Hi. I’ve wanted to learn how to snowboard for as long as I can remember. When I was a young teenager we would go on skiing trips as a family up Mt Ruapehu. Snowboarding was always off limits as my dad is a purist and loyal to the ski life. He would refer to the snowboarders as the ‘punks’ on the mountain. I always thought they looked like thy were having the best time. Anyway. I moved to Dunedin in 2010, with the dream of surfing all summer, snowboarding all winter-with a little bit of study thrown in there. Somehow I failed to realize the reality would be that I would have no money and that Queenstown was actually a 3 hour drive away and an incredibly expensive place to visit (refer back to the no money point). Needless to say, I lived in the South Island for 6 years, and did not once visit a ski field. By the time we (with so much time having passed that “I” became “We”) moved North, in view of Mt Ruapehu on a good day, I was 24 and thought my years of being able to pick up sliding down a mountain on a board were well behind me.
In 2018 though I plucked up a crazy amount of courage and a dash of stupidity early in the year and bought non-refundable season passes to the mountain-deciding that an older and wiser and hopefully slightly fitter and able version of myself would be able to make the most of it 6 months later.
The opening of the ski season came. And went. And I made every ‘I’m tired’ and ‘I’m scared’ and ‘I really don’t feel like falling over and eating snow all day after the week I’ve had’ comments for a number of weeks. Finally, we decided to head up the mountain mid-july for an afternoon of lessons, arriving just before lunch time for a bite to eat. Only (with much relief) to discover that the car park was full (and had been since 9am) and the shuttles had stopped for the day. Turns out it was the middle of the school holidays and the busiest day of the year. Instead we went to Tawhai Falls, and then headed home.
Eventually Mikey and I set the alarm on a Friday night for stupid-O’Clock (5am) to head out the door by 6am Saturday morning (to get to the ski-field by 8). I should add that usually we turn off all alarms and sleep till around 10:30-11am every Saturday, so this was a pretty big commitment. I had a full day of lessons. Like 5 hours of lessons. By the end of which, I could stay upright for exactly 1.3seconds. With the help of my instructor.
I ended up spending 3 days in Happy Valley on the learning slope-by day 3 I was ready to move up the mountain but the weather had packed in and the rest of the mountain was closed. Eventually though, we worked our way up to snowboard through Rock Garden on the beginner trails, and by day 6 we were hitting the intermediate trails.
One day, while boarding down the beginner trails on a beautiful bluebird day, we got a little lost and wide open trails turned in to thin patches of snow between large rocks. This had happened once before and I’d managed to find my way back to the trail. This time though, I couldn’t find the way back and it became clear I wasn’t going anywhere helpful. So. I decided to take my board off and walk through the tricky patch. (Warning: do not take your board off in the middle of a ski field). With board tuck led under my arm I sat down for a break, thinking I might do the ole slide-on-the-butt for a bit.
Turns out, you go a LOT faster sliding without your board on your feet to help slow yourself down. Next thing I knew I was sliding out of control, hanging on to my board beside me for dear life, gaining more and more and more speed. All the while, Mikey was helplessly watching from behind and a drop off in front was coming closer and closer. What made it worse was that I could see beginner skiers and snowboarders on the trail just below the drop off and I was terrified I was going to either let go of my board, which was making me slide faster, sending it hurling into the air into some unexpected learner. Or, that I myself would fly over the edge and land on some poor unsuspecting tourist or child.
But atlas, all is well that ends well, and I managed to stop (board firmly tucked under my arm) just in time. I buckled myself back in, then grabbed a much deserve $7 cup of coffee.
My favourite thing about learning to snowboard though, was definitely the views. Especially while on the chairlifts. Especially on bluebird days. It almost made up for the small children who would gleefully zip pass you laughing after you’d faceplanted in the snow.
Anyway.
By the end of our 6 days (enough to make up for the season pass) I felt more confident on the board and could complete whole runs without stopping or falling. I was incredibly proud of this accomplishment and am excited to get back on the mountain in 2019.
Xx
Happy Adventuring
Moochelle