One of the perks of living in Chicago is that Wisconsin is right next door. My hubby is a Wisconsin boy and he wanted to drive up and do some skiing and stop by his favorite cheese factory. The boys were able to join us so it was a wonderful family weekend. We're heading home with a cooler full of cheese and no one is "broken" so it was a successful trip!
However, that doesn't mean there wasn't drama. I love to ski, but I'm done with the daredevil, speed demon kind of skiing. I like a long gentle run where I can ski without thinking and without working too hard. After the first half day at lunch, my boys convinced me to come on the runs they had been on. They smiled and said convincingly that they weren't steep and were just like the green runs we did in Colorado. I should have known better than to listen to them, but they're so cute and sincere.
So after lunch we headed up the lift to this long gentle run that I was going to love.
I got off the lift and stood there with my boys on either side of me. I said to them both...this is NOT steep? But when you're up on the top of the mountain you've got no place to go but down. It was only the first few minutes that was steeper than I like, and the rest was long and gentle, so in their own way my boys did tell me the truth. What they didn't tell me is that long gentle path ended up at the donner lift. The only way to get back to the chalet was to take that lift. Geez, they'd done it again...marched me down the primrose path right to my demise.
See that red dot on the right side of the map at the top of the mountain...yup, that's where I ended up with no where to go, but down.
I gave them that you've done it to me again lecture, and I was patronized and told how I could do it, no problem. I think they love to see me sweat! So, I headed down top notch, tentatively for sure. It wasn't only steep, it was skinny with a cliff on one side. There had to be a cliff! (My boys read the post and wanted me to correct this...no cliff...at most a small drop off. See what I mean?)
As I was going down, I stopped to gather some confidence and a young girl was laying on her side in the snow with what I assumed was her boyfriend leaning over her. She looked at me and said, "you're better than I am." I smiled and nodded, but I wanted to say...looks like you got bamboozled by a cute guy just like I did.
I kept going, slowly down the mountain and heard above me shouts of "look out!!!" A girl was careening straight down the mountain. She zipped right past me (too close for comfort) and just about took out a kid below me right before she wiped out. I skied over, collected her poles for her and asked her if she was ok. Just as she was about to answer her boyfriend arrived to help her. Does anyone see a pattern here?
The good news is I made it down the mountain and skied the rest of the weekend where I wanted to ski and had a great time. Lesson learned, beware of cute guys with ski run recommendations!
32 comments:
haha....happened to me once too! Sounds like a fun family weekend though!!
My husband led me down a hill on roller blades in San Francisco. Enough said.
Been there done that . Glad u had a great weekend.
I think you enjoyed it in spite of your fears.
Oh Jacquie I can so relate! I went on an impromptu ski afternoon with a friend from Uni in Scotland on the way up to Aberdeen. It was beginning November & the passes were only just being opened. He persuaded me that the more advanced run would be fine for me, despite me never having ski'd before. He assured me that if I could use the button lift, I could ski. How naive I was! I hurtled down at breakneck speed before throwing myself to the floor. I then unclipped my boots & walked the rest of the way (it wasn't too long a run, thankfully!) I've not bothered since. DH is off with work this week in Chamonix, though - he goes every year & loves it. I'm happy at home with the kids & my sewing ;)
My husband has done that to me too.
At the end of the day with lifts starting to close, blue diamond run. Ski patrol had to come and get me, because I refused to break a leg!
Then, a few years later I blew out my ACL trying to help my daughter get up at the bottom. Kudos to you for bravery and ski skills!
My brother did that to me on a slope that turned out to be pure ice!! He then got tired of me being a chicken and left me there by myself. Thank goodness my cousin took pity on me and came and helped me. My brother just laughed as he flew by on the overhead lift and realized I was only half way down.
Your story sounds so familiar. I've starred telling my husband that if does that type of thing to me again, I'll end up not wanting to ski with him any more. He hasn't done it in a long time.
Been there, done that! Glad your experience ended better than mine. I got a sled ride by ski patrol down to their clinic!
Cute buys will get you into trouble every time! Glad you hyad time with your fam!
I haven't downhill skied since I was a kid and always felt more comfortable cross country skiing anyway, but I would have given them a little beating for that trick. ;) Glad you had fun and escaped the tougher trail unscathed.
Fun story...that makes me awfully glad I don't ski. However, those "cute guy recommendations" aren't limited to snow skiing. hahaha
Been there. Done that. The only thing that got me half way down the mountain was the need to live long enough to kill the cute boy who got me there. I'd figured out what I was doing by the second half and have loved skiing ever since!
been there, done that! but the apres ski was always fun! Looks beautiful there.
Geeze, I live in Wisconsin and have never skied once in my whole life. Probably a good thing, knowing how klutzy I can be on occasion!
Oh my, that hill looks terrifying! Of course, the only skiing I've ever done is a bunny hill in high school.
Glad you made it home in one piece!
oh, hee hee! Thanks for a fun read!
My ex-husband did the exact same thing to me when we were dating. I still don't like to ski because of it. Lol. And then there was the mountain biking down same ski mountain- I still have the scar from that trip! It's no wonder we are divorced!
Sounds like fun! Glad you all came home intact.
Been there done that. NO more for me. Glad you made it down the mountain safely.
Oh Jacquie your story brings a smile to my face! This has happened to me too many times. I'll ski with you any time...let those cute guys ski together;-)))
Oh, yes. I've fallen in snow and been in a hole up to my ears and had to have off duty ski patrol help me get out. And I've remained upright down a huge field of moguls on a blue diamond run. All for a cute guy I married. We laughed then and now!
What a great chance for you to make memories and spend time with your family. They sound like a lot of fun, they obviously love challenging you!
Great story!
Sounds and looks like such a great time!
This seriously cracks me up. Apparently we as a gender are too trusting in general...
Kudos to you for even trying it!
You are much better than I! Of course, you were brave enough to strap skis onto your feet. Me? HA! Nope. I'd be waiting in the car with the cheese and a thermos of booze waiting for you to arrive back to that point safely. haha
I'm glad you survived.
All that snow! It's so pretty but I am too much of a Southern girl to lve with it, much less ski in it.
Great story, cute guy danger and all :)
Love your story, still laughing. I love where your quilt is going, can't wait to see the rest.
this story is too funny and typical, both with the boys being so intrepid and the girls needing their attention
Yikes. I'm glad you made it down the run. I'm a wimp when it comes to anything like that. Although I did cross country ski once--that's a lot of work.
My husband grew up in Minnesota. Right next door to Wisconsin. so why is it that he lived his whole youth eating Velveeta? And actually thinking it was CHEESE? I can never figure that out. Of course, he also thought Spam was one of the food groups...
Sounds terrifying. And yet you had me laughing. :)
Beware of cute boys...well said! :)
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