If I fall I just get back up
and keep going.
—Lindsey Vonn

Sunday, March 22, 7:45 p.m.
DAY 2
At the condo

Having finished my first day on the slopes, I have a lot to write about! I don’t want to sound like Uncle Drew, but the weather today was so amazing, it would be a shame not to describe it in detail. It was cold, crisp, sunny, and clear. It snowed while we were sleeping, so when we woke up, the mountains looked like they were covered with clean, white, fluffy blankets. That sounds weirdly poetic, but it was true. Everything around me was just so bright and beautiful.

All in all, it was a fun day, so I don’t want to sound like the voice of negativity when I say that showing up at ski school with sixteen other people clad in matching green pants and jackets and neon-orange ski caps was embarrassing. But it was. Actually, we weren’t all wearing neon-orange ski caps. Gaga ran out of orange wool by the time she got to hers, so she used whatever “bits and pieces” she had, which meant her multicolored cap distinguished her from the rest of the group.

“We’re here,” Gaga announced when we arrived.

“We see that,” some kid said loud enough for his friends to hear, and they all cracked up. I don’t blame them. We looked like we were dressed for a costume party.

Harry, Sophie, and I were all put in the same group with a girl from New Jersey named Mia. Thomas (from Cologne, Germany), who was in charge of the ski school, said the groups were based on age more than skill, but that both were a factor.

When Amanda heard that, she told Thomas that even though we’re not chronologically the same age, she, Sophie, and I are inseparable and that she really wanted to be with us. (1) That’s a total lie. I would never use the word inseparable to describe Sophie’s or my relationship with Amanda, and (2) I thought for sure Thomas wouldn’t agree to her plan, but he did. He said ski school should be fun for everyone.

Once May heard Amanda was in our group, she wanted to be in it too, since she and Amanda are only one grade apart in school. But then May told Thomas that even though she’s younger, she’s more skilled than any of us.

“How can you say that?” I asked her. I reminded her that none of us have ever skied, including her, which means it’s impossible to know if she’s more skilled.

“True,” said May. “But as soon as we hit the slopes, I’ll be better than any of you. Just watch.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s obnoxious,” I said. May is a great athlete—we all know that. But I was offended by her pronouncement of greatness. Thomas, however, loved it.

“I always like a kid who is up for a challenge,” he said. Then he told her she could not only be in our group, but that he was going to teach us himself. I think some kids in other groups were kind of bummed we got the head guy, but May was ecstatic. She high-fived Thomas and told him she was ready to go.

We said good-bye and good luck to Gaga and Willy. They were taking a group lesson with some other seniors. As we were heading out, I heard Gaga tell their instructor, Skye (from Taos, New Mexico), that she ready to kick some senior butt. Thomas heard it too. I thought it was pretty funny. I’m not sure he thought so. As we were leaving, he told Skye to keep an eye on Gaga.

We got our lift passes and all went outside. Thomas showed us how to put our boots into our bindings and balance on our skis. Then he demonstrated a wedge position, with skis pointed inward, to control the speed. When everyone in our group was comfortable with the feel of being on skis, we went to the top of the bunny hill. But as soon as we got there, I found out our group would be doing more than just skiing. At least, one of the people in our group would be, and that was Mia.

The whole time Thomas was explaining what we’d need to do with our shoulders, poles, and skis and how to maintain our wedge position and shift our weight as we went downhill, Mia was talking to Harry. Thomas even had to ask her to stop talking and listen to what he was saying. But apparently it didn’t embarrass her. “I’m a big talker,” she said.

“We can see that,” said Thomas. I thought it was a semipolite way to tell her to shut up, but she didn’t get the message.

“You said ski school should be fun for everyone,” Mia reminded Thomas.

“Right,” he said. “Just try to listen while I’m talking so you’ll know what to do.”

“Sure,” said Mia. “But just so you know, I can talk and listen simultaneously.”

“Cool,” said Thomas, but clearly he wasn’t impressed.

When it was time for our first run, Thomas told everyone to smile. “I want to see those pearly whites.”

“You have great teeth!” Mia said to Harry when he smiled. Then she scooted her skis closer to his and they went down the hill together.

“Was she flirting with my brother?” Amanda asked as she set off down the hill.

When we got to the bottom of the hill, she got her answer.

Mia held up a mittened hand and high-fived Harry. “That was awesome! You’re a really good skier,” she said.

Harry smiled this goofy grin. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I think Mia likes Harry,” I said to Amanda as we settled into a chair on the lift behind Mia and Harry. She made a face like the thought of it made her nauseated. I didn’t want to point out the obvious, but Harry seemed to be just as into her as she was into him. They stayed side by side as our group spent the rest of the morning on the bunny hill perfecting our technique.

Mia even sat with us at lunch, which wouldn’t have been so bad, except that she kept staring at Harry. At first I thought she was staring at the mustard he had on his lip, but she wasn’t. When we were eating the cookies we’d gotten for dessert, she turned to Harry and said, “Your eyes are even nicer than your teeth.”

“Eww,” said May.

Amanda made a retching sound.

I laughed and so did Sophie. She’d seemed pretty happy when we were skiing, but this was the first time I’d heard her laugh in a while and I was glad to hear it. Mia ignored the comment, the sound effects, and the laughter. She didn’t seem embarrassed at all as she asked Harry if his eyes were blue or green.

“Depends on what I’m wearing,” Harry told her.

Then they had this long discussion about what color clothing made his eyes look blue and what colors made them green. As they talked, it was like they’d forgotten that Amanda, Sophie, May, and I were even at the table.

After lunch, our group worked with Thomas on making turns.

May picked it up right away. After the first time Thomas demonstrated how to make turns, May took off down the hill, doing it exactly the way he’d shown us.

Harry and Mia weren’t far behind. I was kind of surprised Harry was as good as he was. He’s usually uninterested in sports, and it was clear he was giving skiing his all.

So was Mia, who told us that in addition to being naturally talkative, she’s also naturally athletic. When she said that, I was afraid Harry was going to make a cheesy comment of his own like that she’s naturally cute too. Fortunately, he didn’t.

Sophie, Amanda, and I all had a harder time mastering turns.

Thomas kept going over the proper technique of how to bend our knees and lean into the turns. I tried bending and leaning like he showed us, but I did a lot more falling than anything else.

“The secret to learning to ski is getting up more times than you fall,” said Thomas.

It took a lot of tries for the three of us to get the technique down. By the end of the day, we weren’t perfect, but we’d definitely improved.

May, on the other hand, was great. When we were putting our boots away, Thomas told her she’s a born skier.

“See, I told you I’d be good,” May said to me.

“That’s just it,” I said. “If you’re good at something, you don’t need to tell people.” I thought I was giving her an important life lesson, but May was more interested in following Mia and Harry into the lodge for hot chocolate.

When we were all seated in comfy chairs around the fireplace, Amanda, Sophie, and I overheard Mia tell Harry that he’s an awesome skier. “That’s the seventh time today she’s used the word awesome in conjunction with Harry,” Amanda said to Sophie and me.

“It’s more like ten,” said Sophie. I cracked up. I don’t know how many times Mia said it, I was just happy Sophie was joking around and acting more like her old self. When we got back to the condo at the end of the day, I went outside with my phone and took a bunch of pictures of the mountains. Then I went in and showered and put on my comfy sweats. We all hung out in the condo while Dad made chili for dinner.

It was a fun day skiing, and it left me unusually happy. I didn’t even get upset when May went on and on about how Thomas said she did amazing for her first time on the slopes, clearly showing she hadn’t heard a word I’d said about humility.

During dinner, everyone was laughing and joking, and it was easy to see that I wasn’t the only one in a happy mood. My Uncle Dusty even made a comment about all the happy faces.

“Must be because of my chili,” said Dad.

“It’s because everyone’s feet are out of their ski boots and in slippers,” said Gaga.

“I think the fresh mountain air is good for everyone,” Aunt Lila added.

“Why don’t we all go around the room and say what our happy thing is?” suggested Aunt Lilly.

“Mom!” Harry and Amanda said at the same time. It was clear they didn’t want to play Aunt Lilly’s game. But all the grown-ups liked her idea.

As everyone started to say what their happy thing was, I waited for my turn.

All the answers were kind of repetitive. Everyone liked the same things—the cold mountain air, beautiful scenery, the feeling of skiing down the mountain, getting hot chocolate, and eating chili.

When Aunt Lilly got to me, I decided to step outside the box. “I liked seeing everyone in a good mood,” I said. I looked at Sophie as I said it. She’s my friend, and today was the first time I’d seen her look happy in a long time. Whatever was bothering her doesn’t seem like it’s an issue anymore.

We spent a lot of time with Thomas today working on turns. My happy thing is that it seems like Sophie’s mood has made a turn for the better.