On Saturday and Sunday, I moved an item from my regrets list to my accomplished list. I always wanted to ski down a mountain with my son. It was a dream I have had for a long time.
In the 1980s and 90s, I learned to Telemark ski. It was something I greatly enjoyed and was a challenge to learn. My ski friends told me that it is a skill not obtainable without at least a hundred falls. I did not count, but that is probably accurate. The Telemark turn requires a perfect balance of weighting and edging of skis. Too much weight back and you fall on your keister. Too much forward and you plant your face in the snow. Uneven weight on the skis and they tangle and throw you down the slope. I learned by trial and error and a few tips from good friends. My skill reached its zenith the winter I lived in Park City, Utah. I was able to ski 2 or 3 times a week for 4 months.
Tyler learned to downhill ski on the small hills in Michigan. But after a trip to Breckinridge, Colorado for his high school senior trip, he learned his home state slopes were no comparison to real mountains. It was one of the reasons he chose the University of Colorado to further his education.
I dreamed of being able to ski with him, but that was not a possibility until now. The last time I skied at a downhill area was 1994 near Banff, Alberta. After that, it had not been a possibility.
So, I planned a trip to Breckinridge this week to ski with my son. The problem however, is the years that passed. My mind still thinks it can do what it did in 1994. But tomorrow, I am 65. Saturday, I had no idea what to expect. The picture you imagine in your mind hardly ever matches up to reality, especially after 27 years. We rode the gondola up to the base and then a lift to the top of our first run. That is where the dream collided with the reality. The dream did not account for the years of rustiness. Nor did it consider the physical age difference. So, about half a dozen backwards, sideways, and face-plant falls down the blue run we were on, the reality hit with a face full of cold snow.
Starting out on a blue run, something that would have been no problem years earlier, was a little beyond my current ability. I was re-learning the technique, plus discovering that my right leg did not have quite enough strength yet for a right hand turn. It is kind of hard to work you way down a slope if the only turn you can confidently make is to the left. Tyler and his girlfriend Taylor, were very patient with me as I worked my way down.
I needed to stick to the green runs until I could get my confidence and technique back. At the same time, the more difficult run and ensuing falls sapped my strength. So I learned 3 things. I need to start out on easier terrain, I did not have the strength and spring I enjoyed as a 38 year old. On the positive side, I definitely conquered any fear of falling on my newly replaced hip (this last one will cause my mother to have a fit, as she told me not to even shovel snow out of the driveway for f ear of falling on slick pavement with a resulting dislocation).
Sunday was a better day. We cruised down some long green runs, tiring, but completed with no falls. I skied with my son, no regrets there and will do so again, after some strength work on my right side. I am still in Colorado and will spend a few days Nordic skiing, more on that later.
Starting All Over 