinking about backcountry skiing. I thought I was going to be able to try it after my first year on skis. Three years later, I am getting to the point of trying it but I am not in a hurry.

My son keeps me young and challenges me. As he said yesterday, ‘you are doing great, mom. If you keep coming to (put the name of the run here), you will get better and faster’.