Skating

Although we didn't have any formal instructional periods, I enjoyed the periods that wee spent skating. I had skated previously, and it was fun to be able to re-learn what I had once done, and to watch my improvement from someone trembling on the ice while holding a plastic aid, to an independent skater who was having fun in the process. I am now far more confident in my abilities, and I would enjoy doing the unit again.

The Ski of X-C

Last week I completed my first session of cross country skiing, which went semi-successfully. Save for an unjustified irate teacher to begin with (I never ran into her again, luckily), the instructors were adequate to good for the job at hand (teaching). I managed to quickly re-enter my position of knowing what to do, as I have completed it beforehand, and it was akin to riding a cycling |construction. I was placed in the intermediate group even though I had not taken the annual precedent that the class had already undertaken. It ended up proving successful, though. It was actually far more fun this time than it had been before. I managed, though, to improve my skills in turning and moving downhill. I feel at place in the intermediate group, as although it does not provide a great challenge for me, it was fun and I was improving my skills. I also enjoyed getting social time outside with friends. I found, though, the long downhill sessions difficult, though over time I should be able to control myself more and as such avoid falling further. I also improved general movement skills, by improving my technique in general. I hope to, over the future sessions, to be able to go faster and try more difficult runs. I hope to have the same level of fun, though, and as such I can't wait for the future cross country skiing sessions.

The Fine Line of Film Creation

While watching the movie "The Fine Line", several thoughts came to mind, unfortunately few of them positive. Although the movie did distribute the message of avalanche awareness, in regards to backcountry skiing, as a whole, it failed to place enough emphasis on the ideals of safety, and on personal opinions. The cinematography was relatively well done, though too much of it detracted from the main point. Too much of the movie was dedicated to the idea of backcountry skiing as a whole - a concept which we recognize is dangerous in its being. In that, it made the idea of backcountry skiing seem like a fantastical exercise, and as such it glorified it as a worthwhile activity while being safe. It failed to recognize the complete lack of safety involved in backcountry skiing, including many other risks aside from avalanches, of which too much focus was placed on when considering the attempts at good editing. The movie also had a lack of direction in regards to purpose throughout. Several key points, including specific forms of safety and personal experiences, were wither completely missed or breezed over - thus not providing a strong basis for our knowledge. Backcountry skiing has increased over the years, potentially due to a lack of awareness and lessening for consideration for safety over time. It is also due to the ignorance caused by the willing to set a social image for oneself, and to achieve a superior status to others in any given element. People fail to consider the ramifications beforehand. The film also has failed to recognize other elements of risk to backcountry skiing, including rocks and cliffs. Another unspoken element is the fact that much of the backcountry skiing conducted is conducted illegally, in unsupervised regions - both against the law and against any notion of personal safety and awareness. From my perspective in regards to my age, I would not attempt backcountry skiing, almost entirely because I feel as though I am and will be fully challenged by in-bounds skiing at major resorts and seasonal recreational institution, and this is beneficial for my own personal safety and my well-being. Should my skiing progress to a more extreme level, though, I would want to take a basic avalanche course, as to be able to avoid death should a situation arise in a legal area of an institution, as chance is always prevalent.