My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

Hi friends! So Day 2 of the Ski Weekend is where things got really interesting. You’ll never guess what I did! I can barely believe I actually did it. Read on to find out…

*VIDEO* Ski Weekend Vlog

Be sure to watch my vlog for even more footage from this trip. I’ve been enjoying making these videos for you because it feels like a whole new way to share my experience with you.

Click here to watch the video if the above player doesn’t work.

Breakfast at the Ski Haus

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

We enjoyed another delicious breakfast at the ski haus. I started with a fried egg and bagel from Rockland Bakery. Justin and Emily had stopped at the same bakery we visited for the Woodstock trip. Do you remember that footage from the vlog of all the glorious bread everywhere? It’s making me hungry just thinking about it! Hahahaha

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

Hilda also whipped up more of her amazing French toast.

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

I put on more of my sweat-wicking layers. I don’t have many of these types of workout clothes, but I was definitely thankful to have any.

For next time, I’ll try to get sweat-wicking capri pants, a sports bra, tank top, and long sleeve top. Apparently capri pants with high ski socks is the trick. In addition to just having plenty of layers, of course.

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

I was excited to bust out my new ski gear: Smith ski goggles and tall ski socks. Both in TCL blue, naturally.

My Unbelievable Second Day on the Slopes

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

We managed to get to Belleayre Mountain earlier so we could catch the 10am group lessons. My group started with two of the members from Day 1. But they ultimately decided to go back to the Day 1 group for a repeat. You know what that means…private lesson!

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

My ski instructor was thrilled to learn that I had a figure skating background and assured me that I would be fantastic at skiing.

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

Tackling the Blues

We went straight to the ski lift and down a green run. He gave me feedback as we went. He was was full of energy and enthusiasm, which helped pump me up too. In many ways, he reminded me of my old figure skating coaches. I could tell he was going to push me as far as I could go…in a good way. I just didn’t know how far I’d go!

I guess he thought I did the green run well because he suggested we head to the upper mountain and do a blue run. A blue run??? Me? Based on my experience, I expected to be lucky to try one blue towards the end of the day. But here we were, headed straight for the blues. I figured if he thought I was capable that I was. So down the blue run we went. It was faster, but I felt pretty comfortable the whole time. At one point, I got into a rhythm with the skiing and it was starting to click in my head about how to control the skis. Skiing was definitely starting to remind me of skating, and I felt like I could start to pull on some of those skills to maneuver the slopes.

You Want Me to Ski What?!

As we took the ski lift back to the upper mountain, my ski instructor suggested something I didn’t expect to do for a long time. A black diamond! Whoa! He said he was confident in my ability but that he didn’t want me to do anything that would be too uncomfortable. Naturally, I was flattered but also a bit scared. A black diamond is serious business. But my instructor assured me it was his job to get me safely down the mountain and that he wouldn’t suggest anything he didn’t think I could do. And that was all I really needed to hear. I’m in a phase of my life where I want to get the most out of every experience. And it’s not every day you get the opportunity to go down a black diamond with someone who is there to ensure you’re safe and successful. So, I said I’d do it!

Jumping Off a Cliff

Once we got to the top of the mountain and I made my way to the black diamond, I can’t lie. I started having second thoughts. With the green and blue runs, when you get to the top, you can see the way ahead of you. At the top of the black diamond, I only saw air. Where was the slope? Would I essentially be jumping off of a cliff? That’s what it was starting to feel like. Eek! What had I agreed to! I wondered if I could sneak away somehow. My mind told me to run away. But I was trapped in my skis.

My instructor made his way to the top of the black diamond run and directed me to make my way over too. He explained that we would go down verrrrrry slowly. All I had to do was what we’d already done many times. Make one long pass across the slope, angling back towards the top so as to come to a stop. He went across to demonstrate and directed me to follow. *gulp* This was it! I turned my skis and it was happening. I was skiing a black diamond! I made my way safely across to meet my instructor and easily came to a stop. That wasn’t so bad. The initial movement was considerably faster than it had been on the greens and blues. But nothing impossible. We repeated this a couple more times. Then my instructor suggested I try connecting two passes, which I also managed to complete. We repeated that a couple more times and that was it. I was down the black diamond portion of the mountain and we were ready to take on the blue portion. With that, I’d just skied a black diamond…without falling!

Do the Thing That Scares You

I can’t describe the feeling of success I felt with that experience. It reminded me that I hadn’t done anything that had truly scared me in a long time. Maybe not since that first hip hop class I tried in NYC. Which made me wonder what I’d been doing with all my time in the last year. One of the best ways to grow is to try new experiences and do things that scare you. I felt a huge sense of gratitude for being able to have this experience and promised myself to do more scary things in 2018. And if you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know my solo trip to Thailand was one of those things. More on that in a future blog post.

Do one thing every day that scares you ~Eleanor Roosevelt

I may not be able to meet Eleanor Roosevelt’s suggestion, but I can try.

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

We finished the remainder of that slope and went down another blue. I was having the time of my life and loving every minute. I did end up falling one time when I hit an icy patch, but overall had the best time. And I definitely had my instructor to thank for it. He was amazing and I will always be thankful for the wonderful lesson we had.

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

After my lesson, I met back up with my friends to see how their day was going. Justin and Emily weren’t skiing but they came to the lodge to have lunch with us. Since the previous day’s eats went well, I opted for a repeat.

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

Since it was now a Saturday, the ski lodge was kickin! There were people everywhere. Definitely some good energy in that air.

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

I upgraded my ski lift ticket for $10 so I could access the upper mountain. This also meant I got the chance to ride the gondola. Doug mentioned that one of the runs had the most amazing view, and I wanted to see it. Here it is…

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

Gorgeous, right?

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

The skiers on this part of the mountain were really good. I did my best to stay out of their way, trying to ski on only one half of the slope so they could easily pass me. My baby skis were a giveaway that I was a total gaper.

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

Here’s me at the top of the black diamond I skied. See how it’s just an edge with open, empty air ahead? I still can’t believe I went down that thing! Lol!

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

After another blue run, it was time to head back to the ski haus.

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

Farewell, Belleayre Mountain. Till we meet again!

Best Ski Snack

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

We returned to the ski haus to find Hilda had made cinnamon rolls and brewed a fresh pot of coffee. I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to see this. So much so that I hugged Hilda. We got to enjoy this fireside too. Such a perfect snack for this ski weekend.

Dinner at The Zephyr

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

For dinner, we checked out a local farm-to-table restaurant called The Zephyr. We lucked out scoring a last minute reservation.

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

After a long two days of skiing, I’d worked up quite the appetite. It was everything I could do to not down multiple baskets of bread and butter. Though we collectively polished off a couple pretty easily.

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

I started with a side salad because it had roasted beets and pears.

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

For my main dish, I opted for the short rib. It was sooo tender! And I loved how it came with a good serving of vegetables.

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

We ordered three desserts to share at the table. My favorite was the carrot cake. This one was the best in my opinion, though the others were delicious. Like one of the best carrot cakes I’ve had ever.

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

We also had a brownie.

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

And peanut butter pie. After the huge dinner, I was pretty stuffed, so I opted for a few small bites of each.

Everyone loved their dinner. We left so happily satisfied.

Back to NYC

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

By Sunday, I could barely get down the stairs. And I have video evidence, in case you watch the vlog. My muscles were so incredibly sore. I love working out and all but it’s also fun to get a workout doing an activity. From what I’ve heard about fitness, variety helps quite a bit. So trying to new activities is great to keep your body on its toes and work out different parts.

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

For breakfast we had…you guessed it. French toast!

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

For my breakfast, I had two again. The French toast followed by a half everything bagel and scrambled eggs. Both times with bacon. Yum!

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

And after a quick packing job, it was time to head back to NYC. We traded mountain views…

My First Time Skiing | Belleayre Mountain (Catskills NY) | Part 2

…for city views. It was pretty cool to see the NYC skyline off in the distance.

Ready to Read More?

Click here for Part One of this Ski Weekend

Click here to read about the mountain trip we took nearby in Woodstock, NY

Click here for my other Travel posts

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Do you ski? Have you been down a black diamond? What was it like for you?

Thanks for stopping by!

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