If you saw my video from a couple of days ago, you might think “Wow, what awesome conditions, that looks like so much fun.” What my video didn’t show was the painfully slow (and painful) 300 metre (vertical) descent from Gills Knob to the Guthega River. True, the shin bang was making it impossible to get into an athletic ski stance, and the Tour Cap Lites that I am skiing (a 25 year old ski with the dimensions and turning tendency of a 40 year old ski) would much rather go straight than turn. Additionally, with a name like Tour Cap Lite, you might guess that these skis don’t perform all that well in icy, hard conditions. Doug, by who is a lot better skier than me, had a reasonable descent, I descended the 300 metres by side-slipping 80%, turning 10% and walking the last 10%! Not elegant, awesome, or camera worthy.
The truth of life is that most things are not what they seem and everyone struggles with something although most of us hide our struggles from shame. Back in the day when I listened to every podcast that featured DJ, I, like probably most other listeners, was astonished and horrified to learn that DJ’s beloved wife and life partner died as a result of addiction in 2022. DJ seemed to have a charmed life, a strength coach, university professor, author, speaker, family man. I often felt jealous when he talked about his life and community as he had a group of local neighbours who came over to train in his home gym. I’m pretty good at training on my own – by necessity – but I would love to have a group of friends who got together to train. Not for me, I always thought.
And then there’s Twight, the hard-man alpine climber, whose words have always inspired me to try harder, be better, not quit, face my fears, and it turns out that Twight, the man with the will of steel has, like everyone else, his own struggles.
Simple truths which, at heart, we all know, but the glamorous life you see on line is probably not nearly so magical when honestly reported.
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