my first time

snowboarding. it was my first time snowboarding and as much as i try, i will never forget it. i grew up in warm weather. when i vacationed, it was to warm weather. snow was not something i was used to and i was pumped to experience it and snowboard for the first time. i asked friends who frequent the slopes for opinions on skiing vs snowboarding. everyone advised i ski first. so what did i do? snowboard. in fact.. looking back on it i may have done just the opposite of all the advice i got.

lessons they said, take lessons. i should have listened. i was easily swayed out of taking lessons and even more easily swayed to hop inside of a gondola to the top of a mountain before even learning how to strap by boots into a snowboard. ok, it’s not what was i thinking, it’s more like i wasn’t thinking. 

i was all smiles before i knew what i was getting myself into




as we started ascending up a snow covered mountain my eyes continued to widen with every inch closer we got. once the gondola doors opened, a part of me decided to protest and was not going to leave that gondola. the other part of me got up and got out while making a terrible attempt to play it cool. unfortunately the fear followed me out. this was only the beginning.

it was cold, there was more snow than i had ever seen before, i had layer after layer on and i had moon boots attached to my feet which were inconveniently attached to a board. i had no idea what i was doing. the group i was with all knew how to snowboard and had been many times, so they took off down the mountain. i was given a pointer or two and made attempt #1 to stand. it ended shortly after with a face plant in the snow, followed by many more falls, trips and crash landings.

i was bad. real bad. the worst part was i had no idea how to get better. no tricks, no skills and no knowledge. what could have been a 15 minute ride down the mountain took me over an hour. that’s over an hour of falling over and over again into snow, by myself. i don’t use this word lightly, but i was very near misery. when i was about half way down with a banged up and bruised body, i decided i was going to just slide down. my bum was covered in snow already so why not. and so i did. that’s how i got down my first mountain. i slid down it like a slide. i had no shame.


once down, i met up with the group to have a quick bite to eat. they all had been down multiple times already and were having a ball. then there was me. make up running all over my face from my numerous face plants and struggling to walk from the soreness of all my not-so-graceful falls. at this point i was determined. after a quick refuel, i had to try again.

my second attempt wasn’t any better. i road up the gondola with the group and they all decided to go down a blue. that wasn’t happening for me so there i was again, on my own, still not knowing what i was doing. it was dark already by this time and it was snowing. snow storm kind of snow. as everyone i was with disappeared down one side of the mountain i debated going down at all. i could not see a thing. nothing. knowing there was only one way to get down that mountain, i took a deep breath and went for it. 

there wasn’t a soul in sight. the mountain was completely empty and i was more scared than i have ever been. then, out of nowhere i saw two people sitting on the mountain. words can’t describe my excitement with any justice. my heart over filled with joy. i was not alone after all. i approached the two skiers asking if the mountain was closed which seemed logical to me. but really i just wanted a buddy incase i fell off the mountain into a snowy abyss. if no one knew what happened, no one would know to come looking for me. i needed a witness. 
it was still snowing heavily and was incredibly dark, it easily could have happened. unfortunately, the encounter did not go how i had planned.

the two sitting in the snow just looked at me. no words, no emotions. just two pairs of wide-eyed stares. so i repeated myself, this time asking if everything was okay. again, no words. just blank stares. the only noise i heard was the roar of the wind blowing snow left and right. i was living in a real life horror story. i decided my fate stood a better chance going down the mountain than it did hanging around the top with the two mutes. i felt like i needed a witness around for my witnesses. so down i went. i was on an extreme adrenaline rush powered by none other than fear.

going down the mountain this time didn’t take near as long. not because i was on my feet more, but because i wanted to get off that mountain as fast as i could. none of my group was at the bottom of the mountain when i got there. they had all made it down already and gone for a second, perhaps even a third run. but i stayed put and waited. that horror film of a ride was a close to my first day snowboarding.


celebrating survival


day #2 started with a lesson from my boyfriend on the bunny slopes. why didn’t i do this the first day? it was still blizzarding out, but i had some idea of what i was doing this go around and it made a world of a difference. my misery instantly turned into a thirst for more. it’s amazing how much more enjoyable snowboarding is when you’re on your feet and not your butt. by days end i was already planning my next snowboarding trip.

the snowboarding crew


before my near death experience on the slopes, i got to explore the charming city of denver a bit. i cheered on the nuggets through two last minute wins and then enjoyed the scenic views of red rocks amphitheater. it was a sight to see sans any performances, i could only imagine how much the venue comes to life at night. well worth the trip to check it out! thanks for a memorable time, denver.

red rocks

go nuggs!

we keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

walt disney

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