Skiing is a huge thing in Switzerland. With the Alps all around us, most people learn to ski when they are 3 years old. Skiing is so big that they get a ski break (1-2 weeks) off from school to take advantage of the slopes all around them. So off to the mountains I went with Mama C and the kids. We stayed with a family friend in Falera, Switzerland. It is absolutely beautiful and a perfect week in the mountains by my standards. It was about nearly 50 degrees every day and there were few clouds in the sky. This meant that I was able to go some amazing hikes and runs (yes you read that right). I got some sun on my face and attempted to reintroduce the sun to my legs as well. It can be described at nothing other than glorious!
Mama C was extremely generous and offered to pay for me to have a private ski lesson. So made the reservations and was asked what level I was at. I promptly responded with "beginner." She looked at me confused and clarified that I meant beginner (remember how everyone learns to ski when they are 3?). I confirmed. The nice lady told me to meet my instructor at the Pony Slope. "You know where the kids ski?" I laughed to myself and said yes.
I was off to the lesson on Wednesday morning. I walked out of the rental place with my skis and within 15 seconds fell backwards. Skis and poles flew and the man from the rental shop looked at me trying not to laugh and asked if I was ok. I quickly gathered myself, nodded, and moved quickly away from the scene. I was off to a great start.
I headed to the PonySlope to start my lesson with a bruised hiney and, in all honesty, not feeling very confident. I was having flashbacks to screaming and tumbling down the mountain a few weeks prior.
I met my instructor. She decided to clarify that I was a beginning and once I confirmed we started. We had the slope to ourselves for the first hour, and then the kids came with their parents. I could do nothing other than laugh at the current situation. I was learning out to snowplow surrounded by kids with the average age of 5. Parents stared confused and I smiled as my instructor held my poles up the t-bar.
The lesson ended and I was feeling good. I didn't fall and I was turning like it was second nature. I spent some time alone on the slope and then headed back to the house for lunch. I wish my story ended there, but because I was feel like so good they gave me their lift pass and I headed to a blue slope (blue is the easiest here). P (the 9 year old boy) came up with me.
The blue slope was not so easy and I was not so confident once I left the kids' slope. No matter how much I knew what I was supposed to do, without the confidence the idea of gaining speed was too much for me to handle. I told P to snowboard down without me. I gave it a try but ended up walking down holding my skis. While I now know the technique to turn and stop, I can't say that I will picking up the sport any time soon.
**I have run into some computer problems and have limited access to a computer at the moment so I am a bit late on any updates/pictures and will be for a couple weeks probably.
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