My list of things to do before I die has just gotten a little shorter – I went snowboarding for the first time yesterday! Ben & I made our way out to Squaw Valley with my co-worker, Honey, and her husband, Jasen. Yesterday was a busy day at Squaw – they were hosting the 48Straight Jeep festival – including Live Concerts, Street Parties, Fashion Shows, Film Festivals and Jeep King of the Mountain Ski & Snowboard Cross Racing and Halfpipe Competition. We didn’t spend much time in the village though, so we missed most of the crowds and events.
Snowboarding was incredibly challenging – I spent the first hour and a half on my butt. It was the first time for Honey & myself, so we opted for the lift package that included a lesson. Our day began with a 22 year old instructor providing safety instructions, telling us how to put on our boards, and teaching us the most basic of basic moves. The first thing we learned was skating, which proved to be one of the most challenging tasks for me the entire day. I couldn’t really master the whole staying up thing… I was down within a few minutes of getting back up. Even though I wasn’t very good and my boots were a half size too small, I was sticking with it through my lesson. I think the instructor recognized how awful I was and spent a bit of one-on-one time with me. I was determined – pushing through the frustration & embarassment – swallowing my pride and getting back up after falling… that is until I fell on my tailbone, basically the exact same spot as my injury last year. Nearly in tears, I decided to take a break. I took off my board, swapped out my boots for a larger size and sought out some lunch.
After lunch, with energy regained, we headed back out on the mountain – this time with Ben as my instructor. Having the one on one time with someone who was willing to hold my hand down the mountain really helped me understand the board a bit better and gain confidence to try new things. It was a little like having training wheels. After a few practice runs with Ben I felt better about my ability and tried it on my own. The day ended with the setting sun and another nasty fall on my tailbone. Even with the injury, I felt accomplished. I’d made it down a green run all by myself… it was a good day.
As tired as I was, Saturday night was not a restful sleep. I kept having dreams about snowboarding as the soreness of my muscles was settled in during sleep. Fast forward to Sunday, and boy am I sore! Everything hurts – I could barely get out of bed this morning. Even my fingers are stiff and sore. Between the sore muscles and a bruised tailbone, today is going to be incredibly slow moving. But I’m so ready to try it again – just not today.
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