You know how people always say that you never forget how to ride a bike? Well this year I discovered that that idea does not apply to snowboarding. After two whole winters of never quite making it onto the slopes, I decided that it was time to get back into the game. A fortnight ago (clever word, eh?), I set out to re-master this fantastic sport. If I had known how many times I would fall that day, even just in the first run, I would have worn more padding and probably a helmet. It seemed like every 10 feet I was flat on my back. Or my stomach. Or an awkward, twisty amalgamation of the two.
It was beyond frustrating. I mean, it's not like I had never been snowboarding before. I wouldn't say that I was a pro, but at least I only used to fall once or twice in a day. It was ridiculous, and also very humbling. But you know what the worst part was? Once I had realized that my boots were too loose, and had tightened them accordingly, it fixed half of my problems. Of course, that didn't put me back on top of my game, but it certainly helped a lot.
With all of this in mind, when my alarm went off at 6 am, I didn't want to go snowboarding. But since it's actually a class I'm taking, I dragged myself out of bed and somehow made it onto the bus right before it left. When we arrived at the Bluewood, I stalled for as long as I could and still keep my dignity. But eventually, I had to go up the ski lift. So I gave myself a mini pep-talk and made my way up to the top of the mountain, where I promptly fell over and was in the same predicament as before, embarrassing myself in front of everyone passing by on the ski lift.
But today was going to be different. I decided that I wasn't going to make excuses or be afraid anymore. And I wasn't. By the end of the day I was carving down black diamond runs, riding up walls, and even trying out boxes and rails. I not only regained all my previous confidence and skills, but I learned some ones in my lesson. I started the day reluctant, but by the end I didn't want to leave.
What's the point of all this? You might be asking yourself that. Maybe I just wanted to tell you about my day. Or maybe the day was just begging to be written about. Either way, draw your own lessons or conclusions. All I know is that I proved myself wrong today. You never truly forget how to ride a snowboard.
