The Experiment 2: The Journey

Unstoppable

"Okay, babe, we're going to start off with the green circle trails. They're for beginners so they will be short and will contain few obstacles," RJ said as he helped Dei step into her rented skiing boots.

"I can't wait!" Dei said excitedly. There was a twinkle in her eyes as she began biting her lip, gazing at the slopes through the window of the rental cabin. She had a determined look on her face and an eager smile too.

RJ paused and looked up at her. "Quit being overly excited, Dei, you're making me nervous," he said, suddenly wondering if this was actually a good idea.

"I'll be fine!" she said, rolling her eyes at him.

They walked out into the snow and RJ began teaching her the basics as she stepped into her skis, with him making sure that they were latched securely.

"You have to assume the basic posture, babe," he said, showing her how it's done. "Bend your knees so your shins rest on the front of your boots and then lean forward slightly. While skiing you have to keep the poles by your side, but you can use it to help you balance, push off or push away."

Dei nodded, listening intently although she couldn't help the huge grin on her face as she began to fill with excitement. It had always been one of her dreams to try skiing.

RJ went on to teach her how to turn and how to stop. "Point your skis together if you want to stop, then push your heels out to form a wedge with an open point. Do not overlap the tips of your skis--that tends to lead to a loss of control, do you understand?"

"Yes."

"You wanna keep your weight in the correct place," he added. "If you lean too far back, you will have a hard time turning. If you lean too far forward, your skis will get wiggly, and you may wipe out. Keep your knees slightly bent, and keep your hands in front of you, like you're holding a lunch tray."

"Okay, got 'em. Can we go now?" Dei asked eagerly.

"Not until you have repeated everything that I said," he said firmly. He felt that she was too excited and unable to focus on his tutorials and he wanted to make sure that she really knew what she needed to do.

Dei sighed and recited everything in a monotonous tone. RJ couldn't help but smile when she was done. "Impressive," he whispered.

"Sometimes you forget how brilliant I am," she said, smirking at him.

They started ski walking towards the chairlift and he helped Dei onto it. She landed smoothly when they got to their unloading point and RJ smiled inwardly. She seemed like she was born for this.

To be sure of her safety, RJ decided to spend the first hour going down the bunny slopes first, just to make sure that Dei got used to all the basic movements before they headed to the actual beginner's trail. He taught her patiently and he was impressed at how quickly she learned. After another hour at the beginner's slopes, Dei got bored and asked if they could move to the intermediate trails.

"Why are you so brave at doing things like this yet too scared at making huge steps in life, Dei?" He joked when he finally agreed and they started walking back to the chairlift that would take them to the next slope.

"Well, if I make a mistake here and fall, it's easier to get over with. I can just slowly get up and try again --"

"Unless you take a bad fall and break your neck. You can get injured real bad in skiing, Dei, please keep that in mind and don't be too complacent just because you think you will be landing in soft snow," he interrupted, his tone serious.