(See more photos from this trip)
What did I do well? I went fast, very fast. Stopping, on the other hand, proved a tad more difficult for this first time skier. My never-been-skiing-either sister, Rachel, met us before we headed out at 10 Saturday morning to rent equipment in Orem before making it to Sundance. David explained that the equipment and prices are always better when rented someplace other than the ski resort (and after the $5 hotdogs I was a believer!).
The entrance to the rental room was in the back of a posh sporting goods store but the restroom was in the front so I spent some of my time running around the building. The helpful employees explained the package options and proceeded to help us locate the necessary equipment. “The ski boot is suppose to fit tight,” they explained, so when the heel of my fat, uh, wide foot had lots of wiggle room the knowledgeable employee handed me an entirely different model shoe. Cool. But since this one seemed to fit even worse and the rest of my party were just about finished with their renting I went with the first pair. The whole process took longer than I had expected, 45 minutes or so for the 3 people needing supplies. I was glad we arrived when we had because I would have hated to be part of the line that formed behind us. Some advice, do not over-tighten the boot knob in an effort to compensate for heel freedom; it only serves to cut off vital blood flow to the leg.
So with boots, poles and slender pieces of composite material, we headed off. In an effort to ward off the cold I did what any supply-lacking, warm-blooded (and intelligent) person would do: I dressed in layers. Unmentionables, long johns, jeans and sweatpants covered my bottom half while the turtleneck, shirt, sweater and coat engulfed my top. Now, you can laugh, but of all the things I was that day, I was not cold. Parking provided a practice-run in skiing. We were directed to park in an obscure location and given the option of skiing down a steep hill to the lift or “hike” down to the road to catch a bus of sorts. I thought the steep hill suggestion was a joke offered by the glove-less traffic director but marks in the snow proved otherwise. I’m sure the fact that we decided to go skiing on a holiday weekend at Sundance during the Sundance Film Festival had nothing at all to do with the crowds. Still, compared to Disney World, it was nothing.
Hiking downhill in skis and/or ski boots is probably doable if you are familiar with how to ski. Much to the amusement of others, my sister and I spent most of our time learning how to get up. Once we made it to the road it did not take long to board and be dropped off near the park’s entrance. We waited in line to exchange our vouchers for lift tickets. Most people were purchasing lift tickets, which come in either half or full day allowances. I concluded that I would probably only make use of a half-day ticket. Why? Because it’s extra cold in the morning so I wouldn’t make it out as soon as the park opened and then after all the physical excursion and injuries to be had, a full day would be cut short. Nope, half a day would be long enough for this beginner. A word of advice, we were given a thin metal triangle and a sticker that made up the ski lift pass. Attach the metal device onto the zipper of your outer coat and then cover the device’s opening with the adhesive ski lift pass. This way it doesn’t fall off while you’re cursing/tumbling down the mountain.
Now, not everyone in the party was to be skiing this day. David would be taking photos and Jenny and Xanthe were going to be snow boarding. Jenny has had a bit of practice and enjoys this high-speed balancing sport but Xanthe was as inexperienced at snow boarding as a baby is to crawling. After her first frustrating, long and painful trip down the slope she traded Aaron for his skis. It worked out perfectly really, my husband had a great time bruising his caboose (literally) and Xanthe enjoyed staying upright.
Watch out for the ski lift. It consists of benches that fit 3-4 people. (Neat side note: Sundance’s lift is operated on wind energy!) That seat will come up on your fast and knock you right over if not careful. I found the key was to be positioned in front of the bench, in a row with your companions and ready to sit before it comes around. The first time for me was rough because the workers won’t stop the machine for anything!
Going up the mountain was as inspiring as skiing down it is exhilarating! If you hold your breath and ask your companions to shush, there is just crisp cold, white snow, sturdy evergreens peaking out from beneath and an amazing presence of silence. It’s gorgeous.
The lift exit comes up quick and I had to watch the people in front of me sliding off to know that I wasn’t intended to continue all the way up the mountain. Getting off the lift proved pretty easy because you just have to give a little hop down and you’re there! Seeing that the benches then quickly rise up left me with no worry about being hit in the back of the head.
Most of the first trip down was spent getting back up after a fall. The concern about breaking an ankle was lessened after I found that the boot would disconnect from the ski when I fell at a threatening angle. There are only two down sides to this. 1) The ski can slide away from you while it is detached and 2) getting the boot clicked back in is a challenge when just standing is difficult. Still, I got the hang of it. I found that leaning some of my weight onto my poles made it easier.
Back on my feet, I’m cruising down this mountain, trying to keep the snow off my glasses when the next thing I know is that I have to find the beanie because it belongs to someone else. It took several seconds to gather enough of my wits to realize my glasses were missing. By this time pain was spreading from the side of my face, which had apparently made contact with the ground, throughout the rest of my head. This was bad. What a hard fall! Was there blood? No. Glasses were still intact and I spotted the beanie several feet away. This was it; I was not going to go down again. Or would I?
I made it down the rest of the mountain by falling whenever the trees zipped by too quickly. Speed wasn’t so much the problem as not knowing how to slow down! I was trying everything people suggested but it just didn’t seem to work for me! Unfortunately, the last slope is the steepest but dropping my rear and going down on three “skis” made it possible.
Everyone in our party met up at the foot of the hill and shared stories. Xanthe had a rough time on the snowboard but Jenny had stayed with her. Aaron wanted to try the snowboard and Rachel had also fallen a lot. Everyone prepared to head down a second time and I just had to go again, I couldn’t waste a ski lift pass! But oh how my head hurt!
No lift mishap the second time around had me feeling like we were off to a good start. Aaron spent most of his time falling down the first slope but it was good practice for him. Apparently, snowboarding presents quite a challenge. Xanthe was managing well on her skis and Rachel seemed to be falling less.
As for myself, I rationalized that I would dedicate the first few, more level slopes to improving the slowing techniques. Things did not go as planned. I couldn’t slow down! Now, at first the speed is exhilarating. How could it not be? I could feel the cool air whipping around but it just felt crisp and wonderful. The skis made the same sound like they do on TV and I suddenly understood adrenaline junkies. However, “You’ll have to stop sometime,” became conscious and I wanted to cry. Thank goodness I could steer! Leaning to one side and the other came so natural. Avoiding gazing bystanders and using the zigzag technique to dampen gaining speed I shot down the mountain. The resolved to fall in order to stop was painful but what else could I do? So that would be the plan, stay upright (but crouched to maintain some control) until the very last slope and throw myself on the mercy of the land. That’s just what I did.
Upon seeing someone speeding down the mountain, David began to snap photos from the bottom of the slopes when suddenly, a cloud of dust. After realizing whom it was he was considerate and tried to keep the laughing to a minimum. But I didn’t care, for all that mattered at that point was: I hadn’t hit my head! What fun.
Careful contemplation concluded that I owed it to society to not go down again until I’d learned how to slow down and stop. So I took the advice offered earlier and joined the tiny kids on their little slopes to practice. I felt a little like Will Ferrell in Elf at Santa’s shop. Still, the skills improved and I had a good time.
Everyone else enjoyed themselves too. On her fourth time down Rachel proudly announced, “I didn’t fall this time and I even went faster!” I was just a tad bit jealous. If I get a chance to do it all over again I will certainly still dress warmly but add waterproof gloves. I will be sure to stay hydrated this next time and to practice practice practice before heading to the big slopes.
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