Today was the day I was going to learn how to ski...in the Swiss Alps. We woke up and got ready for the big day ahead. we ate a free breakfast at the hostel, and by free breakfast I mean two pieces of toast and Nutella and honey. After breakfast, we walked over to the rental shopped and pick out our snowpants, ski shoes, skis, hats, and bought our ski passes. Even though I have never skied before and have never been in a ski shop, I wasn't too out of my comfort zone in the shop. There was a big chocolate lab roaming around the shop and it made miss my puppies. I think that is one thing I have decided I really miss about being in STL - the dogs. I miss getting a chance to cuddle or play frisbee or take goofy pictures of them. Despite missing them I was really excited to learn how to ski. Once we had all our gear we headed out to the train that would take us up the mountain. Getting up the mountain took forever and it felt like we might have never gotten up there but we did meet some wonderful people on the trip and the view was stunning! Every time I looked out the window, I still couldn't believe that I was in the middle of the Swiss Alps. After the long trip up the mountain we finally were ready to get to skiing. I was beyond excited for it. We of course walked over to the beginners slope and clipped into our skis. In my head I was screaming "Yeahhhhhh this is gonna be great!" and I had the biggest smile on my face. After a couple pictures we pushed off down the hill. For the first 10 seconds, I was thinking "This is awesomeeeeeeee!" and then WHACK! my butt was in the snow. All of the excitement drained from my face. It was in that moment that I realized skiing was going to kick my butt in every way possible. I tried getting up and that ended up being the most difficult thing I have done in a long time. It surprisingly took a lot of physical and mental strength to get back up. Matt who was my "teacher" for the day instructed me on the technique to get up but even with his mini lesson I couldn't get up. I needed him to come over and lift me up. After I was back up we started back down the hill again....and guess what...I was back on my butt in seconds. This pattern continued for a long time...A REALLY LONG TIME! Every time I fell, I felt my confidence draining and I felt really weak. There was even one point where I crashed so hard that I thought for a split second I could potentially caused a concussion, this was also the point that I wished I hadn't gone to Switzerland, this was probably the lowest point of the whole trip. But even after I had my little moment, I got back up; I refused to let this fall get to me and ruin the trip. I got up and tried my best to make it down the mountain without falling. There were some moments that I decided skiing on my butt was easier than trying to get back up on my feet (this resulted in a lot of snow up my pants but it actually was tons of fun). There also were a couple of moments that I struggled so much to get up that some of the other skiers had to help me get up. These people were honestly my heroes for the day, and without them I might still be on that mountain. I'm not gonna lie it didn't get easier for a long time but eventually there was a moment where I wasn't falling, where I was enjoying sport and the scenery and I genuinely loved skiing. This moment made every fall and every time I felt frustrated worth it. I even was doing so well (for me) to be able to stop and start, and control my speed on my own control. In this run I got a chance to take some gorgeous photos. The last third of the ski trip down was the best part of the day and when I finally finished the run I realized that I want to get back to the States and really learn how to ski.
New bucket list item: return to Interlaken and tackle this mountain again.
After this run (which took 3 hours mind you) we ate some much needed food and drank some beer. Matt, who is a skilled skier, decided to redo the hill while Nichole and I relaxed and tried to warm up. The view for the the little lodge we were in was stunning. I could have stayed there all day just looking at the mountains. When Matt returned we planned out the rest of the of the day - Matt would ski down to the next little ski town while Nichole and I took the tram down. Although we made a plan it was unsuccessful because Nichole and I went to a different town than Matt. Thankfully the three of all think alike and Matt took a train to the town Nichole and I were in and we all met up. After this little moment of worry we made it back to Interlaken to return our rentals and get cleaned up. There are few feelings as wonderful as removing your ski boots after a long day of skiing. After returning all the gear we walked back to our hostel and took showers and chatted with our families. We took some time to stretch our already sore muscles and relax a bit before heading out to grab a quick dinner. After dinner we decided to call it a day and just head back to the hostel to catch up on our lives. As I layed in bed I looked back over the whole day and felt proud of how far I had come during the run. It was a wonderful feeling and a wonderful day.
Cheers,
Jenny
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