It’s kind of ironic that the pandemic was what got me to be so much more willing to trying new sports and outdoorsy activities.

I’ve lived in Calgary for my entire life, yet never really took advantage of the great outdoors. For those of you who don’t know, Calgary is only an hour-ish from the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

What a waste!

Over the years, I’ve only gone on a couple of camping trips and maybe a dozen or so hikes.

I went leisure rafting for the first time down the Bow River in the Summer of 2020. It was such an awesome experience that I chastised myself for never having tried it before. And for those of you who haven’t done it yet, make sure you try it out this summer!

When it comes to winter sports, the only time I ever went cross country skiing was for a field trip back in elementary school.

This year, I tried skiing for the first time because many of my cousins were taking it up. Going down the Bronze trail at Nakiska was definitely one of the most terrifying experiences in my entire existence.

I easily fell a hundred times… I hardly got up a hundred times.

I can’t remember how many times I laid in the snow, looking up at the sky, telling myself that I would never do this again. How could anyone willingly put themselves through this torture?

Somehow, I ended up going 5 times… and I even purchased my own set of skis.

By some small miracle, I saw a little bit of progress each time.

The first time at Nakiska, I could barely make it down without falling every 2 seconds.

The second time at Canyon Ski Resort, I made it to the bottom without falling for the first time!

The third time at Sunshine, I overcame my fear of speed and (unknowingly) beelined down a blue trail and fell into a snow pile at the bottom… Thank goodness for powder. But, I also somersaulted a few times that day because I couldn’t control my speed.

The fourth time at Lake Louise, I learned how to make turns, slow down, and stop (on the big bunny hill).

The fifth time at Norquay, I tried making turns, slowing down, and stopping (on the big hill)… but it was hard. I kept beelining it down to the bottom.

I still have such a long way to go… but I am willing to try.

Special shoutout to my friends and cousins who have the patience of a saint.

Quote of the Day

A winner is a loser who just tried one more time.

George augustus moore

Thanks for following my #100DayChallenge series… The goal is to blog everyday for 100 days in a row. Through this series, I hope to share more about my personal life to complement the career content that I usually create.