December
2009
Things People Do When They’re Not in School: Part 5 – Go Snowboarding!0
Wowza. Today was lots of fun.
First stop: Starbucks. I started out the day with some oatmeal and an eggnog latte (’tis the season!).
When we got to Sierra, we got our rentals and paid for my snowboarding lesson.
This is Kyle and me trying to look hardcore. I wouldn’t mess with us!
We realized that we had a few hours to kill before my lesson started, so I decided to try to figure out how the hell to strap myself into my deathtrap (i.e. snowboard), and try to make my way around in the snow as best as I could. Kyle went snowboarding practically every weekend when he was in high school, and even though it has been several years since he has been, he picked it right up again! So he tried to teach me a few things, which only ended in me leaving Kyle (or him leaving me…). Kyle is a very smart person, and he knows the physics and aerodynamics (and whatnot) involved in snowboarding, and he thought that telling me these things would help me learn how to snowboard. As nice as that thought was, it was of absolutely no help (surprise, surprise, right?). I simply didn’t understand anything he said, and was left very frustrated (and bored. I hate science lectures!). After about ten minutes of this, he thought it would be a good idea to just get me on the lift, and he thought I would eventually figure it out. Yeah, that was not going to happen. There was no way in hell I was getting on that lift without first knowing at least the basics. This offended him, but I wasn’t going to budge. I told him to just go without me, as I saw a sparkle in his eye as he was watching people gracefully maneuver down the mountain. He didn’t hesitate for a moment, which was both cute and a little annoying. That was basically the end of my lesson with Kyle.
My snowboarding lesson with the instructor was much more rewarding and a lot less frustrating. The instructor was really great – she knew exactly how to explain how to do things without getting too technical. It was so much freaking fun even though I was falling and flailing about. While I took several spills, only one was a doozy. I was going too fast so I dug my heel edge into the snow, and it stopped me immediately. I fell right on my ass/tailbone, and used my left hand to try to stop the fall (stupid! But trust me, your brain doesn’t work in moments like these). The fall was so hard that it jarred my head a little bit, and I was left with a bit of a headache. My hand actually didn’t hurt me until an hour later when the lesson was over and I sat down with Kyle. Gotta love that adrenaline and those endorphins!
So, guess what? We didn’t even go on the lift during our first lesson. The instructor said that they teach you how to get on/off the lift during the second lesson. Ha! And Kyle wanted me to go on it first thing! Crazy bastard! We did, however, take a shuttle up to the top of the bunny hill, so we got to go down the bunny hill once. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but it was! It was really challenging, but I was having a blast the whole time. Added bonus: it was gorgeous out!
I didn’t get a chance to take many pictures, so you’ll have to take my word for it.
We’re already planning our next trip! I definitely plan on taking more lessons. I can’t wait!