Sunday skiing adventure

Amy and I at Scott Base before my skiing attempt

I decided that I would try cross country skiing today. I went to gear issue last night and signed my life, and forty dollars, away for my ski getup. I was recommended a traditional set up. This morning I met my skiing partner for brunch and socialized with some other carpenters till noon. We finally resolved to get out into the world and arranged to meet up for a shuttle to Scott base at 12:30.

Our shuttle driver, a volunteer, is the Fire Chief for McMurdo station and we had a very pleasant ride to Scott base. We arrived and shopped in their store a little. I found some Lemon Drop Shnapps from New Zealand and a sew-on-patch. She found and bought some possum fur gloves and then fell in love with a Kiwi wool sweater that she couldn't afford. We were the first shuttle of the day and set off skiing when the American invasion of the Kiwi base began in earnest.

It turns out that cross country skiing in the fourth grade does not qualify a person to ski when they are an adult. I struggled on the flats and ended up on my butt falling down the hill to the sea ice. After five minutes of flopping around on the ice, like a fish out of water, I figured out how to get back up on to my skis. The smooth flow of action between poles and skis eluded me the entire struggle. My partner was very patient.



A view of the violent pressure ridges off Scott base near our skiing trail (maybe twenty feet high)

 Turns out that there are different types of skis as well. Not only did I not know how to ski but Amy was riding skate skis while I was on traditional skis. Her skis, much shorter than mine, as designed to let her skate the ice surface. Skate skis are much faster than traditional skis on ice and she was propelled by her legs while I was supposed to use arms and legs. So she would shoot a hundred feet ahead and wait patiently; I would struggle, then catch my breath, then struggle and catch up - then she was ready to go again. At one point she asked what I thought of the girl that shot past the both off us but I was so busy watching my skis that I didn't even notice her as she passed us.



Castle Rock ( a giant rock formation hundreds of feet high)  is to my right and Mt. Erebus is to my left

 We reached the one mile marker and decided to turn back as the wind was picking up. It turns out that my skis can go uphill while hers cannot. I was beggining to get closer to 'the rythem' but still was struggling. When we arrived back at Scott Base the Fire Chief gave us a ride home and I once in my the privacy of my room I devoured a whole bag of potato chips.

At dinner I talked to Kev from Recreation and he said that my struggling was the reason for McMurdo ski school. I am enrolled for next Sunday.

I will be sleeping well tonight.