“Uff, move over I’m squished,” my sister complained.

“I don’t have any more room,” I shot back.

“OK kids, we’re almost there,” my mom said patiently, “and Alex, give your sister some room. It is her birthday after all.”

We arrived at our room and, after waiting for everyone including my cousins, my grandparents, and my aunts and uncle we went out skiing. We quickly got on the lift and did a green slope down the mountain with everyone. Most of us in pizza position, as we were all beginners. We got to the bottom and all started getting in line in pairs, as this was a two-person lift. I was paired with my mom, and as we shuffled forward the attendant at the bottom of the chairlift called “next group” and we were filed into the loading zone. I looked backward and was surprised to see the chair coming up fast. I just got in place before I was swept up into the sky.

“Wow” I heard my mom say.

“What is it?”

“Look up.”

It was a breath-taking sight. There was not a cloud in the sky. It was perfectly blue, a kind of blue I had never seen before, not even in one of those color decks my mom uses when she is deciding on a color to paint the walls. The watery blue hues flowed throughout the vast expanse of cool air. The sun’s rays shone against the packed powder, and gleamed bright onto the patches of ice I felt the cool air blowing slightly around me and rocking us slowly back and forth. I noticed a faint scent of pine needles and heard the sound of skis swishing through the snow below. I could feel my new yellow Atomics’ dangling from my dark black boots. I saw my mom’s bright red skis a little to the left of me as I scraped the snow off one ski with the other. I also felt the weight of my skis on my feet and the ice crystals on my neck gator. I pulled my gator down so I could clear the ice but quickly put it back up again as I realized why we wore them, it was cold without one! Suddenly we realized that we were approaching the top of the mountain. I took one last look at the crystal clear sky the image imprinting itself in my mind.

This moment made me appreciate that skiing is not just about going down the hill as fast as you can. Skiing is about the whole experience. It is about enjoying special time with your family. It is experiencing nature all around you on the mountain, not just the sky but also the trees, the terrain, the mix of ice and snow. It is the feeling of cold numbing your hands but realizing that it means snowfall later.