Yup, that's right...I've got something to brag just a little bit about!
I went to Steamboat Springs for the first time last weekend with a group of friends. We were up there to celebrate my 30th birthday (it was a belated trip, but there's something kind of fun about telling everyone it's your birthday when it's not actually!) and planned to ski 2-3 days. I have to say, just driving into the town told me that it was going to be a great weekend - that town and surrounding valley is gorgeous!!!
The condo was super cute and was steps away from the ski shuttle, plus the way it worked out, each couple had their own room and I had my own room upstairs! That's not really the way it was intended (there were supposed to be a few more on the trip) but in all honesty, it was nice not to have to share my room.
The skiing was great on both Friday and Saturday. We found a few places that we learned to stay away from - it was both icy and heavy, which made it almost impossible to turn - but once we bounced back to the other side of the mountain, it was bliss! There were some tree runs which even I enjoyed, because they weren't ridiculously tight and the snow was nice and soft. There were some bump runs, although nothing quite as crazy as the bumps you find at WP or Copper. Then, on Saturday, came the part I'm going to brag about - the steeps.
My friends are amazing skiers. No, really A-MAZING. I've learned a ton from them and they push me just hard enough to continue improving. But on Saturday, we skied past the double black chutes so that I could look down them...and I decided in that moment that looking down them was all I needed to do. It was so steep that I couldn't get close enough to see exactly how steep it was!! My heart started racing just at the
thought of jumping off one of those headwalls (translate: cliffs).
So...the guys went on down the double black while the three ladies decided to head over to a more reasonable (translate: nearly flat compared to what we'd just looked down) black mogul run in order to get down the mountain.
And then came the lift conversation where I said I'd at least go look at it again. There were instructions given about what to do (watch D's line, lean way forward, and if all else fails, go all the way across the run rather than try to keep a line), then our fearless leader went first to demonstrate. I was still too far away to see it, because I honestly didn't want to get any closer. Then, my friend's wife went...and I've been skiing way longer than she has! As soon as she went over the edge I said,"Well, now I HAVE to do it!" (Note - my competitive side does sometimes get the better of me). She did a beautiful job of her run with only a small tumble right at the very end.
Then, it was my turn. DUN-DUN-DUNNNNN. I dropped over the edge, hit a bad bump, and immediately popped out of both of my skis.
Figures.
So imagine being at the top of a run that is on a 66.7 degree slope without your skis. Not especially good news! At least the skis didn't escape, and A dropped in to help me get back in. He told me "getting back into skis on a slope this steep is a whole different ballgame". And then he realized that I was literally trembling between the fear and the adrenaline!
(Straight on shot of the chute run)Fortunately, when you fall right at the top, you have a chance to (A) realize what it's like to fall and it's not completely horrible, (B) understand that if you have to, you can take your skis and slide down on your bottom because it's not THAT steep that you couldn't and (C) realize too that now you're in, you do actually have the skills to ski the rest of the slope!
And what do you know, that's just what I did! I looked a little like a Mexican jumping bean because my jump turns were a little exaggerated (probably from all that adrenaline), but I didn't fall again and even managed to connect a couple of my turns!!
(From more of an angle - see skier partway down)It was a crazy thing...and also ridiculously exhilarating. I've never skied better than I did on the very next run, because after something that extreme, everything else suddenly seems like cake!
(R, Me, and A with the chute behind us!)So that is my story...thanks for letting me brag a little bit about overcoming something that was so scary to me! And if you ever need a trip, I HIGHLY recommend Steamboat...I hear it's just as nice in the summer as it is in the winter...and do check out Strawberry Park Hot Springs if you go!
