Last night was my first shot at a real winter sport: snowboarding at Blue Mountain! Because it was the first time I ever hit the slopes, there was a lot of shopping that needed to be done on Friday. Coat, snow pants, mitts: check. By the way, if anyone is looking for cheap snow gear, I went to National Sports and paid just less than $140 (including tax).

My boyfriend has gone before, and he recommended that we go in the evening for better visibility. We got there at around 6:00. I got my snowboard set up for ‘regular foot’ as opposed to ‘goofy foot.’ Apparently most lefties get ‘goofy foot,’ i.e., they like their right foot forward. To be perfectly honest, I wished I was a ‘goofy foot’ simply for its name. After rentals, gearing up, buying goggles, and dinner at Pita Pit (delicious/healthy-ish fast food!), it was already 7:45. That gave us three hours on the slopes.

I have been warned lots of times though: “Don’t get frustrated.” “You will fall a lot.” “Be fearless.” Okay. It’s already takes a century to get ready for boarding. How much worse can it get?

I must say though that all that trouble gearing up is worth the fun of sliding down the bunny hill. Sure, it left a nice dent on my tailbone, wrists, and left ankle, which is sure to bother me for the next few days. But riding the edge of the snowboard perfectly down the hill while getting a decent speed is, how can I put it? Fucking awesome. I can’t wait to learn how to turn or stop properly. As for the advice? Follow them. When I started to fall a lot, I got scared to fall and hurt myself even further. Get past the fear and stand up straight. The more scared you are, the more you will fall. Trust me on this. The secret is to not think about it.

Besides the snowboarding, one other thing really impressed me about Blue Mountain: their registration system. When you walk in for rentals and lift tickets, there are several computers where you can enter your personal information into their system, including your shoe size. This was a really smart idea. I personally hate spelling out my name or address to an associate when I know exactly how they’re spelt. This keeps the line moving and gets rid of human error. Absolutely brilliant!

Oh yeah, and one more thing. Blue Mountain is such a beautiful place!

Looking cool in our snow gear. We almost look like professionals. That is, until we hit the slopes.

Our really nice rental snowboards.

Capturing the beauty of Blue Mountain at night. Absolutely breathtaking.

Me and my best friend in the whole wide world.