Working at Sugarbush, I’m continually impressed by the people I meet everyday. From other staff members to guests, new comers and loyal season pass holders – everyone has an inspiring story. Don’t even get me started on TikToks of toddlers snowboarding and just crushing it. I feel like I’m not the person who can share some huge inspirational story, nonetheless related to skiing. But, as I’m trying to rekindle the spark for being on the mountain I thought I’d share in case any one else may be sharing the same feelings.
After being hired at Sugarbush I knew there was no way around getting through the season without skiing. Don’t get me wrong, that’s not what I wanted but it was going to be a bigger step into than I was ready for. To give you some background, my skiing experience is little, but it is there! I grew up near a pretty popular resort. Mountain Creek (or Action Park if you’ve ever heard of it) is where I learned to ski as a toddler. From what I hear, it ended up being a lot of me just getting my hair French braided but nevertheless I still learned the basics. Into my childhood I maybe went a handful of times, but was never committed to it. So once I started at Sugarbush, there was some catching up I needed to do.
Getting back on the slopes
The beginning of my time here at Sugarbush was kind of odd. Being in the marketing department, I’ve written blogs, captions and generally helped spread the stoke for getting out on the mountain. In reality, I was doing none of it. I was looking forward to getting out but was waiting for a really good snow day. And as we know, it took awhile to get there. When it finally came, I was taking suggestions from coworkers, gathering all my new gear, and getting excited to actually experience our mountain. My last few ventures skiing had been fun! I remembered enough to get me down the trails but was still clearly in beginner territory.
I ventured to Mt. Ellen to avoid crowds and quickly enough, my confidence tanked. In hindsight I feel like I should have known that beginner trails in Jersey were much different than here in Vermont, and I was not prepared. You know when you get flustered and start to fumble and it just turns into a snowball effect? That was me standing on the mountain trying to make it to the bottom in one piece. With every turn and new hill, I got more and more in my head and my faith in myself shrunk quickly. Long story short, after multiple pep talks and a lot of deep breathes I eventually made it down. Though, I knew it was going to take a lot to get myself back out there after that day.
Steps in the right direction
Since I’ve started, all of my coworkers have encouraged me to hop into a lesson. And after my first attempt this season, the idea became much more appealing. Maybe I did really need a refresh so I could make it down the mountain with more confidence. So I decided to do it and I am so glad that I did. Learning again as an adult has been an eye opening experience. After just one 2-hour lesson, I already feel much more equipped to get back out there. And, I’m actually looking forward to it!
With sharing my small adventure of returning to skiing as an adult, here’s what I’m getting at. Learning something new as an adult is not easy. Adventurous things seem much scarier than they did when we were kids and it can feel a lot more daunting to get out there. But I’m here to say, just do it. It will be a journey, and possibly a long one, but you’ll be happy that you tried. Even if you find that it’s not for you, than hey, you still had a day spent outside challenging yourself to try new things. And in my book, that calls for a treat yourself moment which usually comes in the form of a big ol’ creemee. So I encourage you to get out there. I promise you’re not that only one going up those lifts feeling that way, and you know there’s some girl in marketing who’s cheering you on you from the base.
