Hitting the Slopes for the First Time

The first attempt was a failure.

My boyfriend, Michael, and I finished the last song to the musical “Jekyll and Hyde” when we pulled into Wisp Ski Resort. It was almost 5:30, and I knew Michael was just as exhausted as I was when we walked up to the register to figure out where to start.

The resort was cozy and designed much like a log cabin, and people walked by with coldness around them as they came in wearing all their gear.

After waiting in line for about fifteen minutes, I spoke with the employee at the register, and he pointed me to the “rentals” area of the resort to fill out some forms. I sighed, and made my way back to Michael, who was sitting on a comfortable looking couch next to a painting of a moose.

“It’s starting to get dark,” I said as I plopped next to him, “Do you think we should head back?"

Michael turned to me, struggling to find the words his mouth was trying to say. Our day had not gone as planned. It was packed with meetings, homework, and late starts. I was ready to go to bed at that point, especially after I snuggled deeper into the couch. I knew deep down that I wouldn’t enjoy myself if I forced myself to go on the slopes that day.

That’s when we decided to turn around, after an hour long drive, to go back home and try this again in the morning.

My first trip skiing ended as quickly as it started.

The next day was much better. With reenergized vigor, I was ready to tackle what was ahead of me.

Neither of us had been skiing before, but I did have some backyard knowledge on how to snowboard from over the years. I did bruise my tail bone the last time, but I digress.

Michael and I decided it was best for us to stick to the beginners area, and I suggested we should skip the lesson and just wing it.  I was a little too confident at the time, but we got our helmets from the register and strapped on our shoes.

“That’ll be 148 dollars,” said the cashier as I adjusted my helmet.

I gulped and handed over my debit card.

Children and adults alike zipped by when I walked out, skis in hand and GoPro ready to capture my experience. The air was crisp, and it woke me up a bit from the long car ride. The morning rain had made the slopes foggy, and as skiers went up the lift, they disappeared into it. “The magic carpet,” a rubber conveyor belt that takes skiers up the easiest slopes, was where my eyes were drawn instead.

“We should start there,” I said to Michael as we put on our ski’s and grabbed our poles.

While going up the conveyor belt, I started to feel nervous. I had a hard time even moving myself on the ski’s on level ground, how was I going to do this down a hill? The belt was slow, but before I could register my thoughts, we reached the top, Michael ahead, and I just pushed.

My nerves were against me and my confidence waned. I had no idea what to do, and before I could think about it, I fell halfway down the slope. Falling wasn’t hard at all, but getting up certainly was. Michael was already down the hill, and I could hear him laughing below. He seemed to pick up the skill rather quickly. I on the other hand struggled for about five minutes figuring out how to stand up, and ultimately took off my skis and repositioned myself on the slope. I then made my way back down the slope, only to fall again while children skied by with ease.

I was ready to go home now.

At the bottom of the slop, I ran into a gentleman named Gavin, who came with his daughter to the resort. He gave me a piece of advice that helped me the rest of my trip.

“All you have to remember for skiing is pizza,” he said.

A weird concept, right? Besides a delicious food, “pizza” and “french fries” are terms used to describe the positions of your skis as you go down a slope.  Pizza consists of pointing your toes and extending your skis to form a wedge shape, making you slow down. French fries are when your skis are parallel to each other, which gives you speed. I did a lot more pizza than french fries the rest of the trip.

With this new insight, and a feeling in my gut that I should have taken a lesson, I attempted the slopes a few more times. I managed not to fall after that, and I actually started to smile going down the slope. I was starting to have fun now.

Darkness and cold air started to creep in as the evening went on, and I was exhausted and a bit sore. Michael and I walked inside and warm air hit my face, fogging my glasses as I stepped in. I returned my skis, and talked to Lane Maust, a ski instructor who has been working at the resort for six years, and skiing for four. He advised me that I should’ve done the complete opposite of what I did for my first time skiing, starting with a lesson.

“Otherwise it takes a lot of falling to figure out,” he said.

He was right, but I still had fun anyways, despite all the falling. I headed to my car, heat and seat warmers on, and made my way down the winding roads back home.

Want to try skiing too?  Check out Adventure West Virginia’s ski trips/shuttles: https://adventurerecreation.wvu.edu/ski-shuttle

Here are some tips and tricks for learning to ski:

https://www.theadventurejunkies.com/skiing-tips-for-beginners/