Short Story: The Slopes

The boot snaps seamlessly into a perfect-fitting, baby blue binding. The black mass of vinyl pant covers the bright-colored boot entirely. My all black outfit makes me an outlaw amongst the cheery families and screaming children. All other sounds are silent, as the piercing wind cuts through every possible hole in my black exoskeleton. My view becomes tinted and orange-faded; as my gaudy goggles absorb my face. I am unrecognizable to the common man. A white blanket continuously coats my surrounding objects and me. The fresh powder allows for effortless movement across the freshly-paved white wonderland. My vibrant graffiti-filled planks, known as skis, slip up the slope until met by a herd of unfamiliar folks waiting on a line. The anticipation strikes a knife through my stomach, as the buzz of the chairlift looms closer.

Finally, after what seems like hours, I approach the front of the line. My heart starts to race as I sprint forward to prepare myself for the approach of the lift. The lift hits the back of my legs, and I collapse into the seat. The chair zooms up the mountain and so does my anticipation.

After zooming atop the lush green canopy, watching skiers slice through the mountain, I finally reach the summit. The 360-degree views overcome my eyes, seeing snow-capped peaks fall into the lakes and valleys. Although I’m distracted by the gorgeous view, my focus returns back to the mountain. I scan the map to try and find the perfect trail. On the first run, a tradition, I always do a green – the easiest slopes on the mountain. Not to boast, but greens make me feel as though I am an Olympic skier zooming past different children and slow adults, while I am heading for gold. With this sense for gold in mind, I again start t...

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...s me anxiety, skiing allows me to leave those in Wellesley and ski those problems away.

Finally, skiing has taught me an important lesson that I can apply anywhere in life. One thing my first ski instructor told me when I was 6 on the first day of learning how to ski was, “you’re going to fall a lot.” This phrase guided me through my early years of skiing. Every time I fell and was able to get back up, I knew I was going to be able to learn from my mistakes and improve. I am able to apply this to my life outside of the slopes. When I mess up on something or get hurt, I always refer to my skiing lesson and try and come back even stronger than before.

Skiing has been a huge part of my life. It has given me great relationships with my family, escape from the real world, and allowed me to learn lessons I can use in the real world. Skiing has and will always be my place.