hunnerbun
01-06-2008, 04:58 PM
Well today I did something that got me wayyyyyy outside mine. I LOVE snowmobiling, but I am pretty new to the sport. Once I moved to this godforsaken city there is not much to do in the winter if you don't own a sled, skis or a snowboard. I am not much into skiing or snowboarding so sledding it is.
So back to the comfort zone stuff. I love sledding but lots of things you have to do when you are out there scare the living shit out of me. Going fast on the lake.... not scary, going fast on the trail or having to climb steep hills very scary. So today was the second day of a 2 part sled safety course. Day one was just classroom and sled maintenance. Today was the fun day.....the ride! We went along the highway into a really deep ditch and practiced long sweeping climbs up the hill to the roadside, we then went to an even steeper part and practiced coming up more vertically....what a rush. We very quickly learned that its all about commitment. One girl got stuck a couple of times and had to be hauled out of the snow and myself and one other girl both had to bail out a couple of times on the way up but in the end we all mastered both hill climbs.
We did a simulated breakdown and made a fire and roasted some hotdogs then we got back on the proverbial horse and learned fast cornering. The guys took spruce boughs and paced out a course for us on a lake so we could weave in and out of the boughs as fast as we could. Well it wasn't long before we cleared all the snow off the lake right down to the ice. Guess who took the first rollover? Yup me. Hit the ice on my way into the corner, slid hit the snowbank and popped right over sideways. Landed in the snow pile, helmet visor full of snow and sled almost upside down on top of me. Got up, put the sled back on its track and off we went again. Second rollover was one of the other girls. Same scenario, different corner. Third rollover...me again. This landing was not quite as soft as the first. There was no snow left on the ice at this point and down I went. Hit the ice hard and snapped the right side mirror off my sled this time. All things considered it was a fun day. I am sitting here after loading up on Aleve and am going to have a glass of wine and nurse all my aches and pains.
If i wasn't so sore (and old) I'd go out and do it all over again.
So what gets you out of your comfort zone?
So back to the comfort zone stuff. I love sledding but lots of things you have to do when you are out there scare the living shit out of me. Going fast on the lake.... not scary, going fast on the trail or having to climb steep hills very scary. So today was the second day of a 2 part sled safety course. Day one was just classroom and sled maintenance. Today was the fun day.....the ride! We went along the highway into a really deep ditch and practiced long sweeping climbs up the hill to the roadside, we then went to an even steeper part and practiced coming up more vertically....what a rush. We very quickly learned that its all about commitment. One girl got stuck a couple of times and had to be hauled out of the snow and myself and one other girl both had to bail out a couple of times on the way up but in the end we all mastered both hill climbs.
We did a simulated breakdown and made a fire and roasted some hotdogs then we got back on the proverbial horse and learned fast cornering. The guys took spruce boughs and paced out a course for us on a lake so we could weave in and out of the boughs as fast as we could. Well it wasn't long before we cleared all the snow off the lake right down to the ice. Guess who took the first rollover? Yup me. Hit the ice on my way into the corner, slid hit the snowbank and popped right over sideways. Landed in the snow pile, helmet visor full of snow and sled almost upside down on top of me. Got up, put the sled back on its track and off we went again. Second rollover was one of the other girls. Same scenario, different corner. Third rollover...me again. This landing was not quite as soft as the first. There was no snow left on the ice at this point and down I went. Hit the ice hard and snapped the right side mirror off my sled this time. All things considered it was a fun day. I am sitting here after loading up on Aleve and am going to have a glass of wine and nurse all my aches and pains.
If i wasn't so sore (and old) I'd go out and do it all over again.
So what gets you out of your comfort zone?