This past weekend, I went skiing for the first time. Ever. When I try to explain to the natives here that I have never been skiing, they simply cannot believe it. Many Idahoans learn how to ski concurrently with learning how to ride a bike. I might be a little behind the curve. Anyway, three of my Beta brothers here took me to a ski resort in McCall, Idaho called Brundage. Taking the 4-hour trip from Moscow was my first time away from the Palouse area, or the rolling hills characteristic of this section of North Idaho. I got to see farms, mountains, and valleys on my way down.
Luckily, one of my brothers had a condo in McCall, which was very convenient for us.
The next day we drove to the mountain, and instantaneously I was awestruck by the scenic views, as well as how fast skiers were coming down the mountain. One of the guys helped me through the basics on the bunny hill, which was very helpful. I was by far the oldest learner on the bunny hill, which made me feel self-conscious at first, but I got over it by thinking, "Hey, I from South Carolina!" Having skis on your feet for the first time is a strange feeling, and took some getting used-to.
Surprisingly to the people around me, ski-lifts are pretty scary the first time. I know, it seems ridiculous, but the chairs come in fast and then they go really high. After the guy helping me grabbed my coat and pulled me forward so I could make in to the chair in time, I knew I had to learn quickly.
Turning back and forth down a steep hill was the hardest thing to learn, and took me the rest of the first day to do so.
After the first day, I was totally exhausted, and was extremely sore the next morning, but I still strapped on my gear. The second day was better because I already had the basics down. I spent the day on a much higher, more difficult section and did surprisingly well.
I really enjoyed my time skiing, and I hope I get to do it again.
