This post - like this trip - isn’t really about skiing
Last week I went on a ski trip in Breckenridge, Colorado and stayed at the amenity-rich and convenient Grand Timber Lodge. For me, it wasn’t really about skiing. Our friend invited us in 2020 (a whopping 2 years ago!) and we were excited to have plans awaiting us at (what felt like should be) the “end of Covid”. For 2 years, this trip symbolized hope and new adventures, the promise of again making memories with good company.
Now that it’s over and fading into recent memory, I’m reflecting on what it meant to be there.
Skiing is fun - I get why it’s a fan favorite
Whoa! Skiing is a tricky and slippery business. I highly recommend taking a class if you’re a beginner like me. We took the 3-hour class at Beaver Run which was super useful in getting us used to the feeling of skis attached to our feet, falling down, and getting up. Skiing as a beginner is definitely a lesson in humility. I fell twice on the platter lift - once halfway through because my right leg angled out too far, and then another time flat on my face right at the start. Both times, I rolled over and made eye contact with children as they skied successfully by.
Surprisingly it never hurt to fall, all countless times that I fell. With some supportive company, I was able to successfully ski a “green” a couple of times. Overall, it’s super fun to go down the slopes and I would absolutely go again, but for a regular hobby - I’m not sure the effort is worth the thrill when I could get a similar thrill waiting in line for a roller coaster while wearing regular shoes.
Let me also say - the whole “pizza” thing is confusing because both angling your feet outward and angling your feet inward…they both make a “pizza”.
Being on the slopes is a shared experience
Firstly, I loved this trip because I got to reconnect with a couple of my good friends that I haven’t seen in person since pre-Covid. We also got to spend time with important people in their lives, which is always special. In addition to the bonding that comes with sharing dwelling quarters, it was nice to share the experience of skiing with the strangers amongst us.
There was a woman in our beginner class that was older in age and open about how learning to ski was part of her mission to “live a more abundant life.” We rode the ski lift together and observed little kids far below us skiing with unwavering confidence, and we commented that kids are always the most carefree. She asked me for my age and when I shared, she joyfully remarked, “You’re still so young. You should stay carefree.” We completed the rest of the ride in silent and mutual awe of the grandeur of the mountains, beauty of the soft snow-dusted evergreen trees, and the serenity of our moment above the slopes.
from the ski lift
We are privileged to be here
Arriving at the ski resort in freezing weather and being met with snow all over the ground, was like being transported into another world. In reflection, I am struck by all the steps that it took to get us to this place. The flights, the ~2 hour drive from the Denver airport, the gear rentals, the resort stay, the mountain passes, the instructional class. All of these steps have an associated monetary cost and require a base level of physical aptitude. Furthermore, in order to partake in such a trip, we needed to be able to take sufficient time and space away from our work or other responsibilities. Specific to the times we are living in, we also needed to be healthy and comfortable enough to travel during Covid.
Considering all that needed to align for us to go on this trip, I am reminded to be deeply grateful for all the fortune that we have been granted throughout our lives. We are a product of the opportunities that we have been given, and those are not equitably distributed among us all. I’m convinced that living a fulfilling life cannot be based upon the activities we get to partake in. While this was truly a fun and memorable trip, I believe that the components that made these experiences fulfilling, had nothing to do with skiing.
