Skiing at Sugar Bowl
It’s been five years since I last did any skiing - it was probably Hoch Ybrig in Switzerland in 2001. It was such a long time ago that when FC invited me to follow him and his friends to Sugar Bowl today, I hesitated. I did not know if my body was up to the task, or if I could still manage to stay upright.
Skiing in the Bay Area was not as convenient as it was when I was in Switzerland. The main ski resorts are in the Sierra Nevadas, mostly around Lake Tahoe. It was a good 3-4 hour drive away, and to make it in a day, one had to rise early enough to reach the slopes.
So I roused myself this morning at 3 am and drove to San Francisco to join the carpool, which started at about 4.30 am. We reached Sugar Bowl at about 8 am and was a little ahead of the crowd. By 8.30 am we were on the chair lift climbing up the slopes in the frosty morning air.
To my delight, I found that skiing was a little like riding a bicycle - you never quite forget. I was heading down the intermediate slopes quite handily and it was rather fun. Alas, I also found out that while I could still remember how to ski, my muscles were totally unaccustomed to the strenuous exertions of the sport. By noon, my quadriceps were numb and my knees were aching. I started stumbling a lot more because I was tired, and after lunch, I headed back slowly to the lodge.
Personally, I never had any overwhelming desire to ski. At least, not enough to wake up at unearthly hours and drive 6-7 hours to get there. It was mostly an excuse to get into the mountains and to get fresh air and sunshine. At today, I had my fill of both.