Since I am not coaching this year, Travis and I have planned a few getaways. This past weekend, for the first time since before we had kids, Trav and I went on a ski trip out west, just the two of us. The last time I can recall us skiing just the two of us was around 1995. It’s overwhelming to think of all the changes we have gone through since then. I have learned a few things about skiing with Travis. 

Travis is a fast skier. I have skied with him with the kids, so I knew this, but it’s different when he is your only partner. I can’t buddy up with one of the kids, and send him off with Trent and Tessa. I was a little surprised at his speed though, because conditions favored my ski style. I like a bumped up run in what I call a plant and turn style of skiing. Trav’s style is smooth and quick. With all the fresh snow developing push piles, I thought maybe I could at least keep up. Not true. He would get ahead and wait on some section of the hill. I had to remind him that perhaps I would like a break too, since he would be ready to push off just as I pulled up. Perhaps we could wait until the burning in my legs subsided a little. 

Travis has good intentions, but doesn’t mean it when he tells me to ski ahead. He just couldn’t help but pass me, usually on the short side, between me and the tree line I was following. I don’t like anyone near me when I ski, so this was frustrating. The good news is that there was an easy solution. He skied first.

When your partner is always ahead of you, you don’t get help when you fall. On the first run of the first day, on freshly tuned skis, I relaxed a bit after a crowded section at the top that branches into several runs. Never relax too much on skis that feel fast. I’m not even sure what happened, but I was suddenly laying in the deep snow. Getting up is more difficult at my age. I’m not sure why I didn’t just pop my skis off, but for some reason, I didn’t want to, so I struggled, expending far too much energy. By the time I reached Travis, I needed a longer break to catch my breath… and we had just started. Although, I got to watch him do a yard sale on a flat section right off a lift when he hit an unexpected divot. He went right over the tips of his skis. Of course, I was behind him, so I could collect his pole and ski that he left behind. A yard sale is when your equipment is laying all over the hill from a fall. It felt like a little sweet justice that he fell in a public place in the flats, since I had to recover from my falls alone. 

Travis is a far more aggressive skier than I am (Is this even surprising?). So, if the hill is crowded, this will slow me down far more than it will slow him down. I am overly cautious when passing, which may make me more dangerous… like the person that hesitates when merging onto the highway. That’s why I will usually choose a black run over a blue, because there will be less people on the black runs. 

There are some areas that we are very compatible. On a mountain, you can find yourselves far from a bathroom, and that could be a problem. We would plan our downhill adventures around bathroom breaks. We also both like to enjoy a leisurely lunch, usually with a beverage or two. We both love tree runs, especially with all the fresh snow we had. I found that I can keep up with him in the trees. I just need obstacles to slow him down.

I give this trip five stars. Next time, I will go in with all the knowledge of this year, so there will be less surprises.  That’s it for skiing for me this season. Trav has one more trip. Our skis actually took a longer trip than we did, enjoying a layover in Denver on the way home. We enjoyed a nice dinner, and returned to O’hare to collect our skis a couple hours later. The skis are mum on how the Denver section of the trip was. 

Have a great week everyone!