I had gone skiing once or twice, but as my first time snowboarding I was really not as worried as I should have been, going up the mountain in the van with several friends from church. It had been a long time since I saw the Western Mountains, so it was quite nice to drive up and take a few pictures as we went of the scenery, the vast landscapes and rugged peaks...which we would soon be sliding down. There was always several small mountain towns dotted here and there that we always traveled through, pretty little places set in among the massive reaches of rock and sky. Going up the mountain was easy.
It was getting down that was the hardest.
We made it to the ski park in good time, and quickly unloaded all of our bags and boxes of 'equipment' from the back of the van, and bringing them inside the large, comfortable ski resort and inn where we would spend the day. Again, nice looking place.
We got to the locker rooms, unpacked. Put on heavier boots and rented our boards. That wasn't too bad, when the young lady working the desk told me quickly but kindly how most of it worked and what to do, so I was in good shape. Even on the lift going up it was easy.
...And there it ended.
I CAN be a fast learner when I want to be. It's not hard at all for me to pick up something, understand it and get a feel for it once I try but a few times. And I DID manage to preform a stunt or two before we left, so I have that on my side. But the first time I went down the slope...it was brutal. Yes, yes, laugh it up.
I'm sure probably already excited enough to hurry on up the mountain and take on some more hardcore slopes, a few of my friends showed me hurriedly how to get ON, and how to move...and then left me to figure it out for myself. Which is fine, I did fairly well I believe...for somebody who had nothing to even work with.
...Very well. I made it maybe.....a quarter of the way down?
Yes, that's it. A quarter perhaps before I got swiped from the side , lost balance and went tumbling into the snow, rolling over onto my back and growling when I heard someone snicker as they flew past. I spat. At least I brought some laughs into somebody's day.
After several more crashes and wipeouts, I DID make it to the bottom...and didn't dare go up again for almost a half hour. But I did go back up again, and tried again. The second time down, I crashed perhaps 5 times. Which was a step up from the first 8 or 9.
....Don't get me wrong, it is fun. By the end of the day I'm sorry we left. It's really not something you can teach and learn by word of mouth anyways, more of a reflex thing...but whatever the case, there was a good deal of fun in testing out my reflexes and balance, not to mention just to see how fast I could go. At some point later on (though it cost me another major crash at the bottom) I managed to streak down at about 55 MPH...which is a LOT when all you're on is a snowboard. (There is a clock and timer they have on the slope sometimes for clocking speed if you ask for it, that's how I knew.)
That was probably the best I did though, manage to go as fast as a far on the highway and totally go for a double backflip at the bottom. On the whole though, it was a great deal of fun, and we left that day pretty happy. Now I have to wait until Nov. to go back! And relearn everything all over again! Ah well...there is some fun in wiping out too, getting absolutely splashed in snow while going 30 MPH! (Found out yet that I'm crazy?)
The only downside is, I still can't move by left shoulder easily. I could barely even get up a few days afterward, though sore, I'm sure it was good for me to use those muscles I've never used before. It will probably be healed by the time we next go back, I've no doubt. North Carolina is one of the few places on Earth where it can be -10 degrees one week and 80 the next, so perhaps sooner than November!
Other than that interesting little adventure, little else except a cold has happened these days. Spring approaches, and quickly...already some things are blooming outside, and goodness, it is good indeed to see some green again! I'll be glad to see the warmth return, snowboarding or not...I'm definitely not one who likes the cold.
I would ask that you continue to pray for my Dad. Some work has come in once more, and so far we're still alive, ("With food and clothing be content," eh?) but all the same some temporary jobs won't hold up forever, and the economy isn't going to get better anytime immediately soon. Thank you.
And other than that....nothing new!
