Snow starfish, Part 2

French fries and pizza. That is what we were sent down the mountain with.

Our friends used this method to teach us. If you haven't heard of it before it is pretty simple. You make your skis into a pizza shape to slow down, you make your skis into french fries to speed up, so - parallel skis to go faster and a pointed "V" to slow down. Got it.

We were pushed to the top of the bunny hill by our friends. We watched our old pro friends, as one by one, they slid down the tiny hill. Several of them fell. I was terrified. If they are falling on the bunny hills? 

James and I looked at each other but didn't say a word. He shoved off. I watched as he tumbled. Then watched some more as he struggled to get up. Nobody taught us how to do that. After a while one of our friends came over and helped him to his feet. Next, it was my turn. 

I totally kicked that bunny hill's butt. I skied down it, not once, but twice! Without falling. Boom! Then good feelings gone. Our friends clapped for us then shuffled off to the first big hill. James looked at me and obviously shared the same feeling. We gladly would have spent the night on the bunny hill... but... peer pressure, you know?

Night skiing.

So... There I stood. Behind the ski lift.  I watched my friends hop right up. I hesitated. I squeaked. I cringed. I squatted. Then before I could even throw myself to the ground in a toddler tantrum I was swooped up in the damn chair. I gripped the rails around me. Why don't these things have seat belts?! Our friends turned and waved at us. I was not about to let go of that rail to wave back.

Halfway up the hill I realized that the chair wasn't my biggest problem. I watched people tumbling down the small slope. I watched someone fall over a roped off area and slam into the chair lift support pole. I watched as people tripped, fell, and slid down the rest of the slope on the butts. That was so going to be me.

I saw the top of the hill approaching fast. Sweet Jesus. Nobody told us how to get off this damn thing. Here it comes! I threw myself to the ground as quickly as I could to get off. I wasn't about to have to make a round trip on that thing. 

We met back up with our friends at the top of the hill. This was a beginner's hill so we were told we would be fine, just keep pizza, pizza, french frying it all the way down. So we did. 

I fell. Luckily, my friend Dave was skiing behind me so he stopped to help me back up. Whew. It wasn't that bad, I had leaned back too far and slid on my butt. James fell, too, but Erin was behind him so she was able to help him. We pizza, pizza, french fried the rest of the way down. We made it! A real ski hill and we survived. Falling wasn't even that bad. 

Once we made it down the hill our friends congratulated us on our awesome ski skills. Then they trampled off to the next chair. James and I looked at each other. We didn't say a word. Again, we would have both been very content to sit on the small beginner hill the entire night. But we both knew that wasn't going to happen. If he was doing it, I was doing it. Our friends encouraged us and there was nothing we could do but trudge along behind them. On to the next... bigger, scarier, hill...