"We have a story"

That’s what my brother and I told our parents when we got home from snowboarding at 6:30 yesterday evening. Once we had unloaded our gear from my car, we settled down in the living room to go over the details. It’s definitely the most memorable and eventful New Year’s Day I’ve spent thus far. So here’s the story:


The short version
We drove to Bluewood (well, I drove; I’m the one with AWD); not too many people there; the powder was incredible!; I learned how to snowboard (first time---no broken bones; plenty of sore muscles) and caught on pretty quickly---even did a bit of carving on both edges; around noon I started to lose my vision (blurry with blind spots); I fell off the chairlift (not related to loss of vision); I started to get a killer headache and nausea (on top of wacked-out vision); the weather got windier and snowy; we left at 3 p.m.; Matt (brother) drove because my vision was still not back to normal; I had him pull over so I could puke in a snow bank; soon after, he slid my car into the ditch (from a straight stretch of plowed, graveled road---it didn’t make sense); two guys in an SUV stopped and helped push us back onto the road; I took over driving (vision was then pretty normal, though the headache was still there); the weather proceeded to get stormier; it took us over three hours to drive 50 miles (I’d guess 30 or 40 mph winds; blowing snow; patchy fog)---we followed other cars and trucks, all of us driving with hazard lights on, going between 5 and 30 mph (generally around 20); to top it off I had to puke again when we got home; then I slept 15 out of 24 hours and spent all morning and afternoon today in bed; it snowed all day and should snow the rest of the week (we must have close to a foot); at present it’s quiet and sparkly outside.


The longer version
Well, not too much longer, I hope; I just want to elaborate on a few things. First of all, my first experience snowboarding was great! I’ve skied for about eight years (on and off; not that often the past few years) but always wanted to try snowboarding. I’m glad I finally did; I think I’ll stick with it. Matt said I did pretty well (even “awesome”) for my first time; I didn’t have any crazy wipeouts, but I spent a lot of time on my butt and knees. The falling off the lift thing: that was pretty funny, after I got back on and had some time to think about how silly I must have looked. It happened at the bottom of the hill when we were getting on to go to the top; I didn’t grab on well enough and my butt missed the seat, so I kind of slid around and under the chair and landed gracefully on my back (no injury at all, except for my pride). Of course they stopped the lift and asked if I was OK; then I got on another chair and made it to the top with a smile on my face. Great fun.

About the vision problem: this had never happened to me before, and I was pretty freaked out. For a while I had a blind spot on one side and then later everything was blurry and splotchy. The headache and nausea followed shortly thereafter, with the puking as an added bonus. (By the way, I hate throwing up---before this past spring I hadn’t thrown up since I was 9 or 10 years old.) After assessing my combined symptoms, we figure it must have been a migraine (which I’ve never had before and hope never to have again), brought on by the exertion of snowboarding (falling and pushing myself back up). I’m not in bad shape but I guess I’m not used to so much stress on my body. So I just hope next time things go more smoothly (and I’ll know when to stop if I start feeling strangely).

I was glad I was able to drive home, especially after the ditch incident. It helps to be physically in control in a situation like that (crazy stormy weather---we could only see about 30 or 40 feet ahead most of the time, and then only because of the blinking hazard lights on the vehicle in front of us). And speaking of the “ditch incident”: neither my brother nor I have ever gone off the road, been in an accident, been pulled over or gotten a ticket. So that was a new experience for the both of us. Luckily my car wasn’t damaged (though I haven’t been out to examine it with a magnifying glass---I’ve been too busy lying in bed trying not to throw up) and we got out in about five minutes. Then the drive home---that was just incredible; I’ve never seen weather like that, much less been out driving in it! It felt like we were in a Midwestern blizzard or something. Our little convoy of cars was basically holding hands in the dark, trusting each other to stay on the road (while watching the shoulder when I could see it). So that’s my New Year’s Day! A little more excitement than I expected, but I now have some unforgettable memories.

Comments

[Andrew Zirschky]

April, sounds like a rough day? Wow... crazy stuff... mind if we offer up a prayer for you, your migraines, and your misguided butt? Hope not, cuz I'm gonna...

[a d a m]

Misguided butt...? April, I apologize for my friend Andrew - he hasn't been on his board in over 2 years, so...when he and I go boarding - I'll let you know how misguided his butt is...I mean, not that I'll be...well, anyway. I'm glad everything turned out okay and nothing was more serious than it could have been...you do tell stories well though...

[April]

Thanks for the sympathy, folks. It was quite a day, that's for sure! I'm feeling much better after a normal night's sleep---only my neck, shoulders and arms are a bit sore. I really should have titled it "My misguided butt"---that would have been intriguing.

[April]

Re-reading this now, a day less than a year later, it's amazing how vivid these memories still are. And I haven't been snowboarding since then, because we haven't had a stitch of snow this year (at least not a stitch that didn't turn into rain). Anyway, I feel the need to mention two of my favorite details, ones I somehow neglected in the initial telling.

1. When I fell off the chairlift, my brother, who made it on like a normal person, acted as if he was only sharing the chair with a stranger. As I lay flat on my back on the snow-packed loading platform, he faced straight ahead, apparently planning his next run down the mountain. Nary a glance, nary a concerned word, nary a "That's OK, it's just my sister." Perhaps, though a year after the fact, I should confront him about this lack of concern?

2. The guys in the SUV who stopped to help us had apparently just been at the mountain also, as one was wearing red longjohns and thrown-on snow boots---he was probably relaxing during the drive home, warming his feet under the vent, stretching and sighing, and reveling in that "I've just been out in the snow and cold, and now I'm ready for a warm drink and fuzzy slippers" feeling. I laugh every time I remember him bounding around my ditch-friendly car, red legs flying.