February 7, 2010

so as anticipated, the alarm went off way too early. we pryed ourselves out of bed, knowning there was fresh powder on the ground. we met with kelby and his girlfriend lizzie and they drove kate and i up to breckinridge through a complete snowstorm to hit the slopes. 

 

kelby and lizzie ski- in fact they are practically olympians in my eyes. kate is learning to snowboard, and doing a great job for her first season. i tried snowboarding once in my life for a weekend at ski brule- i came back with bruises in places i didn't know could bruise. so, do i ski? well, considering the last time i was sking was probably in middle school ski club, when i thought i was a pro-skier going down the black diamond mogules at nordic "mountain", then yes... however, let's fast forward 15 years, and well, breck is in no comparison to nordic---in fact, it's more like a bunny hill, if anything. the ride up to the mountain was an adventure in it's self- who knew you had gondola up, and THEN take another lift up. 

i was promised by all, that there would be no extreme runs, and we would take it easy- which i have to say, was obeyed ...up until our second to last run, when suddenly i found myself on top of one of the highest peaks, with a sign saying  'black diamond' --- that may have been the moment when i looked to kelby with complete horror that i was going to have a heart attack right then and there. that was also the moment i was thankful for the helmet that was lent to me by ash, for i pushed myself downwards to face my fear of ice, speed, and heights all in one rush  praying i'd have all limbs in tact by the end of it. somehow- the only damage that was done were the numerous bumps n' bruises that have since appeared from the day.

thankfully i had kelby and lizzie's patience and encouragement, because without that i would never have made it down, in fact i'd probably be a frozen eskimo stuck in an avalache. the best part of the whole run? kate at the end of the hill waiting with a blue moon in hand, while i came to a complete stop on my butt. great form.

after surviving my first ski trip on a real mountain, we were all in dire need of refueling our bodies. so, what better choice than some mexican eats? mi casa, for some guac and gritas. yes, what a perfect end to such a wonderful day. thank you all for the memories that i'll forever have of being at breckenridge, and surviving all the runs! 

xoxo, 

simon.