Readers may recall that last year, at age 40, I decided to try snowboarding for the first time. My son, who is six, enrolled in lessons through the Mountain Munchkin program at the Blue Hills Ski Area in Canton. When I witnessed how naturally he took to it, I thought, “He’ll need someone going to accompany him on the slopes!” My first lesson went well, and I was planning to return for more, but the mountain closed early, due to unseasonably warm weather.
Over the intervening months, I
realized that joining my son on the slopes did not require a snowboard. I could
just as easily keep him company on downhill skis. I was SO much more drawn to
skiing, possibly because I’d tried it – twice – when I was a teenager. So when
Blue Hills opened for the season this year, I decided that before I went any
farther with the snowboarding, I’d try ski lessons.
I’m so glad I did. I’ve had two
lessons now, and I’m planning to go back for more. It’s a better choice for me:
I’m a lot happier with my feet moving independently, rather than having them bound
together on a piece of fiberglass.
Blue Hills offers a tidy package.
For $70 you can get a 1-hour small-group lesson, a lift ticket, and all the
rental equipment you need (snowboard or skis/poles, boots, helmet). For a
little bit more, you can make it a private class.
So far, I’ve been working with a
very kind and patient instructor, who explains the basics of skiing to me, one
step at a time. We ride the Magic Carpet up the bunny slope, and as we ski down
the hill, I try to demonstrate that I understand what he’s teaching me. It
seems to be working. He says that next time I’ll be ready for Patriot Path, the
intermediate slope. His goal is to get me out of the wedge-shaped skis that are
reserved for beginners, and up to the next level.
Blue Hills offers group and private
lessons for all ages. My son is now in the Junior Program, which meets for 90
minutes on Thursday evenings. I’ve been scheduling my own lessons for Thursday
or Friday mornings, when the mountain is not very crowded. Blue Hills is much
busier in the after-school hours, and on nights and weekends. Visit their
website for hours, prices, class info and lots more. http://ski-bluehills.com/
Another recent adventure was my
first attempt at indoor rock climbing. I’ve seen climbing walls here and there,
but fear always overpowered any intrigue. So I figured that a good first step
would be a lesson.
At its various locations --
Hingham, Reading, Framingham, Boston -- REI offers all sorts of classes
throughout the year: snowshoeing, road cycling, disaster prep, and so on. But
Learn To Climb is only offered in Framingham, the one remaining local REI
branch with a climbing structure. I noticed that there was a class on MLK
weekend, so I signed up and paid online before I could chicken out.
Five of us took for the class – men
and women ranging in ages from late 20s to early 40s. In the first hour, we got
our harnesses fitted, learned knots and rope handling techniques, and then
squeezed our feet into the narrow-toed climbing shoes REI provided for the
course. Then we divided into pairs and took turns alternately climbing The
Pinnacle (the climbing structure) and belaying (keeping our partner safe by taking
up the slack on the climbing rope).
I had tried rock climbing in college,
once, for about five minutes. The class was outdoors, on “real” rock. I had a
panic attack about eight feet up, came straight down, and spent the rest of the
class “just watching.” So I wanted to try again.
I did better this time. Rock
climbing requires some strength – you use your arms and legs to ascend what is
basically a vertical path. But it’s also very much a mental game. It’s easy to
give up, so you need to challenge yourself to keep going, even if it’s scary. You
also have to trust your partner to keep the rope tight, so that if you slip,
you’ll be dangling in the air rather than plummeting to the ground. I’m not
sure whether it was my fingers or my nerve that gave out first, but I managed
to make it about two-thirds of the way to the top of the easiest climb. I’m
planning to go back to try again. The cost of the class was $45 – well worth it
for the experience. (http://www.rei.com/outdoorschool.html)
by Kezia Bacon, Correspondent
January 2013
Kezia Bacon's articles appear courtesy of
the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit
organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and
conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership
information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781)
659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 15 years of Nature (Human and
Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com
