Skiing...
For that, I will be back...
A Hand at Skiing
Skiing has totally got to be the most fun sport (after jet ski!) and I just looove it. I’ve been asked to try it for a couple of years now, but my fear of falling kept me back. My impressions had been built up by the those guys zooming down near vertical slopes so I had made up my mind that such activities belonged strictly in the realm of TV watching and Winter Olympics.
Last winter, however, I was bulldozed into skiing, My cousin Arjun had tried at Thanksgiving and he reported that though falling was inevitable, it was super fun. Janna told me I was confusing the black diamond slope with the beginner slopes which were relatively user friendly. In Dec 2011, my parents had taken me to the Heavenly Ski Resort, as part of a Tahoe trip, and made me watch some of the beginners learning. I was given a parade of examples of other kids who’s tried and were enjoying it. Willy nilly, it became clear that I would end up on those ski slopes. But it was still with some trepidation that i agreed to give it a try. It was already March 2013, the end of the ski season, so the weather was warmer. But maybe that was better for this nervous nube. A day trip was planned to Tahoe and Alpine Meadows Ski Slopes where DSA held lessons.
Ski rentals were the agenda after checking in at the DSA office at Alpine Meadows. How on earth was I going to manage all these apparatus was the thought in my mind. Motor planning has been a weak point, which attempts at coordinating those bollywood dance steps had so aptly demonstrated, so how was I going to coordinate these elongated extensions, in addition to coordinating my hands and feet. Ski boots are HEAVY and very difficult to put on. Walking with those heavy boots was, well, difficult but then I found, they were not so bad as well. I often do have a body-space disconnect, and the heavy ski boots were kind of grounding for me, which felt good. On the other hand, stiff as they are, ski boots are not the most comfortable of footwear, so i was very conscious of the weighty things that hung around my ankles. To add to it all, I was told that I need to carry my skis too. Wasn’t I already carrying around 2-3 pounds at my ankles? Now I had to carry around 2-3 pounds on my shoulders too!
I had 2 instructors and they took me onto the snow. They helped put the skis on and we did some warm up exercises for some time. I had to learn what to do with the elongations attached to my feet. How do I manipulate each foot. Would I even be able to balance? I had fully expected to fall right away and go sliding and gliding all the way to kingdom come. Au Contraire, to my surprise, I was able to balance reasonably well (and I had 2 instructors to help). It kind of felt like the times I’d been roller skating many years ago. Before I knew it, I was being led in the direction of the Subway ski lift. It was good that I was not given time to think, the immediate task was to get me seated on the ski chair. The instructors had the operator slow the chair down, which made it easy for me to get on.
I watched the ground disappear beneath my feet as we rode up the ski chair. Dad and Mom waved and shouted encouragement from below. Cameras clicked busily. The bigger trick is to get off the lift at the other end without falling, it does not slow down there. Dad had talked a lot about falling off at the other end; I most definitely did not look forward to the falling off the lift. There is a little slope where you have to get off, I got up, and viola, landed on my feet. My skis slid the few feet that slope to the plateau, but I was still very much on my feet. Success!
At the top of the Subway Lift and just by the Meadows Lift, is a snow travelator, called a magic carpet and we practiced on it for a while. The slope next to it is very gentle and so you go up the carpet and ski down. I was put through the paces. Confidence grew!
I got ready for my first downhill skiing. The subway slope is a beginner slope but then I was still only the beginner of beginners. The slope loomed down, my muscles murmured, “it must be a 80 degree slope,” though my rational mind scoffed at that thought, and attempted to correct the degree accordingly. The instructors used a kind of harness which helped me be independent yet kept the instructor in control, should the need arise. It must look funny to the onlookers eye. I felt like a reindeer, who stood next to Santa on the snow. A tie of sorts between my 2 skis kept my skis parallel. The goal was to get me to go down the slope without worrying about skis going awry. Down I flew, the World War 2 flying ace. OMG! It was a total rush! The instructors were on either side of me the entire time. No wonder this sport is so well loved. I got to ride the ski lift and ski down quite a few times for the remainder of the lesson.
I was back 2 weeks later for another lesson. It was March 31st and the ski resort itself was closing down. The crowds had thinned down. I still had the tie which kept my 2 skis parallel like two french fries, but this time there was no harness. Instead I held onto one end of the pole, while the other end was held by the instructor and we skied parallely. So there was even more independence as I zoomed down the Subway slope and rode up the Ski Lift. We practiced on the magic carpet too. Mom was also skiing that day and we crossed each other several times.
There was a light snowfall that day. Snow is not condensed rain as some may think. Rather it forms in the clouds as water vapor condenses around dust particles and falls to the ground. It has its own hexagonal crystal lattice structure - all H2O molecules still. I watched as the snowflakes fell like little cotton puffs on my sleeve as I rode up the ski lift. I could feel the sensation of the steel edges of the skis slicing through the layer of fresh powder snow on the ground as I skied down. It was beautiful. Nature was gracefully exiting winter with a gentle show of snowflakes. This was the way to ski - in gentle snowfall!
I had started off being scared of skiing. Anxiety at start had instead turned to a promise of adventure. Thanks DSA for making it happen.
That was last winter.
This winter I was back with eager anticipation in my eyes. My first lesson was on 12/28/13, then I came for back to back lessons on 1/11 and 1/12/14. For the first 2 lessons, I again had 2 instructors, but for the 3rd one, I was down to one instructor - John. I had no clips on my skis this winter either. One instructor and no clips or harness - that indicates progress. Yeah! The subway slope was closed this winter for lack of snow, so we had to use the Meadows slope and lift, which is the next level. That slope is steeper so the instructors were more hands on with me. We even practiced a tried a few turns, that is harder and will probably take more classes to improve. Pizza (wedges) and French Fries (parallel skis)! In my last lesson with John, I did fall a few times and one time I went tumbling to the side when I was halfway down the Meadows slope. John was trying to make me lean forward and so was skiing backward in front of me and trying to make me do hi-fives so that I would reach out forward with my body while skiing. OMG, He must be really good at skiing, in order to be able to ski backwards. But I feel I am getting better. I look forward to my future classes.
I was actually late for my class on 1/11 with instructors Allie and Carolyn. The weather had turned south and it had started snowing while we were driving to Tahoe. Snow chains or snow tires were mandatory. Soon the snowfall became so thick that traffic crawled to a standstill on 80 West well before Truckee. There was either the need for snow removal or an accident up ahead. Cars were getting thickly coated with snow, the wipers could barely keep up. Dad was getting somewhat worried. Cars were making fresh tracks on the newly fallen snow, the road beneath was barely visible. Most of the traffic was headed for the ski areas. Californians not used to snow, were driving cautiously and very slowly. In the Bay Area, where I live, if it rains even a little bit, the traffic slows tremendously; we just are not used to bad weather.
The ski lesson that day was a first in terms of the weather for me. The sky was overcast with gloomy gray clouds. Snow fell constantly. But this was no gentle snowfall like the one last March. A strong wind whipped the snow around and sent it forcefully to the ground. The wind rocked the Meadows ski lift as we rode up each time. Tops of green trees peeking out through the snow were bent sorrowfully with the wind. Snow was flying around. Gloom made the world around, including the snow, seem light gray. The gray was uniform from from ground to sky. The force of the snowflakes stung my face as I tried to ski. Thermals were a default necessity for such a day. I had not needed them before. I also needed a clava to protect my face. Only my nose was visible between the helmet, goggles and clava. I felt like a masked bandit, totally camouflaged. My gloves, though technically waterproof thinsulate, did get wet from the few falls and I had to get a new pair in between. Though it was wet, windy and cold, it was the winter ski experience. Skiers and snowboarders were falling constantly on the slope that day. Nature was flexing her wilder wings and you have to appreciate all aspects of her personality. My mind extrapolated briefly on what a white-out would be like, and prayed I’m never actually in one; it is best experienced on TV or in a Jack London short story. It must be a million times crazier than this.
The ski resort was packed, and crowds milled around the more advanced lifts. Skiers apparently love this weather. The crazier the snow, the better the ski experience apparently. The slopes were crowded as was the restaurant. I ate nachos after my lesson at the bar area. There were clusters of people gathered around the big screen TV. It was gametime - Saints vs SeaHawks. Bay Area was rooting for the Saints in a big way that day. The Niners would have to face the winners. Drunk and boisterous fans at the bars yelled with disgust at the SeaHawks every move. A SeaHawks win would mean Niners playing them at Seattle. CenturyLink field holds the record for stadium decibel level, which gives them a clear home advantage. It was the first time I’ve seen so many drunk people in one place. It was a study of human behavior under the influence. There were spontaneous bursts of songs; both avid delight and disgust.
We had dinner take out from the China Express restaurant in North Lake Tahoe. We’d eaten there during a summer trip to Tahoe with cuz Arjun. The name of the inn we stayed in, had the word Spa in it, but it was far from a spa, the way its normally thought of. Instead the inn had hotel toiletries with the brand name “spa” in the bathrooms. Really!! Seriously!! Talk about misleading! The walls were so thin, we could hear the conversation next door well into the night. A hotel not to be repeated definitely.
The weather was delightful the next day (1/12/14); I was there for a morning class. The sun was out and it was refracting rainbows through snowdrops on the trees. How could I not plunge into visual stims. I kept stopping to pick up and feel the fresh powder snow. I was wearing gloves, but the way the snow fell in a twinkling shower from my hands was delightful to watch. Oh the trials of autism - it allows us to see and appreciate so many details yet is so disruptive to our motor planning and our activities. Obviously I was going to fall if I tried to bend over to pick up snow, and I did indeed fall a few times. When I rode up the lift, the skis dangled awkwardly on my feet as usual, but when I moved them, the packed snow on them fell in a picturesque shower of powder. So I did it some more and enjoyed the show. The mountains loomed on either side. It was as though the word had been painted a soft white with patches of green and brown peeking through. It was not cold like the previous day; even the snow goggles were hot, just sun glasses and the helmet were enough. The snow gleamed under the bright sunlight, yet the previous day’s snowfall had left a layer of powder that the skis sliced through while skiing. Nature was displaying yet another side to this appreciative fan.
Images and Videos
01/12/14 Photos Videos
01/11/14 Photos Videos
12/28/13 Photos Videos
03/31/13 Photos
03/02/13 Photos Videos
