I put on my boots. I was glad I had been lifting weights and doing strength exercises. I forgot how heavy ski boots are. Maybe my next pair will be lighter. I snapped my boots into the skis and slowly started. I stayed on flat ground, close to the Magic Carpet. I rode the magic carpet a few times. I was the oldest person on the carpet except for instructors and parents teaching their kids how to ski.
Evan, my physical therapist, suggested I might try snow boarding. I could, but I already know how to ski, and snow boarding would be a whole new skill set. Maybe next week.
The freakiest part was getting on the chair lift. The second freakiest part was getting off the chair lift. The Boy and his friend were there as I glided down the green run. The bad part about green runs is that there are lots of beginners and the snow is kind of crappy. This snow was soft, as it was warm near the bottom of the mountain. I heard it was icier on the higher runs.
Just kidding! I didn't ski yesterday. I am practicing my fiction skills. I did drive the Boy and one of his friends to the slopes yesterday. (Claire-Adele went to another ski area with her friend and the friend's dad.)
I got up early, picked up the Boy's friend, and drove to Snoqualmie. The roads had no restrictions, which was good. The morning before, it was snowing and chains were required. We have an all wheel drive to help get us over the pass, but there is always some Chevette out there that thinks it doesn't need chains. Or a 4WD pick-up with an empty bed spinning out of control. Thankfully, I didn't have to deal with that.
I got the Boy his season pass and then went to the cafeteria, along with the other parents who don't ski.
Ugh. It was depressing.
All of the parents who don't ski sit in the seats that look out the windows and on the mountain. The tables and chairs aren't very comfortable, especially when you have to sit there from ten until three. There is a bar upstairs. I thought about going up there to see if they had more comfortable seating (they probably do) but I wasn't sure I wanted be in a bar at ten in the morning on a Tuesday.
In the end, it wasn't that bad. The resort doesn't have wifi, but I brought several magazines and a few books. The boys had a good time.
While I was in the lodge, I started thinking about what an odd sport skiing is. I can see how it probably got invented in the Swiss Alps where people needed to get around, and sleds were probably not practical for every situation. Think about it: people strap long sticks to the bottom of their feet and slide down a mountain. Not only is it weird, but people pay gobs of money for the privilege of doing this.
I suppose I will remember one day why it was fun when I get back on the mountain. It is like I have forgotten, like it doesn't exist any more for me except in an abstract way. It is as if I moved to a new country when I was small, and all I have left are vague memories of what my homeland was like.
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