SNOWBOARDING!

So I did it. Snowboarding! I chucked myself down the side of an icey/rock/tree/people covered mountain slope with a board that stood up to my shoulder strapped to my feet and held my breath.

Dang it - it HURT! I had stacks of fun, but not before I stacked it enough times to be covered from head to toe with bruises (the more prominent one coming from my mobile phone in my pocket. Incidentally, don't put phones in your pockets when you are learning to board. It didn't break, but I'm pretty sure I have a nice imprint of a key pad on my thigh thanks to that thing.).

Let's just put it this way - when you read up on learning to snowboard, the articles all say that the first two-three days are spent butt, back, face, fist, knee first in the snow. All the articles are right.

The first day was seriously hard. It's a good thing I'm so stubborn or I probably would have given up. There were a couple of falls where I seriously thought that I wasn't going to get up. After one particullarly nasty thump on to my conveniant backside (which did not thank me for all the abuse I can tell you!) I decided to christen my board "Wallace" as it was a total pain of a thing with a mind of it's own. I promised I'd upgrade it's title to "Sir Wallace" if it behaved... Well, let's just say that didn't happen.

So. First day. I felt like someone had ridden the calvery charge over my limp and lifeless body. You might as well have put a gravestone on my head and have it read "Killed by Saunter". >< (Who was my instructor with endless patiance, but yeah.)

Second day - the sun was out, and it felt like the whole world was holding its breath as it waited to see what the day would bring. There wasn't a whisper of wind and the glistening cloak of shimmering snow stretched out endlessly under an ocean-blue sky. At the top of the hill, the top of the world, you could see the gum trees guarding the sides of inviting runs, and although I was quivering with apprehension, I knew that if I could do this, it would be. *can't find the words* Well cool.

So I did it. Mind you, I didn't reach my goal of getting down a run without falling over, but the difference between the first day and second day falling over was substantial. This time, I didn't stack it hardcore. When I knew I couldn't make the turn, or was heading the wrong direction, I could pull up and stop. I think the hardest thing at this stage of learning to board is when you loose momentum it's really, really hard to get going again. I didn't mind fast and faster (more of that later!), it was slow and stop that bothered me.

But I made part of a run without going down, in fact, I actually made most of it and it was fantastic. I had to stop towards the end coz my legs were about to up and quit on me, but yeh, I got a taste of what it could be like and that is enough for me.

When you are skimming over the snow, you can feel your board flexing and twisting, responding to the bumps and lumps of snow. Or the back edge of your board holds you up, cutting deep into a drift as you glide across the face of a hill. Soft powder shhhhsss away behind you as you swoop across fields untouched, tracking your own path down the shoulder of the mountain. As the trees rush by, you swerve around the bends with all the grace of a otter cutting through the waves. The cool air claws at you, trying to slow you down, but your feet are unfettered and gravity is your friend because you are there - controlling your board, working with your surrounds, but better than that; you are making your own way on your own terms. You take off and you fly.

And this was me after two days!! Push past the pain and it is worth it. I think it won't take much, and add another addiction to the list - it's just another way I can satisify my insatiable desire for speed, thrills and adventure. Push it hard and never give up. Life is far too much fun to roll over and say die!

So yeh. Plans to go back and do it again? Absolutely.

I can't wait.

b. >_<