An Alpine Journey.

Early Ski Days

For as long as I can remember, I've known that I enjoy skiing. It's such an amazing way to enjoy the winter season. Growing up back East, I was lucky enough to start skiing at a pretty young age. I want to say I was around seven the first time I skied. I did it enough to know that I liked it, loved it, even, but not enough to refine my skills. 

My family would visit mountains such as Seven Springs and Hidden Valley. It was a great bonding experience, and we'd often bring along friends and their families as well. Even though I spent most of my time pizza-cutting down the mountain, I always had a blast. I loved the feeling of riding over the snow and taking in all of the beautiful scenery. I knew it was something I wanted to get more into one day. 

My First Taste of Colorado Skiing

In January 2020 (just before...everything), my dad and I joined my cousin, who lives in Denver, and his family on their Crested Butte ski trip. I had been wanting to ski in Colorado for some time, so this was super exciting. Unsurprisingly, I had an amazing time taking in the beautiful mountain. It was a sight unlike anything I'd skied back East.

Of course, my dad and I stuck to the easy stuff while everyone else was shredding the advanced parts of the mountain. Even though it wasn't the deepest powdery conditions, the depth and texture of the snow were still new to me. Skiing back East, you get a lot of ice and hard-pack (although I still hate the icy conditions and get extremely nervous). Overall, it was a great introduction to Colorado skiing.

My First Winter Out West

In the summer of 2021, I moved to Denver, along with my sister and our friends. This was something I'd wanted to do for a while. I loved to hike and ski and wanted more of those things. I wanted to live somewhere that was sunny and nature-oriented, where I could take my hobbies to new heights. We had all bought Epic passes for that winter.

My first ski outing after moving to Colorado was at Keystone with my boyfriend, Jon, who I met here in Denver. Primarily a boarder, he had decided to also rent a pair of skis for that winter. That first day was the one and only time I ever skid "better" than him. (He's very athletic and a great skier and boarder). We were mostly hitting the greens, and I was happy to be on the mountain, gliding down the hill with minimal effort.

As the season picked up, we went more and more, oftentimes with a big group of friends. We even went on a few multi-day trips to places such as Utah, where we skied at various resorts. I was having a lot of fun, but I felt intimidated by how confident everyone else was at skiing fast and riding the black diamonds. I was nervous and hesitant. While I did ski a couple of black diamonds my first winter out here, it wasn't something I was doing regularly.

Exploring tree skiing was a uniquely special experience for me, introducing me to a whole new realm of excitement and adventure. I used to think skiing through the trees wasn't for me, but seeing how magical and fun it looked, I started to change my mind. Jon had gotten me a 4-day Ikon pass for Christmas, and the end of the season brought me to Winter Park. They have a lot of great tree runs for people of various skill levels, and I was ready to try them. I absolutely loved my first tree run! Winter Park, one of my favorite resorts, will always be special to me for this reason.

By the end of the season, I had skied 18 days. I'd never skied that much in a single winter before.

A Western Winter: Season 2

Then came the 2022-2023 ski season. I had bought out my season rentals from the previous season, along with new boots. I was so excited to get back on the slopes for opening day, this time at Arapahoe Basin with my Ikon pass. Unfortunately, I was off to a rough start. They only had one run open, a blue run that was incredibly crowded with other skiers excited to get out on the mountain, seemingly zooming all over the place. The crowds are one of the aspects of skiing that can make me super anxious. I also hadn't picked my skills back up from the previous season and was feeling stressed and nervous.

I struggled with how slowly I was progressing. There were others who had about the same experience as me but were very quickly able to ski more challenging stuff. I had to learn to be patient with myself and work through some mental blocks.

Things eventually started to improve. My first black diamond of the season was Copper Mountain's Gold Digger. At first, I felt I wasn't ready for that level of difficulty yet, but with some encouragement, I did it. I'm not going to say I did an amazing job, but I did it, and I loved it. It was also, in my opinion, a way better time than skiing some of the blues, which were icier and more crowded. I was feeling much better.

It's been really beneficial, however intimidating, skiing with people who are better than me. Jon, for example, has been a great ski partner. He has continued to encourage me and give me advice to improve my skills. Group ski days were also helpful. Even though I was slower, skiing with larger groups encouraged me to tackle runs that scared me.

As the season went on, and I was going every weekend, I started to feel more comfortable. Black diamonds were, for the most part, something I knew I could handle, even if I just took it slowly. There were still times when I'd hang back while the advanced skiers went for the more challenging terrain, but I could do more than I ever had before.

We kept the ski trips going as well, including one to Big Sky Resort in Montana, which was awesome. I was challenged with the deepest powder I'd ever skied, as well as more advanced terrain. I leveled up my skills and confidence even more on this trip.

Toward the end of the season, I started to say, "Maybe next season, I'll be ready for the double blacks." I didn't know at the time that I would be doing them sooner than that. My first double black was Upper Enchanted Forrest at Copper, an exciting and enchanting tree run. I took it slow, but I was so proud of myself. It was an amazing experience, and I finally felt like I was living up to my goal of becoming an advanced skier.

I rounded out the season with a total of 47 days. I've gotten more comfortable picking up speed, skiing through tighter trees, and taking on steeper slopes. At this point, I know I am capable of skiing the majority of the runs at most local resorts. I'm not the fastest skier, my form gets wonky sometimes, and I'm pretty cautious, but my confidence and skills have improved immensely. My boyfriend and friends have complimented how much better I've gotten, which has been great to hear and has helped my confidence even more.

Gearing Up for the 2023-2024 Season

I've come so far from where I started. With the new ski season right around the corner, I'm excited to see how to retain everything I've learned and push myself even more. I even got a second pair of skis more geared toward powder days and all-terrain than my beginner-oriented groomer skis.

This year, I plan to join in on some of the hikes Jon and some of our friends take to the lesser-touched snow. While I know this will be a new challenge for me, I'm excited to continue improving my skills and taking on more advanced terrain.

I don't know that I'll ever be someone who gets into hitting cliffs or going heliskiing, but you never know. At one point, I said I'd never ski trees. Whatever the upcoming season and beyond bring me, I know that I'll continue to go at my own pace and have a great time doing it. I'm so excited to get back on the slopes and enjoy the beautiful mountains, amazing snow, and incredible times with my friends and loved ones.