Weather – sunny and 30*
Milage – snowmachine: 41 miles; skier: 1 mile! Plus a quick ½ mile walk.
Dinner – Beef Bourguignon, mashed potatoes, sautéed mushrooms & onions, and corn, with pistachio cookies for dessert. This meal definitely gets me a “bless your heart!”
Ski Report – Wow, though it is evident that I do much better with a buddy (thanks Kim and Andu!) I went out again today and saw some improvement, namely that I stepped into my right ski like a pro and it only took three (yes, just three!) tries to get the toe hooky-thingy hooked on my left boot. My first few steps were uncertain and I was afraid that I was back to my old ooching routine, but after a few tries everything straightened out and soon I was practicing my slide and glide. I could hear Kim reminding me “lean a little forward, bend your knees a bit more and keep your poles in by your sides”. Do you know, these little tips reduce the flailing condition tremendously. I skied up to the airport turn off and back; today it only took me 35 minutes. Pitiful yes, but not as pitiful as the first two times I tried. Perseverance, it is the key.
One of my Dad’s favorite questions is, “Well, did you learn anything?” Yes, Dad, I did. Here are the lessons I learned during my ski today:
1.) Beginners should always look where they want to go. Not to the side. Not at the little rocks that you know are going rip the slick stuff off the bottom of your skis. And definitely you should not look behind you at the snowmachine coming down on you.
2.) Beginners should remember to breathe. Holding your breath while you are exerting yourself only clouds your thinking, not to mention your vision.
3.) Beginners should think about skiing and not about what they are going to do if a.) a moose pops out of the woods and starts chasing you; b.) a wolf pops out of the woods and starts chasing you; or c.) someone spouting heretical theology pops out of the woods and thinks the same way the moose and wolf do. By the time I got to the heretical theologian I was ready to tear his head off. Ahem.
4.) Cross-country skiers should keep their toe-nails short. There is a lot of toe work happening with the whole slide and glide thing. I must find my clippers.
5.) Skiers should always, always, always wear sunglasses when skiing on sunny days. Where did I put those sunglasses? And the aspirin?
Today’s snowmachine ride was up McCarthy Creek to the Rock Glacier; yes, a repeat of an earlier trip. The area is ideal for skiers and snowboarders. The creek trail is getting really worn out, so the ride is pretty rough. Hannah-gita says it’s the worst one on her knees so far. She enjoyed the day visiting with people and watching the action. Her neck and back are stiff, but recovering. Dave once again set himself up so that he could do the filming. The GoPro got put on time lapse duty. It captured the spectators enjoying the skiers, snowboarders and ‘machiners. He also had out the video cam to catch everything he could for the movie. He’s in the process of editing right now and I see lots of big sweeping vistas, rooster tails, aborted climbs and swift ski/boarding descents.
Here are a few shots from today…
The Spectators.
Ben does a wheelie.
Skiers and snowboarders.
A Favored Life 