I Am From Mountains
I am from mountains, at least thatโs what I keep telling myself. I started skiing 3 years ago, and I thought I had mastered everything. I could carve turns, I could ski backwards, I could even do some tricks on small jumps, and I could do almost all the hardest runs at Mt.Hood Meadows, where I normally ski. Today though, this was different. I had been so excited to go on this vacation, heading to a mountain that apparently has amazing skiing. Now that I started skiing however I wasnโt quite so sure.
I stood at the top of a warm up run, and already I could feel my skis sticking to the much thicker than usual snow, it was soft beneath my feet, and whenever I wanted to turn, I would just sink down on one foot and lose my balance, making it extremely difficult to do anything. Okay, here we go! I started down, and immediately I found it very hard to balance, not just to the side, but I also felt myself falling backwards as the powder grabbed my skis. Suddenly, Poof! I fell down, after only making one turn, looking like a beginner.
โJason, are you okay?โ My dad asks, gliding through the snow effortlessly as he always does. โYep, all good,โ I reply, not wanting for him to think that I am struggling. I got back up, luckily my skis didnโt fall off, and I am able to start skiing again. This time I make three awkward turns before falling again, and again, and again. Soon, my dad caught on that I, in fact, was not doing well, and that I did need help. โIn order to ski powder,โ he told me, โYou must try and put your weight evenly between your skis, not just put weight on one at a time like normal. That way you can stay on top of the thick snow easier.โ
That had made some sense to me, but not a lot. How am I supposed to turn if I canโt put weight on my skis? Just as expected, when I tried it, I lost control and fell face first into the snow, losing both of my skis and poles in the process. After I manage to put my skis back on, I look up at the beautiful peak of Mt. Baker, with all of its ridges, peaks, and trees, and I realize today might not be as fun as I thought.
As it turns out, the start of this day was not fun at all. Not only was I unable to ski in the powder and enjoy it, I also got increasingly more wet and exhausted the more basic runs we went down. Before I knew it