Forgotten Strengths

I breathe in the fresh mountain air as I step out of my cabin. It’s my second day at one of my favorite ski mountains. Grand Targhee Resort, Wyoming. It is mid-February, and over the past week, the mountain has gotten a good three feet of fluffy powder. I step out onto my icy porch, careful not to slip, and grab my skis from the rack. The cabin is a few hundred feet from the slopes, so I carefully make my way towards the trail winding through the other cabins. I clip on my skis one at a time. I specifically brought my powder skis because today is not a normal ski day. Today I’m going all the way to the top of the mountain, the ungroomed runs, where the untouched snow lies. 

“Charlie, wait up!” My friend Jonny calls after me.

Oh, right, Jonny. Jonny has been my best friend since we were toddlers. I invited him on this trip to get him out of the house and to bring him outside in general. He tramps over to where I am, clips into his skis, and gives me his iconic grin.

“Ready?” he asks.

“So ready,” I reply.

We push off with our poles and head to the double-seat chairlift that will bring us to the highest ski run on the mountain. We load onto the lift, pulling down the overhead bar to rest our legs. I look out over the hill. The rising sun adds a peaceful glow to the snow-covered trees. We are some of the first skiers on the mountain, and everything was still coming alive. Moving over a patch of frosted willows, an Ermine was nestled into its den, keeping warm from the chilly air. We crest a ridge, coming closer to the summit of the mountain. We lift the tips of our skis and slide off the chairlift. There are no trees around for miles, and a slight breeze blows snow dust into our eyes. 

We head towards a sign labeled 'The Gulch.' My stomach churns as I look down the ravine. This morning, I was excited and had no nerves, but now, standing here in person, the experts-only cliff started looking more intimidating by the second. I take a deep breath and scoot my way closer to the edge. Jonny comes up beside me, a smile crossing his face. Then, without a word, he drops down the edge into the ravine. With no time for hesitation, I follow close behind, watching his every turn to mirror. After a few minutes of being surrounded by jagged cliff walls, the ravine opened into a steep, open mountainside. The nerves I was feeling this morning are starting to wear off, making way for the excitement I felt a few days ago. I let out a hoot of excitement, and Jonny does the same. I take a left, in search of untouched powder. It feels like I’m skiing over clouds, nothing slowing me down.

 I can see the bottom of the mountain, a bittersweet feeling. I’m about to shout at Jonny, but I get cut off. It sounds like a herd of cows is running behind me. I look back, confused, then I see it: a giant wall of snow and debris is flying down the mountain fast, coming right towards Jonny and me. There is no time to think about what to do next. The avalanche envelopes both of us. The force is too much to handle, and I get knocked off my feet, my skis unclipped as I get pummeled into the ground. It’s hard to breathe, and my mouth is being filled with snow. I tumble down the mountain for a good two minutes before I slowly come to a stop. Everything is dark, and it’s hard to move my arms out from under me. I’ve heard stories of this happening to people, but I’ve never thought it would ever happen to me. There is a small pocket of air between my mouth and my balaclava, giving my shocked brain some oxygen. Suddenly, I feel dazed. My head hurts and my ears are ringing. I know that the adrenaline is wearing off, and my eyes close, giving in to the shock.

“Charlie, Charlie!” I hear a voice shouting from somewhere distant. 

I remember that I’m lying under a good three feet of snow, bringing my survival instincts back. I try shouting, but there’s no room for my mouth to move. All I can do is lie there and hope someone rescues me. I can hear shouting all around me, Jonny, and the local search and rescue team. 

After what seems like hours, I hear a voice shout, “I think I found something!”

I hear footsteps vibrating overhead, followed by the sounds of shovels digging into the snow. The sounds slowly start getting louder, and all of a sudden, I’m blinded by the sun. I feel a firm pair of hands grab onto my shoulder and slowly hoist me out of the snow. The pressure of the heavy snow has been lifted off my limbs. As soon as I am all the way out, I immediately feel dizzy and tumble into whoever is carrying me. 

“Dang, Charlie, you scared us all real bad,” Jonny says sarcastically.

I take a look around and see where the avalanche came down. Trees are down, the lifts aren’t moving, but one thing stayed the same. The beauty of the mountains. The peacefulness that the snow brings. When I started doing activities in the outdoors, I knew this was what could happen, and I accepted it. Though I might’ve had the scariest encounter with nature ever, I still feel that it was necessary. I can now fully appreciate the power and strength nature has.