So we had been planning our vacation to Sunday River for quite a few weeks before we left. I was more than excited. I felt confident and was thrilled at the idea of a run that lasted more than 30 seconds.
And then it was Thursday, the day before we left, and I was sick: Congested, headache, sour throat, coughing… the works. I stayed home from school and work that day – minus my Auditing Exam that evening – in hopes of getting rested up and well for the trip. No such luck. While Darren was drinking beers on the trip down, I was swilling ThermaFlu. Despite my head feeling like it weighed 2,000 pounds and the pressure in my sinuses feeling like they might bust open under my eyeballs, I was still optimistic about the trip. We were equipped with two-way radios to talk to Meg and Darren in the other car, iPods for tunes and GPS navigation to get us there – and we were having a pretty good time.
The first night when we got in we explored, got settled in, and rested up for the weekend ahead. We got up in the morning, bright-eyed and bushy tailed, excited for a day full of riding. We headed down to the main lodge to receive some bad news. Due to severe wind conditions only the 3 lowest lifts were running. Bummer! But we were determined to ride. So, after chowing down on a couple of $7.00 English Muffins, we took a few runs down the beginner area that was open right near the main lodge. Having only ridden the bunny slope at Big Rock thus far this season, I was feeling pretty far outside my comfort zone. The trails were nice and wide though and I took a couple runs down before deciding that the cold and wind and my head cold were all making the experience not so fun. That was pretty much the end of my riding for the day…
That night we headed out looking for a good time. Just across the road from the main lodge is a place called the Phoenix, which had a great sign out front that suggested the customers should “Peg Your Pants” for 80’s night! Yes! We had just finished watching “The Wedding Singer” back at the room, so it seemed like fate. We grabbed some drinks and settled into a corner booth. Not long after we got there, the band came out. Complete with a “Flock of Seagulls” hairstyle, leopard pants and Converse All Stars, these guys were committed to their act. They would later come out donning Devo-style flowerpot hats, and jamming with “Whip It”. A later costume change produced long beards, straw hats and the song “Legs.” These guys were so good that Mac actually grabbed their business card and is determined to have them at our wedding… I danced my ass off that night and had a great time, but I’m not sold on having them at the wedding.
The next day, Sunday, I woke up quite hung-over, but headed out with the gang to the hill anyway. We took a quick run up the lower lift and then headed for the “Chondola” which doesn’t go up to the summit, but goes much farther up than Big Rock. I was nervous, and was sticking with “being a leaf,” rather than carve but I was doing okay, until I wasn’t, and then I was so far from okay it was scary. We came down a hill and needed to turn into some flats to avoid a nearly strait down drop into double diamond moguls. I struggle with flats anyway, but these ones were really long, really icy and border another drop off. I couldn’t get going. Then when I got going I had no control. I had a melt down; full melt down. I cried, I couldn’t breath, and I just wanted to quit. Snowboarding is a tricky sport for a chick with a crippling fear of heights. By the time I made it to the bottom, my quads were burning and it was most definitely time for a coffee. After my coffee, I took the lower lift back up so that I could ride over to the condo. I was out.
I did get more riding in that night after the groomers went out, which I really enjoyed. It gave me a little more of my confidence back and made me want to ride a lot more. Unfortunately, by then the rest of my party had already beaten their bodies so badly, all they wanted to do was go to bed and get out of there the next day. I‘m really pretty disappointed in myself for not getting more out of my weekend. Before I go to a “real” mountain again, I’m training, training, training!!
So who wants to get out a ride, so I can get better?
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