OUCH

I try to be cool. I want to have skills. I see others with abilities and know that they are possible. I have all the right gear. I have positive thoughts. I leave my comfort zone and push myself to try things that are a bit of a stretch. Yet something is missing...

Aaron and I went on a date night to our local mountain, Bogus Basin, with a bunch of friends- skiiers and riders. It was well planned and a great night. Not the best conditions, quite icy, but not too bad. I forged onto the quad (fast chairlift that holds 4 people) and did my best to keep up with the crowd. They all know that I am not the most proficient rider, but wait for me at the bottom of the hill before heading back up the lift.

We looped and looped. One run I fell and landed on my right butt cheek. A minor bump, no big deal. It happens to everyone. Up the lift again. While riding near the bottom of the run someone ran into me from behind. Sheesh! I have a hard enough time keeping myself from falling, that was just sabatage. I caught my breath and continued to meet Aaron and our friends waiting at the chairlift. Up again. The next run I crashed and although my body had stopped snowboarding, by board wasn't done. So my right knee took the brunt of becoming my break. That one stung a bit.

I thought that might be a good time for a snack and potty break. I soloed myself to the Lodge. Ah, the Lodge. Sweet refuge. A frozen protein bar and beef jerky were never so delicious. As I gazed out the foggy window I saw this little kid there at 8:30 pm, with a board the size of a skateboard. That's so cute, and cool. If he can do it, so can I. So I headed downstairs to the ski school and found out about lessons and when my kids and I could get signed up. I was ready to become one of those "mountain families". This will be great! We can come here every winter and all be really great snowboarders. I'll learn with them.

So I headed back out. Right as I was about to get my board on again I ran into my group all heading in for hot chocolate. So I couldn't refuse, and we went back into the Lodge. After sitting there for a while, we all agreed that we could call it a night and head back down the hill to continue the night with Rock Band 2 at my house. I guess my snowboarding practice was over for the night. I'd pick it up again tomorrow. Maybe even bring all the kids up tomorrow.

We parked in a lot half way between the top and bottom of the mountain. You have to take the chairlift up and ride halfway down a run to get to your car. On the lift up our friend Kenny mentioned that the last time he had come up to Bogus he had "fallen like a beginner" and still had a stiff neck. I thought, "Hmmmm, I had never thought falling like a beginner hurt more than other falls" but I must say, at this point I see what he means.

We all got off the chairlift, strapped into our bindings for the last time and headed down a cat track to get to the car. Cat tracks are my nemasis. The only way to be successful on a snowboard while riding a cat track is to get speed. Without poles or incline gravity to move your board, you are at the mercy of sheer speed to get you where you want to be.

I am a chicken. This is where I fail. I have to talk to myself a lot on cat tracks. "Balance, bend your knees, perfect balance, hear the snow on my board, guage speed, more balance" and then BOOM - the back edge of the board catches the snow wrong and I'm out.

Nothing throws me harder or faster. I can't equate it to anything other than maybe a car wreck. One minute you're moving and the next you can't breathe. Luckily Aaron is wise and rather than wear his helmet on his head, he opted to protect mine. I am so grateful for him, his helmet and my intact brain today. My tailbone however didn't fair so well.

I write to you from my bed, where I have been for most of the day. Strangely I think this is more painful than recovering from childbirth. Or maybe the pain killers just aren't available. Ibuprophen isn't enough today.

I don't know the extent of my injury - bruised, cracked, broken. I just know it hurts. Unfortunately, all snowboarders have "caught their back edge" and lived through it, so I am not exceptionally injured. In fact, after I fell we spent the rest of the night hearing everyone's stories- "I broke my wrist the first time I went snowboarding." "I cracked my tailbone like that too!" Yet they all want to continue riding.

Why? I'm not sure yet. But I know I'll go again. If for no other reason than I still have that "mountain family" vision for the Williamsfam5. We'll see how long this takes to heal.