The early morning start didn’t help my nerves, Anna was already waiting by the time I showed up.
“Morning! did you sleep well?” She asked,
“Yeh I’m not much of a morning person but if it’s for snowboarding it’s alright.”
“Well just one quick check and we can hit the slopes!” She paused, waiting for my response.
“Check?” I question. Before Anna tugs your arm to turn you around, cold air rushes down your snow pants as the waistband is pulled back.
“Mmmm that’s not gonna do, come on let’s go fix that,” you could hear her smirk through her tone.
She pulls me by the hand leading me inside, I felt numb and still a little unsure if she’ll follow through. We make it to a single bathroom and Anna sets her oversized tote bag down.
Before I could argue more her hands push down on my shoulders, guiding me to the changing mat waiting on the ground.
I couldn’t look, the embarrassment radiates off me as she helps me stand up and guides me over to the mirror.
“Anna this is too much, I can’t even walk right and was using all that powder really necessary?” Pulling up my pants they catch under the new bulk of ‘my nappy.’
“No tush is getting nappy rash on my watch! Need a hand with those pants mister?” She says already pulling them the rest of the way up, taking time to tie my drawstring into bow.
“And what’s with the cartoons?”
“They’re cute! Don’t you think?”
I shoot the angriest glare I could at her but she’s busy tying my shoes to notice. Before I could make another excuse we were walking through the lodge, b lining to the chairlift.
We make it to the front of the line, scoot forward onto the two person chair and the bar comes down.
“Y’know I think there’s a lot more positives to needing nappies then you might think.”
“Mmhmm sure.. I’m just saying, you don’t even realise how cold this seat is!” Poking my side, trying anything to get me to smile.
“Not to mention how many more laps you get in with no potty breaks,” her eyes unwavering and waiting for a reaction. Her little jabs getting more and more ticklish so I turn to try and hide my growing smile.
“Don’t get shy now baby, we’re about to get off!”
We line up our boards and push off the chair, I feel Anna’s hand on the low of me back guiding us away from the chair. It’s a good 15 meters before my board slides out and I fall squarely on my butt. Instead of landing on hard groomed snow of the snowcat track I’m met with a cushy dull thud. At least this thing’s good for something.
“Told ya there was positives, I reckon a lotta people would be jealous!… Well? You gonna just sit there and pout all day?”
“No… I’m just.. uh. Clipping in my boot!” My excuse coming off more childish than I’d hoped.
“Riiight, well get ready cause we’ve got a little ways to a trail I know, there sure to be untouched snow there.”
Plotting along a relatively flat cat track was a good start. Just as I start to get the hang of going toe to heel, edge to edge, when Anna comes to a stop.
“Here!” She point down a run steeper than anything we’d previously tackled.
“You first, gotta keep an eye on ya, don’t want any accidents now do we?”
“I don’t need nappies!” I lift my goggles to make sure she sees my scowl.
“That’s great honey but I was thinking more along the snowboarding kind of accident.”
I feel heat rush to my cheeks so I snap my goggles back down and turn towards the run.
“Ok this first parts a little steep but once it goes left further down it flattens out a bit. You ready?”
With a nod I check my bindings one more time before *Pat**Pat* on my butt.
“Good boy! Safety fist huh,” her words made my chest tighten, this time the shiver down my spine felt… good.
Turn, turn, fall.. Repeat. It was two steps forward and one back for most of the run, but Anna was right, there wasn’t a track on the whole face. It took all my focus and by the end of it I could just about get around fall-less.
Only once I unclipped and stepped off did I notice how puffy my the padding felt. Guess it’s hard to tell with how wide of a stance my board puts me in.
“Wha’cha lookin at?” Her eyes as fixated on the padding as well.
“Oh don’t worry hun that thing will hold a ton, you’ll be right at least until we hike back to the lodge.”
“HIKE!?! You never said anything about that! Andd I didn’t WET MYSELF! I would have known if that’d happened..”
“I dunno those kiddos are pretty absorbent, it was probably all whisked away while you were focused making those turns! Awesome job by the way!” She holds up her mitt for a high five.
Looking at my feet I reluctantly hi five her.
“Of course! And maybe we can stop in and get a celebratory hot chocolate for completing your first black run!” She opens her arm inviting a hug.
My head flicks up to meet her eyes, “That was a black run?!” I almost dive into the hug.
“Yeah! And you crushed it!” She says as her arms wrap around me, carefully pulling back my pants.. just to check. I’m far too deep in praising her unconventional coaching to register it.
Maybe Anna’s ‘techniques’ do help more than I realised.
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