Skiing Solo in the Alps

Flanked by snow-covered mountains, I realized that my dream was about to come true. I had always wanted to do it, I had worked hard to prepare for it, and now I had traveled quite a distance to reach it; I was going to ski in the Alps. I was 21 years old, enjoying Spring Break during my term at Oxford University, and I was by myself in a tiny town in southern Germany. Up to this moment, I had allowed my doubts about the ski trip to outshine my excitement. Yet once I was settled on the ski bus taking me from the train station to the mountain, I was able to release my worries and let the dream wash over me.

Although I was only a couple hours from Munich, I felt like I had been transplanted to a distant mountain village of fairytale quality. In Munich, the focus of the town was the city itself, with just a light dusting of snow and an occasional hill as the only indication of altitude. Yet here in Schliersee, the snow thickly covered all of the houses and trees, coating the town with frosted beauty. Snow continued to fall throughout the day, adding to the winter loveliness without distracting from it. Creating a magnificent backdrop, the Alpine mountains really stole the show, roaring and bursting around the town at every angle.

The view was so spectacular that I might have been satisfied with the whole outing if all I had done was ride the ski lift. When I reached the top, I randomly selected a path and started making my way down the mountain. It took about thirty seconds for me to realize that I was skiing in the most incredible amount of powdered snow I’d ever encountered. I looked down at my feet and discovered that I couldn’t see below my knees! I was floating deep in the fluffy snow until I had sunk so far in that I stopped moving forward. This happened repeatedly as I adjusted to the course, and I continually had to dig myself out of the snow bank and start over. Yet each time, I experience no frustration or impatience. In fact, sometimes I used the opportunity to just sit in the snow and stare at the scene around me. I had a 360 degree view of mountains! I was skiing in the Alps!

My day in the Alps was one of the best days of my life. It had its ups and downs – quite literally – but that only added to its magnificence. I experienced some painful challenges and unbridled exhilarations. At times, I was stunted by the language barrier, but I also encountered a significant amount of universal kindness. I spent the day by myself, and yet I never for a moment felt alone. I grew in ways both physically and mentally that I never anticipated, and I will always cherish my adventure in the snow.