Like many other skiers, I like reading skilling stories shared by others. There’s one kind of story that seems very popular: first time skiing experience.
How was your first time ski trip was like? Did you like it? I was frequently asked by friends who get to know that I’m learning how to ski.
Here I am, sharing my very first skiing experience.
In January 2015, I visited the northern part of China to see one of my best friends. We experienced the frozen cold weather which I could never imagine in the southern area of China.
And I had my first skiing experience!
We went to two different ski resorts in two cities, one is in Shenyang and the other is in Harbin. Yep, it’s Harbin — a city that has the world’s biggest indoor ski resort, according to The Telegraph. It’s called Harbin Wanda Indoor Ski and Winter Sports Resort.
My First Fall didn’t Make Me Stop Going, but Helped Me Find the Joy of Skiing
I could never forget my first fall.
It was at the top of the green slope (the easy slope for ski beginners). All was set up, and I was ready to walk a little bit into the ski area. A skiing coach came to me and asked my friend if we needed a coach.
We told him thanks but we don’t need one at that moment. After that, I moved several steps, and you guessed it… I suddenly slipped down on the slope.
I was freaking out. I can still remember how fast it was while sliding. The only thing in my head at that time was I was going to die and anyone who was hit by me was going to be very unfortunate.
I screamed all the way down and didn’t know what I should do. Finally, I landed at the bottom of the slope. Fortunately, I didn’t get seriously hurt and thank God I did not hit anyone.
Later, I noticed that my palm was a bit hurt but it was fine.
To my surprise, that coach was following after me all the way. He gave me a hand to get up and asked me, “do you still need a coach?” I nodded and said, “yes, yes yes, please instruct me.”
Bite Size, Baby Steps, and Be Consistent
The coach started to teach me the basics of skiing.
The first thing he told me to do is to get used to walking with the skis on flat areas. This way, it helped me find the feeling of balance with skis and boots.
The most basic yet useful lesson I learned as a beginner skier, is snowplow which helped me control my speed and stop.
After you mastered it, you can speed up or slow down as you want on the slope. I think that’s the moment you are ready to enjoy real skiing.
Once I mastered the snowplow, my coach led me to the red slope (an intermediate slope that’s more sleep). There, I was able to speed up more, and I started to find the fun of skiing. I really enjoyed the freedom on the snow!
This was basically my first skiing story, it was a very unforgettable and amazing experience. The first fall didn’t make me want to drop out, instead it’s now my favorite winter sport now.
How about you? Do you have a different story? Leave a comment below and share it out.
