The cool air pressed firmly against her skin between the layers of warm cotton. Despite the mountain’s familiarity, her teeth still clanked together from more than just the cold.
“I can do this,” she said.
Exhaling, she watched her breath form a tiny cloud in front of her face. She pulled her Burton mittens farther onto her hands and strapped her feet into place, heel after toe, with two loud clicks.
Using her poles, she pushed towards the wooden seats rotating up towards the sky. Her confident posture returned, gliding on the snow.
Ready for first chair of the season.
Danielle Dayney 
6 responses to “First Chair”
I thought it was going to go somewhere scary; instead, it shared a good transition between anticipation and action. I like that the narrator relished the familiar, and all their senses woke up at that moment.
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Thank you! I can’t wait for ski season. It’s been on my mind, so I wrote about it instead of heading to the slopes 🙂
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I’ve only skied twice. Eons ago. I moved closer to the Sierra a few years ago; I really should go and make friends with the snow.
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You should! I’m not great, at all, but I love it anyway.
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Nice job building tension. It made me wonder why she was nervous about going up the slope.
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So simple. It perfectly conveys the “oh yeah! I love this but am nervous all over again feeling.”
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