The Things We Did: Learning to Ski

So there's a saying that goes "when in Rome do as Romans do". When we moved to Calgary we applied this saying and participated in a number of events Calgary had to offer. It started off with the Calgary Stampede in the summer of 2013 which we definitely enjoyed (maybe enjoyed a bit too much...). We also indulged in the Sun and Salsa festival in Kensington along with the Taste of Calgary in Eau Claire, and of course we rafted down the Bow River. But alas, summer and it's wonderful festivals only last for so long and it was time for us to become truly Calgarian and learn to enjoy winter in the mountains.

As Edmontonians, we both had enjoyed skiing at the local hills such as Snow Valley and Rabbit Hill when we were younger. We quickly realized that although they were a good place to start learning to ski, they did not exactly prepare us for the mountains. Also because neither of us had skied for over 10 years, we realized that lessons and a lot of practice would be necessary! We had heard from our well-seasoned skier friends that Nakiska Mountain Resort in Kananaskis was a good place to start. Being only an hour away from Calgary, it was recommended as a great ski resort for day trips that has some of the friendliest instructors from around the world. We were lucky that they offer a fairly reasonable deal called the "Telus Performance Package" which includes 3 lessons, full day lift tickets, and high performance equipment rentals for $259.00 + GST.

We decided to head out fairly early on our first visit to Nakiska so we could familiarize ourselves with the resort and get settled in. We had about an hour to kill before our lesson at 11:30am, so we decided to try out the bunny hill and see how it felt to be back on skis for the first time in over 10 years! Skiing is somewhat like biking - if you learn it as a kid, it isn't hard to pick up years later, and that's how we felt after doing a few bunny runs ourselves. 

Sheena is all smiles as she is about to go up the bunny hill.
In the background you can see the carpet on the far right, and
other skiers also practicing on the hill.

Gajra is clearly too busy posing with her skis in her hand
to actually put them on and try skiing for the first time in
a very long time!

The pizza is a technique commonly
used to stop while going downhill.
It is often used in times of fear when
you are flying down the mountain
not knowing how to properly stop.

We were fortunate enough during our first lesson to have a couple of great instructors that have been skiing since they were 2 or 3 years old! They took us on our very first green run down the mountain and though it consisted of some slips and falls, we did not lose hope. Our instructors were very patient and taught us some techniques to help maintain our speed, properly turn and avoid "the pizza". 

Between our first and second lesson we also practiced at Rabbit Hill on our visits home, Lake Louise, and Sunshine Village in Banff. With this extra practice under our belts, our second lesson went much more smoothly and focus shifted from trying to not fall to skillfully applying the techniques we learned. We learned more about parallel skiing, shifting body weight while skiing and not relying so much on the pizza method to stop. We were even able to move up to trying a blue run with our instructors! 

This is the technique we were
encouraged to learn - the french fry
technique. Parallel skiing is new to
us but we've learned that when
you really concentrate and apply
the proper methodology, it makes
skiing easier and a lot more fun!

We haven't gone for the last lesson yet but are definitely looking forward to it. It feels really great when you manage to actually ski down a mountain that you originally tumbled down. Overall we are still continuously improving our skiing techniques but have learned that it can be a lot of fun. Also when you see little 6 year olds on black runs, you really get that extra boost of motivation to keep trying... if they can do it why can't we.

We really are glad that we delved into the world of winter activities this season. If this is something you are contemplating trying, we recommend you take the plunge and just do it!  We are excited that we will be going on our first ski trip next weekend to Panorama. Now hopefully the weather will cooperate and we have some nice fluffy snow to ski on!

Until next time. GS.