Always Read the Map

So after my first snowboarding adventure on the mountain this year I decided I was finally good enough to give a new resort a try. I headed up to Snowbird a few weeks ago, all sorts of cocky thinking I was a real snowboarder. It turns out there were a few things I still needed to learn:



1. Trails where they are still making snow means you'll be riding over ice chips, so just don't do it!

2. Riding through the trees is a bad idea until you are really good at turning. I am not.

3. You should never take your board off of both feet unless you have a REALLY good hold of it. (It slid right on down the mountain without me. This was while I was stuck in the trees).



And the most important thing I learned was: Always read the map!! We had decided to get the pass that included the tram since it was only a few dollars more, and I figured I should at least try to get up the tram once since I'd paid for it. There were a few runs that came down from that high and one of them was blue with a black dotted line through it. Since blue is intermediate and black is hard, I figured blue and black was somewhere in between. I was wrong.



When I started down the hill I blew right by a sign that said "Expert Skiers Only". That worried me a little, but I saw my blue and black line and knew I was heading the right direction. As I rode confidently past the sign I finally saw the mammoth peak in front of me with the two smallest trails going off to either side I have ever seen. I felt like I was on Lord of the Rings about to walk along the side of a sheer snowy drop-off, only I had a board strapped to my feet that had not been incredibly cooperative up to that point in the day. It was then I decided to pull out the map again. It turns out, the blue and black line means something more along the lines of "You'll be black and blue by the time you reach the bottom." Oops.



I stood at the crossroad of death with a decision to make: I could hike the path of humiliation back up to the top of the hill and RIDE the tram back down ( I would be the only one making a return trip), or I could risk death or at least serious pain by taking one of the two paths ahead. I pondered for a moment whether humiliation was better than death and decided I've had a good run, so why not take my chances?



I obviously lived to tell my tale, and with just a few bruises to show for it. I also managed to learn a good life lesson. Often times I am quick to jump in and get something done, or head off on an adventure, but I don't always take the time to gather the information necessary to ensure I'm making a wise decision. I had a map, but I didn't really take the time to make sure I understood it, I just assumed I knew what I was doing and continued on my way. Instead, maybe I should take a few minutes to look at the information I have available and make the best decision possible with the consequences in mind.