Roadtrip Day 8

by nmj17

I was so excited when I got up in the morning. I had my pre-dawn meal. (I think I had some canned tuna, and leftovers from the dinner I had the day before) I then took a shower and got dressed in my ski gear. I didn’t really like the colour scheme of my ski gear. My ski pants are black and the top is black and… pink. I looked in the mirror one last time before we got out and groaned at how ugly my outfit is but oh well, that’s the only thing available in my size.

Jocelyn drove us up to Coronet Peak. There were so many people there and it was hard to find a parking space close to the skiing place. We had to park further away and walk quite a bit to reach there.

As soon as we arrived, we went to collect our skis/snowboards. Jing and Dean chose to snowboard while Jocelyn and I chose to ski. I chose to ski because it is easier for beginners to pick skiing up. Besides, the thought of having both of my legs stuck to a board is just scary. Falling with skis wouldn’t be as bad as falling with a snowboard I guess.

Before I can collect my ski boots, I had to stand on a mat and then bend my knees a bit to show the attendant my ski shoes size. Then I had to go and collect my skis and ski poles fit for my shoe size and my height.

Wearing the heavy ski boots for the first time and trying to walk in them for the first time was hard. Trying to walk up the stairs while carrying all your ski gear was even harder but I managed to not fall on my face or accidentally stab someone with my ski gear.

Reaching the top of the stairs, I took in the view of Coronet Peak. There were different skiing areas for people with different abilities. Kids and beginners can choose to ski at the flat/gentle-sloped areas while pros can go and take the ski lifts and enjoy skiing down a steep incline. I was amazed by how well some little kids skied and by how some of them were already going down the steep mountains.

Jocelyn and I then wore our helmets, wrist guards and tried to have a quick run in our ski gear. Well, maybe not a quick run, but more of a quick shuffling back and forth perhaps. We both tried to contain our embarrassment as we figured out how to move in skis. It was hard to take the first few steps forward but hey, everyone has to start somewhere right?

During the first half of the ski lesson, the instructor taught us how to use the poles, walk in skis, move forward in a straight line, stop, and do a zig-zag pattern as we go down an incline. Then we had an hour break. Jocelyn, Jing and Dean went to grab lunch while I just sat there and took a quick nap.

During the second half of the ski lesson, we had the opportunity to go up the ski travelator. We then spent the next few hours going down a steeper incline. It was fun trying to figure out how to move down, and move right and left, and to zig-zag. It was also fun trying to make sure you down fall on your butt or run into someone or the fence at the sides.

I can’t count the number of times I went up the travelator and down the incline. Going downhill in skis is actually really fun; picking up a new skill can be hard, but being able to actually do it can be really rewarding. I can now ski, guys!

Now, I need to find some time to learn how to swim.