First Ski of the Season

            Yesterday I went skiing – first trip of the season.

            The snow was superb – deep inches of powder over a firm base.

            The weather was good – very cold, but no wind.

            My skiing was awful.

           I couldn't believe how bad it was. I never fell, but I struggled badly on the uphill parts. I slipped and slid, one step forward, one step back, up the incline, working twice as hard as any of the other three skiers and puffing for breath as they easily outdistanced me. That it was my first time skiing since last winter was no comfort because the same thing was true for them.,

            One skier told me the problem was my skis, which are old and aren't shaped like the other skiers' skis, so I've always not liked them. I snatched at the excuse. Surely the problem was the skis, so I went to the ski shop immediately after skiing and bought new skis.

            Maybe part of the problem is technique, too. There's always more to learn about how to ski. That, too, is a remediable problem.

            I have a sneaking suspicion, though, that the main problem is that I'm out of shape. What? After all that strenuous hiking in the Dolomites? Only two months ago I was in tip-top shape. Then I came home and didn't pick up my usual hour-a-day walking habit. It was raining, it looked like rain, I had too much to do – I found lots of excuses, but the main one was that I couldn't bear to put up with the half hour of pain from the Morton's neuroma in my right foot that is inevitable when I put on my hiking boots. I would want to go for a walk, then cringe at the thought. It was such a relief not to wear my boots every day, that I let days go by, then weeks, without taking a walk up the mountain.

            To my chagrin.

            It used to be that if I were in as good a shape as I was in when I left Italy, I could maintain that physical condition simply by everyday activities. My everyday activities haven't changed all that much, but the response of the body has. Now, if I want to maintain good physical conditioning, there can be no slacking. No rest. No excuses. I'll have to walk in the rain and the cold. I'll have to set aside the time. I'll have to put the boots on and endure the half-hour of pain.

            And then the next time I ski, I'll put on my new skis and glide with confidence and strength over the beautiful white snow again. Then I'll be glad for all those times I put on my boots and hiked up the mountain.

              Enough writing. I'm going for a walk.