Powder in Park City

Well, ladies and gentlemen, snowboard season has officially begun! I just got back from Park City with my dear friend, Kari Hill. She and I both had only one class today and were done by 11 and on the road by 11:15. I absolutely love snowboarding, it is one of my favorite hobbies! In fact, my greatest regret about living in Southern California is that there is no snow within a reasonable distance, and what little snow there is isn't that great. Fortunately, I have been put out of my long-standing misery and finally live less than an hour from one of the world's best ski resorts!
HALLELUJAH!
Once we arrived at the resort I was filled with both apprehension and excitement. I procured my season pass, walked to the lift, strapped in, and got on. I expected to get off the lift and fall on my face, so you can imagine my surprise when I slid right off the chair, steady as a rock. I sped down the run, accident-free. I was floored!

I started to get confident, and even though I hadn't boarded in a year, I began trying jumps and small tricks. Once again, and to my great and welcome suprise, I didn't fall! So I made the mistake of getting over-confident...bad mistake. I turned toe-side to look up the mountain for Kari, from whom I had sped away, going for as much speed as possible. As fate would have it, I fell. HARD. I nailed my left side and heard a horrible crack. I couldn't move. My back hurt so badly that I literally could not move. I laid still for a few seconds before I forced myself to get up, one step at a time. First on the agenda: get on my elbows. Done. Next on the list: rock backwards onto my knees. Check. I finally got back onto feet, and stretched a bit, still strapped in. My side hurt so badly I wanted to cry but I knew I wouldn't accomplish anything by sitting on the mountain. I saw Kari coming down just as I got back up, so I turned and started my run again, this time with a little more caution. By the time I got to the bottom my side/back were only slight pains and I felt fine. I decided to keep snowboarding, I had another 2 hours after all!

Because of the first fall I was far more weary of ice, catching an edge on my board, speed, and pretty much everything else. I was suddenly tired and began falling more and more... I knew it was time to throw in the towel. Unfortunately, I have a pushy friend who made me endure the cold for another half hour until the resort closed at 4. I decided to make my last run be my best, and it was! Until I fell. Over and over. By the time I got to the bottom I was freezing, sore all over, and laughing my head off. It was funny how obviously done my body was with the whole snowboarding excursion.

All in all, Park City Day One was a success. I had the best time ever and I learned to be a little more careful when going down the mountain. I was lucky that the crack I heard was simply my back re-aligning (possibly dis-aligning). Also, I learned that maybe I shouldn't go with such pushy friends next time.