I've never been skiing a day in my life, until a few days ago. That's what makes this a beginner's guide to skiing. I'm going to start slow and show you the things that long-time skiers forget to tell you. They've become used to it, they don't notice it anymore, or they just don't even think about it.

I'm a beginner.

Here's what you need to know about skiing before you go..

You've heard the phrase, practice makes perfect, right? Well, when it comes to skiing, practice also greatly reduces your risk of serious injury! Several days ago, I decided to try skiing. My constant companion Matthew was gracious enough to offer to teach me.

After narrowly escaping sudden death on steep mountains I had no business being on, I learned to Take the Lesson. The next time out on the mountain was much better, as I had a highly trained ski instructor walking me through the baby steps on an appropriately sized incline. I took a day to rest after, as every muscle in my body was sore, and I contemplated How Not to Freeze to Death. Turns out, it's not that difficult! The next day, I was back at it and practiced Riding the Lift so I could see the great views from the top of the mountain. I spent the next day Chilling at the Lodge and woke up ready to face the mountain for one last time before heading south.

I had one more lesson to take in my pack of three, and I had planned to take the morning session but missed it. Instead I decided to warm up on the Ballroom Carpet before moving to Buttercup. While the names certainly don't sound fierce, they lit a little fire in my heart nonetheless. That's Buttercup in the background of the picture above - it's designed for beginners.

Confession - after my first lesson I was eager to show off my new skills to Matthew, an adept skier. I started down Buttercup in fine form. I was shifting my weight from one ski to the other, I was linking my turns, I was going fast!

Wait!

I was going too fast!

As soon as I realized I was going too fast, it was too late. My two long hours of training were completely erased from my mind, and I went hurtling down the hill with no memory of how to stop. As I approached the bottom, I saw a yawning gulch appear - a barrier between the downhill slope and the packed parking lot beyond. Completely out of other ideas, I decided to simply fall to the ground.

I kept going.

I flew right over the gulch, landing on my face in the snow beyond. As I pushed myself up, I saw a tree stump sticking out of the snow a mere 4 inches from where my face had smashed. I took stock of the situation, realized I was ok, and decided that was enough for the day.

Back to Buttercup and my last day on the mountain. I wanted to take it easy in advance of my lesson, so Matthew and I went down the beginner's slope a few times. I felt kind of confident in my newfound skills, although my turns weren't as good as they had been, and my stopping power was definitely lacking - enough so that I wanted to go up to almost 7,000 feet in elevation on the Vista Express lift and ski back down. My instructor had taken me up there on day 2, and the views were calling my name!

See what I mean?

We make it to the top and I didn't fall off the lift. I ask Matthew to go first so that I have a better idea of what to expect as I begin the descent. My stops and turns are still pretty shaky - I'm missing something, but I'm not sure what. As we head down, Matthew begins to pick up speed.

He goes faster as I trail behind working on controlling my descent.

On a straightaway, he flies over a small mound and is airborne for a moment. The next moment he hits another mound and loses control. As he tumbles in the snow, all my lessons fly right out of my head.

Suddenly, I am flying down the hill. I remember that I should stop, but my body doesn't want to make the required moves. I think that maybe I can coast to a stop, but the mountain drops sharply in front of me and I am afraid of what might be on the other side. I go with my old stand-by and simply fall to the snow below.

My skis keep going, carrying me closer to the looming precipice. My feet are still under me and I am crouching on the skis as I hurtle over the terrain. I'm going faster and faster.

I push my body to the side and tumble head over skis in the snow, skidding along for several feet before finally coming to rest (gracefully I'm sure) in a rag doll position, the tip of one ski planted firmly in the powder, the other ski cross-ways to my body and uphill from the rest of me.

I lay in the snow for a moment feeling a pain in my left leg. It's sharp - but doesn't feel broken. It feels more like I imagine a wash cloth would feel after being wrung out. I'm not sure if I can stand on it, but I figure I ought to try. Matthew helps me remove my skis which had somehow stayed put through all that, and I gingerly stand up. I'm ok... but fairly certain that I won't be later, once the initial shock wears off.

I test my ability to ski down the mountain again, going much more slowly this time and find that I am able to put weight on my leg, but any motion that produces a twisting movement is painful. I decide to go down the mountain sideways, but first? It's time for a break.

We kick back in the snow near a stand of trees so we won't get run over.

The view from 6,000 feet is pretty sweet!

After limping the rest of the way down Mount Hood, I was ready to be off skis. I had missed my 1 PM lesson, by about an hour, and realized that my leg was very much not happy. As we drove off the mountain for the last time, my foot elevated on the dashboard, I had plenty of time to reflect on the folly of my ways.

Learn first, practice next. Learn until the skill feels smooth and natural - or it will fly right out of your head when you need it the most.

I learned the hard way so you don't have to. :-)

Happy Travels!

Jennifer

Did you miss Day 1? Find it here: It's Snowy Up There!

Did you miss Day 2? Find it here: Take the Lesson

Did you miss Day 3? Find it here: How Not to Freeze to Death

Did you miss Day 4? Find it here: Riding the Lift

Did you miss Day 5? Find it here: Chilling at the Lodge

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