I am sooooooo proud of myself because two Winters ago I took the plunge and finally learned how to ski. I was born in a blizzard in Newport Rhode Island on Valentines Day, 1962 so my initial thought was: ‘it’s about time I learned’ (Lol). Actually I’ve been wanting to ski for quite some time. Here are some of the reasons why:
1) Being born in the Winter
2) Being born in a Blizzard
3) Being born in New England
4) Looking for something to do on snowy days besides eat
5) Having yet another thing to check off on my Bucket List
Growing up in Groton, Connecticut in the 70’s I especially loved Winter time because there was so much snow back then that inevitably school would get cancelled and me and my 6 brothers and sisters could go outside and play all day. Yay!
I loved Winter sports as a young girl too. I was ice skating, sledding and playing ice hockey with the neighborhood kids so skiing was in my future, I just didn’t know it…
My partner James has skied multiple times in his life so he was happy to hear that I was finally ready to go on a ski date with him.
Ski Date: We set out on a snowy Winter day in February of 2013, right after my 51st birthday. I work out regularly at the Edge Fitness Club in Hamden so I wasn’t worried about my physical ability to ski. I was just a tad bit concerned about learning how to maneuver my way down the slopes without falling and also with how to stop the skis correctly.
We chose Mount Southington in Plantsville, Connecticut because they have 4 beginner slopes for novices like me and because it was such a short drive away for us.
I borrowed James’s mother’s ski jacket, his extra pair of insulated ski gloves and extra ski goggles and his sister’s ski pants. I wore my own ski hat and scarf and dressed in lots of thermal layer undershirts. Wise choice too as we headed out about 10am in the morning when it was still sunny and relatively warm and did not return until much later that afternoon when the weather had turned quite cool.
We checked in, filled out paperwork and paid for a 4 hour Flex Pass. Then we picked up my rented ski boots (which I needed help strapping on) and my rented ski poles. James had his own ski equipment. I felt like a Chunky Monkey with all that gear on, could barely walk but was eager to get started (smile).
Going up the beginner’ slope on the chair lift for the first time was pretty awesome. I also started to get a few butterflies in my stomach knowing that when we finally reached the top, I would be skiing my way back down. At the top of the slope I saw a small group of 7-year-old children getting lessons so I felt comforted in the fact knowing that if they could do it, I certainly could!
Anyway, skiing down the first beginner slope (circles) was easier than I thought. I didn’t get fancy or anything, I simply glided down at a pretty good pace and therefore had no trouble stopping once I made it to the bottom of the hill. We caught the chair lift again and skied down that first slope at least 4 or 5 more times before we moved on to the next level (squares). By now I was starting to feel more confident and even getting a little cocky on the squares which caused me to wipe out a couple of times! However, my adrenaline was flowing and I truly felt like I could conquer the world. It was such an incredible feeling. And highly addictive. We went up and down a countless number of times and by now the air was starting to get real cold, the sky was darkening and my cheeks were beginning to feel numb. It was time to make our way back to the lodge for some hot chocolate and refreshments. Our ski date had ended but the memories, aaaahhh, those would last forever…
Sincerely,
TVFL
