Lessons From the Snowfields
By Eryn Swann
Photograph by Eryn Swann
A couple years back, I went on my first University trip. It was a ski trip and at the time seemed like the perfect opportunity to test the waters of adulthood by going on a solo trip, with people I didn’t know and some that I’d never even met before — what fun!
Now, firstly, I had never even seen snow before and was dying to get that first glimpse after driving there for what seemed like an eternity. This trip was supposed to be the most magical as well as socially challenging experience of my life. It was and it also wasn’t. I was enamoured by the snow — the concept, the texture, even the temperature!
However, not all went to plan and it taught me a few things:
Learn to Deal with Failure
A heavy lesson, indeed, was this one. 3 months after watching the Winter Olympic Games, I was so excited to go on a budget ski trip, see snow, and made me desperately want to partake in a snow sport. I opted for snowboarding because it seemed like the coolest sport, obviously (my thought before I realised how hard it actually was — yikes).
My first day on the snow was alright. Not great but not terrible either. I was getting used to standing on my board on the slippery snow, without it sliding out from under me and falling on my ass. The second day was the real test though. The second day involved doing this “simple” maneuver called a heel edge and toe edge (If you’re a first timer then you may dread this — but relax, everyone’s a beginner at some stage).
The first time doing heel edge, I fell – you guessed it – straight on my ass. I was terrified. Imagine you’re standing on a steep incline that appears, from your perspective, to be at an angle of 70 degrees, you’re facing downhill and you’re instructed to slightly dig your heels into the ice and move forward down the hill – nightmarish to say the least. The second attempt I wasn’t so lucky. I fell, once again, on my ass. But this time was different. I accidentally, without realising it, extended my arm downwards to break my fall and hit my elbow against the rock hard snow. Immediately, I felt something was wrong but it was an indescribable feeling – not painful but definitely uncomfortable. A day later I found out my elbow was actually fractured and I was no longer allowed to snowboard. What a disaster. I felt like a failure. I wanted to try something that I knew was difficult, had trouble learning, and eventually led to my failure. Now, in hindsight, this was one of the most important lessons I could learn while doing something I didn’t think I would even have to think about. Hear me out. This hiccup of an experience taught me that even when you try something new you might fail your first time, but that doesn’t mean you should ever give up. I certainly didn’t, which leads to my next point:
Try Again Until You Succeed (It Doesn’t Matter How Long It Takes)
The following year, I went on a family trip to the mountains and started snowboarding again from scratch. The first day I was terrified of falling and getting hurt again but I pushed through the fear and ended up progressing more in one lesson than I had over the two days of my previous trip. Over the next four days I transitioned from beginner slopes to intermediate slopes and became more confident and resilient from pursuing a difficult task. This led to an enormous gratification in myself to keep trying, even though the first time I was unsuccessful, in order to prove to myself that I could achieve what I desired to – regardless of the hiccups along the way. Try again until you eventually succeed, it doesn’t matter how long it takes – you will eventually get there and you will be ever more grateful for it.
Life Has A Way of Making You Work Harder
This is something I truly believe. Sometimes the things you want to accomplish most in life will, undoubtedly and frustratingly, be harder. This doesn’t mean you should turn the other way and look to the easier path. Take the hard path, fail, and try again. No matter what you wish to pursue in life, don’t ever be discouraged if you are unsuccessful your first time. Keep trying – you will be grateful you persevered and emerged the other side victorious.