I made it all the way down the mountain! WOO HOO!

[Atman]

I went snowboarding yesterday, for the first time this season, with my new gear (it's been too effing cold to go out in the three weeks since I bought it!). Just my third time ever. Last winter I started with a two hour lesson at Mt. Snow, then the following weekend boarded Okemo in VT, from the top...but it took forever to make one run, and I incurred massive amounts of pain in the process. I've never felt such total body pain.

Buy yesterday I went to Jiminy Peak. I took a few practice runs on the bunny slope, then did the top -- three times. On the third, I made it all the way down without falling, and with only one brief pause where the trails split and I had to figure out which turn to take. Full-on back and forth turning and a few spurts of insanely fast "downhill" stuff. Awesome!

I gotta admit, my first run I was thinking, man, I'm too old (soon 45) for this sh*t! But while I was strapping myself in, a short, round woman of about 60-65 slid up beside me. "Come on, let's go! The worst that can happen is you fall!" LOL! Age really is in your head. I'm going out kicking and screaming...or flying off the side of a mountain!

[tridim]

1. Third time's a charm

Seems to be some kind of law in the snowboarding world. Day one is all about pain and butt bruises, day two is about face plants at speed and day three is about it all clicking. You'll be pulling air in no time! Snowboarding is much easier than skiing IMO, and it's kinder on the knees. I'll be boarding until they put me in a home.

[DS1]

2. I've driven passed Okemo about a thousand times

Perhaps I should actually go there some day.