Even though I lived in Colorado on and off for nearly ten years, (the longest I have ever lived in one state), I’ve only been skiing twice. My first attempt was when my dad and uncle took me to Breckenridge to go skiing before we left Denver to move to Boston. I spent more time on my butt than I did on my skis. The idea of learning to ski quickly lost its luster for me at age 10. My second attempt was in Massachusetts when my parents took me and my three siblings cross-country skiing during winter break when I was home from college. Two hours of my little sister crashing into me. I successfully avoided skiing for the next few years.

My first winter in Santa Fe ended up also being the snowiest winter in over a decade. The snow just kept falling and with that Jake’s memories of skiing as a kid kept resurfacing. I decided to give it another try.

I can’t tell you how many times I heard the phrase “snowboarding is harder to pick up and easier to master while skiing is easier to pick up and harder to master.” Foolishly, when we arrived at the rental office at Ski Santa Fe, I asked for boots and a board. In hindsight wearing my Colorado headband was probably a mistake as well. No one explained how to use any of the equipment and Jake, a lifelong skier, was no help either. I spent the next hour guessing at how to get buckled into my board and trying to stand back up after falling. Jake, who hardly ever pulls out his phone to take photos, came away with an album of shots of me attempting to be a boarder chick.

After an hour of bruising my butt, I took off my misleading Colorado headband and traded my board and boots for ski equipment (at no extra charge). The attendant was nice enough to give me a basic lesson on how to get in and out of my skis. And after hearing that I would have an easier time skiing for the millionth time, (which I took with a grain of salt given my previous experiences), I trotted back out to the bunny hill.

A few rounds on the bunny hill and I was on my first chairlift alongside Jake in under half an hour. I flew downslope, feeling wild and untamed. I guess third time really is the charm!

I can now see why so many fall in love with skiing. It’s invigorating! At the end of the day, as we rode back down the mountain, I was glad I tried both skiing and snowboarding. And I hope to try snowboarding again one day. I will definitely be coming back at Ski Santa Fe next year.

Thank you Ski Santa Fe for helping me get over my fear of skiing!

Until next time,

Leah Pinkus