Now I've never done either before, but realised that, 2 weeks before exams, now was best chance. So I "borrowed" a spot at a mate's house - this lovely house for 12 people about 15 minutes away from the Squaw Valley ski fields (where the 8th Winter Olympics were held!).
Now Squaw is HUGE. Boasting some 177 runs and 34 ski lifts - including many "black diamond runs" (Something I'll probably never experience at my current rate of development!), you have to see it to believe it!
As for me, all I had was a (rather expensive) snowboard I'd borrowed off my friend, Adrian, who was a bit of a pro. So it was time for lessons - and a LOT of pain.
Here's me in happier times ...
How was it? Extremely painful. A LOT of time, when you're starting snowboarding, is spent on the ground, watching ... (here's my watching somebody watching)
... and even though I picked up enough in 1.5 days such that I could stand up for (comparatively) extended periods of time, there were hours where I would try to get up from having fallen over, stay up for a few seconds, then fall down, again, again, and again. Worse still, when you actually get going and you crash forward - OUCH! Making the world look very grey ...
Overall, I'm glad I did it - though any improvement is going to take some sustained commitment ... next year, I say! =)
(Finally, for the critics, here's a token shot of me putting on snow chains = not fun in the cold! Brrrr!)
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