Those words still haunt me. I was 17 years old and a senior in high school. I put on skis for the first time in my life. It was not pretty.
But I was not prepared for how clumsy I’d instantly become. As soon as I pushed off the ski lift, I regretted my decision. I breathed a heavy sigh of determination and headed down the hill. Food, fire and warmth awaited me and I was going to get there.
Push. Stop. Goooooooooo. Stop. Woooahh!! Stop. Push. Stop.
I was going so slow, then too fast, then I fell. I dreamed of pretending my leg was broken so a patrol could drive me down the hill in their snowmobile.
I cursed a little under my breath as I strained to pull myself up. I had a friend coaching me this entire time. “Annie, you are doing great! I was the same way my first time!” I wanted to hurl snow in her face.
Then, those words.
A dad flew by with his 5 year old daughter. As she zoomed past me on her own set of skis, he said that phrase. That awful phrase. To his baby girl. “Look honey! You are doing better than she is!”
I didn’t know whether to be embarrassed, mad, or hate myself for my clumsiness. I forgot everything I learned in our little ski school that morning and just tried to get down the dang hill.
I am so glad I gave it a chance. That father might have been trying to help give his baby girl confidence, but it shook me. It also told me the importance of getting my children to try new things when they are young. At places like Mammoth Mountain in California you can enroll your kids in classes and they even have intertubes for going down the hills! I’d choose the tubing. Totally.
Mammoth Mountain is where I want to take my kids really soon. This resort has every kind of amenity and class you can think of. They have childcare for babies, classes for young children (and adults like me that don’t know a thing about skiing). Or – what I really want – is to leave the kids with grandma and enjoy one of their romance packages! No matter what, my experience at Mammoth Mountain simply has to be better than my flop in Colorado.
Do you take your children to experience new things young? Have you had a similar experience to mine?
Good for you for trying something new!
I want Jackson to try things at a young age BUT I would NEVER downgrade others in front of him to boost his esteem. I think that woul teach him to put others down ad I’m not ok with that.
Great post! Thanks for getting me thinking!
I am a time share owner at Massenutten Va. Me and my family spend every christmas there. I mist say for me skiing is hard. I snow board and my wife and daughter ski. I cannot stand the fact of my legs being apart going down the slopes. But when i first started snow boarding I was rough. I was always throwing myself down to stop. But what changed me was when i saw my 5 year old come down alongside her mom. I decided to take a class to learn. Once I caught on, I was ready to go. Taking lessons help. I wouldn’t let negativity bother you. You have to remember the reason your out there. That’s to enjoy yourself. I know the feeling you went through. Because a few years ago I went through the same thing..
My grandma taught me really young and I was pretty good. But, the last time I went, she gave me some crappy skis that weren’t tuned at all. I tried to tell her they were bad, she disagreed, my knees hurt soooo bad after one run I sat in the lounge the rest of the time.
2 year later she called and told me how horrible they were…but she never said she was sorry.
Haven’t skied again. But, I bet my kids would love it.
LOL this reminds me of the first (and last) time I tried to ski. I was struggling just like you, and this kid FLEW by me (he was maybe 3 or 4 years old). I think they have no fear since they are closer to the ground. I don’t know lol.
Ski school. Two words to live by when taking the kids on a ski vacation. Also, no one should have to hear something like that when they are learning to ski.
This was totally me in the 8th grade. First and only time I went downhill skiing was the 8th grade trip, My “friend: who told me she would do the lesson with me, ditched me and I was too shy/embarrassed to do it by myself, so I struggled off the ski lift (fell) and then down the bunny slope. I fell again and again, once knocking off a ski and my goggles! At the very end of the day another friend took pity on my and helped me down the bunny hill, coaching me the whole way and I made it without falling…just in time to turn in my skis and get on the bus to go home.
Never again… cross country is better… or snow-shoeing, although I haven’t tried that yet (the shoeing) I would like to.