Revelstoke’s Lessons

Three things I learned when I was out in Revelstoke this February:

·      With friends of the heart, time doesn’t mean anything.

·      Fear doesn’t have to control you.

·      When you mix those two things together, miracles can happen!

SO, how did those pearls of wisdom come my way? Well, 2 quick backstories:

First, a lifetime ago, I worked at the Leslie M. Frost Natural Resources Centre in Dorset, Ontario, and during that time, I met Anne Nicholson. We became adventure buddies – we’d run together, paddle racing canoes, cross country ski, and all the time, laugh like two crazy people who were celebrating joy in whatever we were doing. As I explain in one of the stories in my book, Annie and I lost touch when life, kids, work and all that other day to day stuff got in the way. It has been 36 years since we shared any adventures.

(Pause and think about where you were 36 years ago. That’s a long time!!!)

Second, in 2007, I was skiing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was the second to last day, last run of the day. (I think you can see where this is going). I chose to follow my daughter and friends through some trees and successfully ended up in a clearing! I was so proud of myself. But before I finally stopped, I clipped my right ski on a tree and fell in the powder…with my left ski not coming out of the binding. A long ride down in a stretcher complete with oxygen (from ski patrollers) and a lot of screaming (from me), a late-night surgery to repair the 3 breaks in my left leg, and I was left with a paralyzing fear of skiing near trees.

During my rehab, I met Gerarda and Brian Parrott. Long story short, Gerarda ended up designing my GAEL logo, and Brian and I sometimes work together doing strategic planning. Big plus – Brian is a Level Two ski instructor and though he’s never gotten me in trees, he’s helped improve my skiing tremendously.

This fall, Brian and I talked Gerarda (or G, as I call her) into coming to Revelstoke with us for a ski trip. G doesn’t ski, but we figured there’d be lots to do in the town. And when I somehow got us invited to stay with Anne and her husband Arne, who had moved to Revey 4 years ago, everything worked out perfectly.

Now, the notion of time not meaning anything? When we arrived at Anne and Arne’s house, Anne opened the door with a smile as big as Mount MacKenzie (that we could see out their living room window. ) There wasn’t even a moment of hesitation, none of that awkward “Nice to see you” stuff, we just fell into each other’s arms and picked up where we left 36 years ago. It was wonderful from the first moment as time just disappeared in the blink of an eye. We had a lot of lost ground to cover, so that meant skiing, eating, laughing, repeat…every day I was there.

Anne and Susan in Revelstoke, pre-trees!

Our first day of skiing saw Anne, Susan and Brian out of the mountain. I don’t believe Brian is capable of skiing without teaching, so before we knew it, we were in Brian’s master class of weight distribution, turning radius, carving and generally becoming better skiers!t

Anne then causally mentioned that she wanted to take us to Tally Ho trees where the trees were “friendly”. I put a kibosh on that quickly, reminding them both that another broken leg

Unfortunately, Brian came down with some weird flu bug, and he was unable to ski the next day. So, Anne and I headed out again, recreating everything that Brian had taught us, and just tearing up and down the hills. Somehow, we ended up near Tally Ho trees, and Anne gently asked me if I wanted to try it. My anxiety levels went through the roof. I edged closer to the trees, and I said “no, I’ll pass”. And Anne, in her quiet way, said “that’s okay, not to worry”, and slowly started to ski away.

Fear creates a biochemical reaction in your body. My heart rate elevated, I was breathing faster – I was in fight or flight mode at the edge of those trees.

But I trusted Anne. I knew that she wouldn’t take me down anything I couldn’t handle. So, I tentatively, very tentatively said “Well, maybe a few trees”.

I won’t bore you with every moment of my descent, but it was Anne’s patience and gentle leadership that moved me forward. She would ski forward, take a few turns, then stop. I’d follow and before I knew it, I was turning on the tops of the moguls, ignoring the trees and any anxiety I had had vanished because I was concentrating so hard on making my turns.

Oh my god, I was skiing trees!

Brian and Anne witnessing my tree success!!!

For years, I had been crippled by a fear of trees. And to protect myself, I simply refused to move past that fear. But with Brian’s teaching, and Anne’s belief in my ability, I decided to believe in myself and try. By the end of our ski trip, I had skied through those trees three times and discovered additional paths on my own. I will never be completely without hesitation in trees, but that fear no longer controls me.

These times that we are living in are scary. Fear is creeping in to the crevices of our hearts and minds, and if we are not careful, we will all be paralyzed by that fear. I could have lived the rest of my life being afraid to ski in trees. But with patience, trust and belief from others, I moved past that fear. So, I guess I am suggesting that we all find those people, those friends of the heart, and others that we can all believe in, and hold each other up to conquer our collective fear.

We got this. Hang in there.