Reinventing Myself (Or How I Challenge My Fears)

What could you try for the first time?

I like to reinvent myself. Maybe this is not an accurate description of how I have been living my life. As a friend used to say, I came to this life to challenge my fears…

Sport has always had an important role in my life. I started with collective and “urban” sports like tennis and basketball. In my early 20’s, I started with hot air ballooning, hiking and climbing. While the hot air balloon was a competitive sport, I was not the pilot so it was a team sport. Climbing and hiking were not even sports, but activities. And non-competitive ones, when I started over 35 years ago. That was the whole appeal to me: non-competitive AND outdoors!

I found my real passion when I started rock climbing. Soon I learned the ropes (pun intended!) of high altitude mountaineering and started exploring some of the most incredible and beautiful mountain ranges in the world, including the Andes, the Alps, the Himalayas. I climbed the highest isolated mountain on Earth, Kilimanjaro, in Africa. And Denali, in Alaska. I combined my passion for travel and exploration in one activity.

Soon I started losing friends. High altitude mountaineering is a deadly sport and when my son was little, my husband had cancer and I had lost enough dear friends to the mountains, I decided it was time to stop. No regrets here.

In my early 40’s, living in Canada and with some income to invest in a new activity, I started downhill skiing. My son put his first skis on when he was only three years old. At 14, he was a level 1 ski instructor – typical Canadian. I learned enough to comfortably ski in the confined space of a resort, from greens to blues to blacks and eventually even a couple of double blacks. But I will never be a natural…

In my late 40’s, I switched gears again (pun intended!) and learned to mountain bike. I always knew how to bike. Easy to move to trails, right? Wrong! I thought I would never be able to make a curve in the forest!!! But I eventually learned it. And, at some point, I discovered downhill biking and lift assisted ascents. This new passion brought us to the Okanagan, and changed the way I see biking.

Down a flow trail I see old people turning into adolescents again and enjoying the ride like it was their first time! It’s such a ludic way to enjoy life…

Over a handful of years ago, I bought a stand up paddleboard and have been paddling the last few years, since moving to BC. It’s an easy and low impact activity that brings me to some incredible lakes around the province. And right after covid I kayaked for 100 km, completing the north-south traverse of Okanagan Lake with my son.

Which activity will I pick up next? I don’t know yet, but I’m sure my fears will help me decide…