Downhill skiing

Last Friday it winter seemed to have made a comeback. We finally got treated to some fresh snow, and by the time it stopped snowing on Saturday, it had probably accumulated to about 20 cm of fresh snow. Finally! Our friend Kristina had asked earlier in the week if we were interested in going skiing with her on Saturday afternoon/evening. Nolan has saying for many weeks that he is going to take me skiing – something I had never done before. And so it actually happened! On a snowy Saturday afternoon we made our way up to Edelweiss, on the Quebec side. The drive itself was beautiful and helped with my slightly elevated levels of anxiety… When we arrived at Edelweiss, it turned out that we were not the only ones who had thought that going skiing on the first day of acceptable snowfall was a good idea. Deep down, or maybe not that deep at all, I just wanted to turn around after I saw the line up. However, we stuck to it (thanks guys!), and after about 45 minutes we had our passes, and another 10 minutes later I was fitted with skis. My boots were a tad too large, but I didn’t think that would be a problem, and would me keep my toes warm (or, better said: help them warm up again since waiting for 45 minutes with your feet in the snow makes for some very cold toes).

Kris and Nolan helped me getting started and the three of us ventured up the bunny hill. ‘All you do is make sure you slow yourself down and stay in control,’ said Nolan, while Kris demonstrated how you would do that.  Sure, no problem, I though while setting off to go down the hill. But as it turned out, I was unable to slow myself down, or stop for that matter, and it didn’t take long before I had a close-up with the snow. After some struggles to get up, I tried again, and same story. I started to get a little nervous, which is really not helpful and thought that I would never learn! However, during the third attempt something seemed to click, and I was actually able to go down the hill without falling. And I kept going down the hill over and over again, and felt better and better. In the meantime Nolan and Kris decided to tackle the big hill, which was fine. The last thing I wanted was for them to babysit me! Although before he left, Nolan did help me out a lot and had some really good advice. He’s a good skier, but also knows how to pass on words of wisdom. Much appreciated!
I felt quite confident at the end, and would have gone down the bigger hill, but by that time it was dark, and that last thing I wanted to do was lose my confidence.  The only thing I would do differently next time is the boots... They are a little bit on the large size, and to compensate that we tightened them too much, with the result that my lower legs were a little sore at the end and I have swollen ankles. However, they don't hurt and I didn't notice the swelling until after running.
So long story short, I actually really enjoyed it! I have to admit I was a little apprehensive at first, but was glad that they made me do it, and am happy to report that I found a new winter activity that I can see myself doing more often!

I was told I would probably be sore the next day… However, that was not even that bad. My calves were a bit tight, but nothing too crazy and we were able to go running Sunday morning, which felt good. However, today I can really feel my legs and my back is a bit tight as well, so I’ll have to stretch those out tonight. But it was worth it!