So I have now been present in Mammoth for about two months. I have learned how to ski backwards done the bunny slopes without eating shit, and how to get down blue runs without looking like a complete fool (occasionally). The scene at Mammoth is not different from what I expected; however, it is a smidgen more intense then I had anticipated. There are three things to do in Mammoth: 1. Work, 2. Ski, 3. Drink. Two of those require being on the mountain and either moving down the mountain at fast speeds hoping I catch myself after the fall line or skiing backwards making car noises down the bunny slopes. The other happens to create an odd after effect of teaching children how to ski slightly buzzed or hungover. Or going skiing the next day and just continuing the drinking while skiing. Overall there is a lot of recovering time needed.
I have learned how to successfully ski down blue runs and tomorrow begins my attempt at snowboarding. I am excited to be able to ski and snowboard down blue runs!
Today while free skiing, outside of uniform (meaning you do not have to have perfect technique), Anna and I (another instructor) were messing around and acting like fools. Well guess who ate it hard - yes that's right, me. In the process both skis came off, poles too and I was stuck on this steep incline unsuccessfully trying to put my downhill ski back on. A man skied down, gave me some great tips and then asked if I "Needed help down the rest of the run?" I almost started laughing. This man did not know some key facts for this situation. That 1. I had eaten shit cause I was being a fool, 2. I was a ski instructor for the mountain. I kindly declined his offer and popped my other ski on. It took a lot of effort to not bust out laughing. However my ski partner Anna did not restrain herself. This pretty much made my afternoon and I began to fool around on the slopes even more. My last run I ate it 3 times, on an easy intermediate run. I just laughed the whole time. Anna was twirling in her skis down our last run while I was looking a fool screaming songs and flailing my poles around. Ahhh what a way to end your afternoon of free skiing!
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| Rhino ridin' with Dave McCoy's Rhino's! |
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| The legendary Dave McCoy, what an honor to meet him! |
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| Skiing those slopes. |
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| Riding the lift up during a blizzard. |
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| Woolly the mammoth and I during Christmas. |
I am excited for my next adventure in the Americorps internship but I am enjoying my time here at Mammoth in the snow. Here I come tomorrow and snowboarding! Which means falling on my ass all day everyday.
