chair’s rotary
motion.
I stopped a few feet away, still standing. “I
didn’t fall,” I panted, amazed.
“I told you.” He smiled, dropping the plastic
seat on the snow. We walked uphill for a few minutes and stopped in
front of a trail. The view made me feel like I was standing on the
top of Mount Everest. “This is the intermediate one, right?”
“Yep. The four slopes next to this one are
black, and one of them is closed because of the rain the other
day.”
“I guess it washed out the snow.”
“More like it softened and then became hard.
It formed an icy cover. A fall could be really dangerous. But this
one has a good cover of groomed snow.”
It did. The snow was deep enough to cushion a
fall. It looked like a soft downy blanket. We sat down on the sleds
with our feet anchored on the sides to block our motion. My heart
was already sprinting down the vast trail ahead.
“Do you see that other blue terminal at the
bottom?” Dean asked, pointing his finger to the distant lift
line.
“Yeah,” I said, anxious.
“Once we finish this slope, instead of
keeping straight, we’re going to turn right before the terminal.”
He waved his hand in the air, as if tracing the path to follow.
“And that trail is going to end up next to the Elk Liftline, the
one we took.”
“And that other trail is…”
“Intermediate, too.”
“Great.” I said, relieved. “And how do you
steer this thing?” I looked down at the plastic sled, which was
looking more unsafe than ever.
“With the brakes. You just need to pull
softly on one of the red handles. Like this.” He pulled up his
right handle. “And since we’re turning right, you just have to pull
the left handle. If you pull the right one, you’re going to turn to
the left.”
Ugh. It sounded like driving lessons. “Why is
it so complicated?” I said, wrinkling my forehead.
“It’s not. Just keep in mind to pull the
opposite brake to the direction you’ve chosen.”
“What if the brakes don’t work? How will I
stop? How will I turn?”
“You can use your hands but…since you don’t
have gloves…it’s not a good option to do it at that speed—or you
could throw yourself out of the sled if you want to,” he added,
eyes amused.
I gulped.
“Don’t worry. That’s not going to happen.” He
laughed.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
“Okay.”
“To the count of three, then. Put your feet
inside and push the sled with your hands. Stay behind me.” He moved
a few inches from me. “Ready?”
I pulled up my hood, breathing hard.
“Yeah.”
“One—” Adrenaline boosted through my entire
body.
“—Two…,” My hands trembled.
“Three!” Dean yelled, tugging his legs inside
the sled and urging it forward.
I pulled my trembling feet inside and
propelled the sled down in the same direction. I was gaining a lot
of speed so I pulled both handles to reduce the pace, one harder
than the other, and the sled suddenly turned right, taking the
opposite direction.
I was sliding perpendicularly to the
trail.
I started to hyperventilate, my hands, feet
and lips tingling. I tried to veer again, forcing all the strength
I could into my wobbly hands, when a barricade of threatening pines
showed up and pushed me to take a new direction—the black slope.
The soft rubbing sound of the snow underneath turned into a grating
noise, warning me to stay away. But I couldn’t. I was being dragged
like a magnet by the desolate hill.
And then…everything turned ugly. The sled was
quaking uncontrollably on the hard icy surface. I pulled the
handles so hard that my head scraped the ice. The brakes didn’t
work. I spread out my legs to lessen the speed with my feet, but
they just slid along the sled, on and on and on.
Help! I thought to myself. I couldn’t
scream. My throat was clogged by a massive lump of fear. I didn’t
know how, but in the blankness of my mind, I thought about Dean’s
alternative option. I threw myself out of the sled
motion.
I stopped a few feet away, still standing. “I
didn’t fall,” I panted, amazed.
“I told you.” He smiled, dropping the plastic
seat on the snow. We walked uphill for a few minutes and stopped in
front of a trail. The view made me feel like I was standing on the
top of Mount Everest. “This is the intermediate one, right?”
“Yep. The four slopes next to this one are
black, and one of them is closed because of the rain the other
day.”
“I guess it washed out the snow.”
“More like it softened and then became hard.
It formed an icy cover. A fall could be really dangerous. But this
one has a good cover of groomed snow.”
It did. The snow was deep enough to cushion a
fall. It looked like a soft downy blanket. We sat down on the sleds
with our feet anchored on the sides to block our motion. My heart
was already sprinting down the vast trail ahead.
“Do you see that other blue terminal at the
bottom?” Dean asked, pointing his finger to the distant lift
line.
“Yeah,” I said, anxious.
“Once we finish this slope, instead of
keeping straight, we’re going to turn right before the terminal.”
He waved his hand in the air, as if tracing the path to follow.
“And that trail is going to end up next to the Elk Liftline, the
one we took.”
“And that other trail is…”
“Intermediate, too.”
“Great.” I said, relieved. “And how do you
steer this thing?” I looked down at the plastic sled, which was
looking more unsafe than ever.
“With the brakes. You just need to pull
softly on one of the red handles. Like this.” He pulled up his
right handle. “And since we’re turning right, you just have to pull
the left handle. If you pull the right one, you’re going to turn to
the left.”
Ugh. It sounded like driving lessons. “Why is
it so complicated?” I said, wrinkling my forehead.
“It’s not. Just keep in mind to pull the
opposite brake to the direction you’ve chosen.”
“What if the brakes don’t work? How will I
stop? How will I turn?”
“You can use your hands but…since you don’t
have gloves…it’s not a good option to do it at that speed—or you
could throw yourself out of the sled if you want to,” he added,
eyes amused.
I gulped.
“Don’t worry. That’s not going to happen.” He
laughed.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
“Okay.”
“To the count of three, then. Put your feet
inside and push the sled with your hands. Stay behind me.” He moved
a few inches from me. “Ready?”
I pulled up my hood, breathing hard.
“Yeah.”
“One—” Adrenaline boosted through my entire
body.
“—Two…,” My hands trembled.
“Three!” Dean yelled, tugging his legs inside
the sled and urging it forward.
I pulled my trembling feet inside and
propelled the sled down in the same direction. I was gaining a lot
of speed so I pulled both handles to reduce the pace, one harder
than the other, and the sled suddenly turned right, taking the
opposite direction.
I was sliding perpendicularly to the
trail.
I started to hyperventilate, my hands, feet
and lips tingling. I tried to veer again, forcing all the strength
I could into my wobbly hands, when a barricade of threatening pines
showed up and pushed me to take a new direction—the black slope.
The soft rubbing sound of the snow underneath turned into a grating
noise, warning me to stay away. But I couldn’t. I was being dragged
like a magnet by the desolate hill.
And then…everything turned ugly. The sled was
quaking uncontrollably on the hard icy surface. I pulled the
handles so hard that my head scraped the ice. The brakes didn’t
work. I spread out my legs to lessen the speed with my feet, but
they just slid along the sled, on and on and on.
Help! I thought to myself. I couldn’t
scream. My throat was clogged by a massive lump of fear. I didn’t
know how, but in the blankness of my mind, I thought about Dean’s
alternative option. I threw myself out of the sled
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