When Charles and I first met, he was a regular snowboarder and I would hyperventilate at the thought of spending time in the snow. In the last 5 years, the idea of snowboarding weekends has been tossed around, and eventually shot down by the time it made its way to me. Don’t get me wrong, I always told Charles he was welcome to go, just that I didn’t have any interest in joining him! Finally this year, I realized that cold weather isn’t the worst thing in the world. A blessing from those chilly boot camp mornings. Additionally the belief that I was physically fit enough to give snowboarding a whirl, was also the direct result of boot camp activities.
This week’s trip proved to me that with the correct gear, 0 degrees is not that cold, and strapping yourself on a board and tossing yourself down snow covered mountain can actually be a wonderful experience! That’s not to say that there were not some tears when my posterior hit the ground 7 times down my first green circle. Nor denying that there wasn’t a bit of a temper tantrum when I finally reached then bottom …. But Charles pulled off being supportive and manipulative at the same time, and got me back on the lift for a much better second run. By day three, I was converting turns down that same green circle and having a blast while doing it. It’s strange, as an adult you very rarely get to learn something completely new and unfamiliar. While it was utterly terrifying at first, it really paid off and was extremely rewarding.
Perhaps better than the Mountain was getting to spend some time with Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Hank! They were gracious enough to host us for our adventure’s on Gore Mountain, and we had a blast getting to know them better. We explored pictures from the past, ate wonderful local & homemade food, took in some Olympic games, and heard stories not only about their remarkable lives, but about cousins, 1st cousins once removed, grandparents, great grandparents! Not to mention, had some homemade cookies made just the way Charles’Grandmother made them – delicious!!
It really was the perfect trip, and I know Charles and I will be planning another snowboarding trip for next year and will hopefully get to see Riparius again as well 🙂
Looks like an amazing time! Thanks for sharing the pictures!