Well, it’s story time again 😂
One of my favourite snowboarding memories was actually quite a disaster.
A bunch of us decided to go to Banff for a snowboarding trip, and we stayed at Sunshine Mountain Lodge right up on the mountain.
I came all the way from Kelowna, and my friends came from Medicine Hat.
We rented this awesome double-loft-style place that was basically ski-in/ski-out. It even had a hot tub out back, which was perfect after a day on the hill.
Now, I’d only snowboarded maybe 10 times at this point. I wasn’t terrible, but I definitely had ZERO interest in anything involving the words “black diamond” or “double black diamond.” 😂
So I’m riding with one of my best friends, Jeremy, and when we’re on the lift I tell him:
“Just make sure you don’t take me down anything too steep.”
“Yeah, yeah. No problem.”
Famous last words.
We get off the chairlift. I’m still nervous about getting off because I’ve eaten snow directly to the face more than once trying to dismount. 😆
I turn the corner and follow Jeremy.
And follow him.
And follow him.
Then I look up.
And just… STOP.
I hit the snow with my butt and stare down the mountain.
It’s basically a vertical wall.
This asshole has somehow led me onto a DOUBLE BLACK DIAMOND. 😂
I’m screaming. I’m terrified. And then I look farther down the hill and see one of our friends, who happens to be about 6’6”, doing a full-blown cartwheel down the mountain.
He was rolling and bouncing, rolling and bouncing, with his skis and ski poles sticking out in every direction, his long arms and legs flying everywhere.
He looked like a giant daddy-long-legs spider flipping, bouncing and rolling down the mountain. 🕷️😂
Then he finally landed and just stopped.
Dazed. Confused. Completely motionless.
We yelled down the mountain, “ARE YOU OK?!”
After a moment, one of his ridiculously long ski poles slowly appeared in the air.
YES. 😂
I’m pointing down at him, gasping for air, and yelling to Jeremy:
“SEE?! LOOK! HE CAN’T EVEN GET DOWN!”
And then I looked down at the mountain in front of me and realized…
OH SHIT. I’LL NEVER GET DOWN. 😂
Jeremy is absolutely losing it laughing.
“It’s OK! It’s OK!”
“IT IS NOT OK!”
I look back up the hill and realize there is absolutely no way I’m climbing back up. Even if I took my snowboard off, I’d need climbing gear and possibly a helicopter.
So now I’m stuck.
In the middle of a double black diamond.
Panicking.
Crying.
And telling Jeremy, “I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU!” 😂
And because apparently he had decided this was now a rescue mission, he turned around, got onto his front edge and literally snowboarded backwards down the entire thing while holding both my hands.
I stayed on my back edge, leaning backwards, moving approximately three inches per hour.
He basically walked me down the mountain on a snowboard.
Finally, we reached a flatter section.
I completely lost it, punched him a couple times in the arm, sat down and let out the biggest sigh of relief of my life.
He’s laughing his ass off.
“Aren’t you glad you did it?!”
“No, buddy. NO.”
😂😂😂
But I was laughing too.
And somehow, that ridiculous disaster became one of those stories I’ll never forget.
Then we got back to the condo.
And apparently surviving a double black diamond wasn’t enough excitement for one day.
Someone came up with the brilliant idea:
“LET’S GO MAKE NAKED SNOW ANGELS.”
So half the group stripped down, ran outside, climbed onto the deck and leaped off into the snow bank like naked human starfishes, flying through the air before landing face-first in the snow. 😂❄️
Just full commitment.
Arms out. Legs out. Naked bodies flying through the air and disappearing into the snow.
Because apparently this was a completely normal thing to do after a day of snowboarding. 😂
Honestly, I love these guys.
They’re some of my best friends, and these are exactly the kinds of ridiculous adventures that become the stories you remember forever.
Banff was wild. 😂❤️
~ Bella Heather Gellately
Author of Beautifully Dangerous
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