To the Mountain
Wake up.. shower.. shave (except the mustache obviously) and head to Copper Mountain.
The drive to the mountains is.. hectic sometimes. On I-25 through Denver, I see a line of red tail lights zooming to the I-70 exit in hopes to beat the bulk of traffic into the mountains. I wasn’t so fortunate on this particular day. I guess the 4:20am alarm wasn’t early enough.
As I make the slow, traffic-hindering trek through the mountains, I anticipate the ski day. After 3 hours of driving, I arrive at the parking lot. I crawl into the back of my Toyota 4runner, wiggle into my sleeping bag, and close my eyes for a “pregame” nap. After a cozy 30 minutes, I open my eyes and take a sip of my caffeinated green tea.. it’s go-time.
The Stage is Set
I ride the Timberline lift to the summit of Copper Mountain. The lift ride provides a one-of-a-kind viewing experience of the mogul run below. The AM sun is rising, but the towering evergreen trees provide shade to the snowy run.
I get off the lift and stand at the top of the run. Now the sun is higher and beginning to cast light onto the shadows as if a spotlight on a dark stage.
A Ticket to the Dance
I’m in desperate need of that exhilarating feeling skiing gives me. The feeling of taking calculated risk. The feeling of pushing my body to the limit of physical exhaustion. The feeling of performing in front of an audience. Yep, maybe that makes me a narcissist, but I really enjoy sharing my ski abilities.
**To clarify, I pride myself in taking a humble approach to life. I intentionally don’t “show off” my above average experiences with friends or coworkers. I live a blessed life full of wonderful experiences.. “impressive” athletic feats, variety of friend groups, dating opportunities, well-paying job, etc.. I keep these things very close to me and rarely talk about my success in attempt to lead a humble life.**
Skiing is how I express my creative side. Like a ballet dancer expresses their movements on stage. The ski hill is my stage. And the lift riders have a ticket to the dance.
Show Time
It’s time for the ballet to begin. She’s done this routine hundreds of times, but the butterflies set in as she looks out onto the audience. She calms her mind, visualizes the routine, and music begins to play.
Peering down the run, I glace up to see the lift riders above. I control my breathing to lower my heart rate. I choose my path through the moguls, then I drop in..
She starts the dance featuring a few slow, controlled poses to kick off the routine.
I point my skis forward as I enter the powered covered bumps. My knees are tight to each other, and my butt crouched down as my legs absorb the unnatural terrain. I shift my weight to my right as I dip down into the left side of the mogul, then mirroring my body position on the opposite right facing moguls. A few easy turns to start my run.
The simple poses turn to swift movements to match the increased pace of the music. She systematically moves from the left side of the stage to the right – displaying her graceful leaps and impressive body awareness.
I’m gaining speed, gracefully bouncing between the powder covered moguls. My skis leave the snow as I pop out from one mogul rut and enter another. I see a large mogul ahead which allows me to shift my weight back and tail-press over the rounded snow-hump, showing my ability to use the twin tip skis to their full ability.
Her movements are in complete flow. Between rotations, she catches a glimpse of the audience glued to their seats ready to see what’s next.
My peripheral vision allows me to see the lift riders tuning in to my ski run.
The music continues to build as the movements intensifies. The full range of her abilities are now on display. Leaping then twirling on the tip of her toes.
I’m now skiing with an intense pace. One miss turn could cause my skis to shoot off the moguls and my body to weight to be thrown off axis. I maintain total control as my vision remains focused down mountain to anticipate the upcoming terrain. I make aggressive cuts (turns) with my skis which results in snow theatrically spraying into the air.
It’s time for the Finale. She features a series of twirls followed by abrupt stillness as the music concludes. Her final pose as the audience rises from their feet at erupts in approval.
I spot a large mogul a few turns down mountain. I dip down in the rut, bend my knees, then pop as hard as I can off the top of the jump. I’m propelled 4 feet into the air. In flight, I tuck my knees toward my chest and shift my skis to my left side. A ski maneuver commonly labeled a “shifty”. It feels like I’m in slow motion as I flout through the thin mountain air then gracefully stick the landing as my two skis simultaneously return to the snow. I receive a “yaaaooouu” from the lift riders above. Basically the skier chant of approval.
The Trill of Performing
Performing to me is something I’ve always enjoyed. Yes, I admit it’s the attention. But it’s also the concept of do challenging tasks – to face the risk of failure and embarrassment and come out successful. To be 100% prepared for the moment. To take command of the stage, own the room, or dominate on the athletic field.
This thrill of performing is a feeling I’m seeking outside of skiing as well. I’m a few months into my membership at Toastmaster’s speaking club in Denver. We meet bi-weekly as a club and each member is
required to give 5-7 minute speeches in front of the group of 30+ people. Something outside of my comfort zone, but I look forward to applying my process of skiing performance to this new public speaking endeavor.
The Drive Home
The drive home is calm. I’m happy from a successful day of physical activity and creativity. And that positive mental state allows for the best version of myself. So it makes for the right time to check in with my parents. They are always excited to hear about my ski day and I always look forward to hearing about what’s going on back home (Bettendorf, Iowa). I will always cherish the phone calls with mom and dad. Okay I got emotional writing that..
The Takeaway
Well to address the elephant in the room.. I just compared skiing to ballet dancing. Is that weird? Maybe, but that’s what my brain put together on this particular day. So, although possibly “weird”, it’s undeniably genuine. This is an example of my conscious maturating from boy to man – showing up as my genuine self. In this case, not being ashamed to draw inspiration from ballet dancing.
How do you show up as your genuine self?
