Black Diamonds of Life

Perched at the top of a black diamond, the true slope mysteriously hidden by flat at the beginning. Enticing us in, I've seen lots of these. They seem inviting at first, but only when you've skied into it and peered over the edge (too far to go back) does the true run reveal itself. And you always wished you'd shown more caution. Such as it was this time. Ethan, Alex and I stood at the top.

We had just finished a hard part of the slope, lots of large moguls and boys did fine. But that was a large, wide, open slope with sufficient space to bail to the right flats when it got too hard. Now we were standing at the beginning of another. And it was narrow with lots of trees.

Me: Ethan, are you sure you went on this in ski school?
Ethan: Yea.
Me: Are you sure this is a good idea? (more to myself than to my 7-yr old but one will seek assurance anywhere)
Ethan: Yea. (what exactly did I expect?)
Me: I don't know about this. (all to myself)
They were already heading down without a thought to the possility of broken bones, twisted knees, snow in faces. (Imagine that.)

I had no choice but to follow...into the abyss. VERY TIGHT RUN, LOTS OF TREES, DEEP MOGULS, STEEP EDGES. I was teetering on the edge at each turn. Meanwhile, Ethan and Alex go up and down, up and down, up and down. Over the bumps, down the valleys, through the powder. They were on a stroll through the woods.

I, was totally in over my head. I would NEVER have gone down this slope had it been Ric and I.

So for the first time I've been surpassed by my kids on the slope. I knew it would happen at some point, but like when they were 10 or 12! Not 7, not 5.

Than after that run I had to follow them into the halfpipe. (Yikes!)