Aspen Holiday

Chapter 8 - Snow Activities

Four days until Christmas.

I slipped on my gloves pressing down my helmet again before looking up at my brother. He lifted my helmet up a little as it was covering my eyes and chuckled, buckling the buckle at the bottom of my chin.

Today was a big day! It was the day my family and I were going snowboarding. Ace says he prefers skiing but it's just easier if we're all doing the same thing as Cal only knows how to snowboard. That, and Caleb has also been bragging about his snowboarding abilities (in addition to his hockey ones) so Ace said he also had to take him down a few pegs.

Cal assured me that snowboarding is also easier to learn than skiing so that made me feel a lot better.

"So which foot do I put in?" I questioned, seeing as both of my brothers had one foot attached to their snowboard and they both have different ones!

We had already rented all of the gear and signed any necessary wavers so my family and I were good to go! As long as I didn't die.

"Whichever one you ride with?" Caleb responded simply.

I deadpanned him. "Which is?"

"What foot goes on the board when you skateboard?"

"I don't skateboard." 

"How about when you wakesurf? Which foot goes forward?"

"Haven't done that either?"

"Oh. Really?"

"Yes, Cal."

"Alright.... How about when you surf!?"

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath before looking back up at Caleb. Was this guy serious?

"Shut up." Ace told his best friend, clipping him harshly on the back of his head.

"What?!" Caleb looked around like he was genuinely confused. Sometimes I wonder if he was dropped too much as a kid or what happened there...

"Watch." Ace said simply. He reached out and pushed my shoulder, causing me to stumble, but ultimately catch my balance.

"Ace!" I exclaimed. What the heck? This is a Caleb thing to do, not an Ace thing to do!

"You're goofy." He declared.

"What does that mean?" I asked, quietly, but my words were outshined by Caleb pouting.

"Hey! You're like Ace. Not me." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"We are siblings." Ace said as a response, not even bothering to look up at Caleb.

"That's not the reason, dumbass. She's left handed," Caleb retorted.

Ace got down on one knee — completely ignoring Cal —, grabbing my foot and helping me to secure my right foot tightly within the straps, showing me all of the intricate binding so that I can do it later.

Caleb seems to have gotten over his pity party as he has now come up to us and is helping Ace explain.

"Your right foot will always stay strapped in and you will need to unstrap and strap into your left foot fairly quickly when you are going down the hill. Both feet should always be strapped when going down, but only one when on the chair lift and only one if we are on flat ground or not currently moving so that if you lose your balance you can catch yourself and not fall straight on your ass or face."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." I gritted out.

"I'm not saying you're going to do it, JD, I'm just saying it has happened before."