The Winter Is Coming

Snow gives a lot of opportunities to avoid boredom and in fact, it also gives pleasure to the ones that want to be connected with it. Skiing and snowboarding are something that each spring disconnects but return at the end of fall. Both of us have experienced that; the emptiness felt when there is no possible way to do it, but a big mental demand that comes with it.

The feeling that comes, when skiing/snowboarding downhill, is thrilling and gives goosebumps to the body. It is almost as if we are flying in the air and nothing can hold us back; nothing can stop us. The invisibility, and the moments we finally feel free as if nature just carried us to a place, where we find peace and connection to something greater; a connection to Natureforce (it’s a magical place where we get these powers that make us feel free and in peace with nature, it is where we become one with nature). But once on the ground, the feeling of the small breeze that was felt before, the calmness in the body, and then nothing can stop us disappears. The emptiness fills us up. Skiing is even more amazing when there is a buddy but it feels awful when the friend abandons the buddy without a good reason.

Waking up to a beautiful cold morning with a bright reflection of the sun coming from the white mountain is good. Jero and his friends woke up in a small hotel room with three beds. And after doing their morning chores, they started heading towards breakfast. At the same time Jakub (an old, really close skiing buddy, that Jero happened to lose contact with) and his girlfriend, were leaving. One group entered the first elevator and the other came out of the other one. They missed each other, but little did they know they would meet again.

Having come back to their room and already changed for later skiing, Jero’s friends and himself started going to the ski resort. Crowds of people, wearing snow pants and jackets appeared in front of them so they decided to put on their boots and later the skies. “Let’s go to the lift,” somebody said it, and as it suggested they went to it. When going up they noticed a snowpark with ramps, which they wanted to hit. Jero, with his excitement, couldn’t stop thinking about the jump he was about to do suddenly felt a light uplift in his feet. Confused, looked around and realized, “Oh shoot… we are already here, ight I’m going to take off the skis from the ring on the lift and we can lift the bar.” Suddenly they all skied away from the exit of the lift and put on their gloves and poles on their hands. One thing about the snow park they haven’t realized is that Jakub was there.

Entering the snow park wasn’t hard. It had a big arch with a title: ”Shrek’s Snowpark”, harder is choosing which path is better and more fun; there were two paths one “harder” with higher jumps and more objects, and the other one with fewer of them. Jero took the longer one, which was also easier. The first ramp wasn’t the tallest on the trail but had a pipe coming off it. Jero didn’t struggle with it. But the next one had a big drop with a ramp at the end which could shoot him really high up. Going down, seeming audacious was fun but then he started to overthink. “Freak.. freak… freak… ” started coming really quietly out of his mouth. One second on the ground, another in the air, actually flying. Jero in the air looked to his left which had a similar drop and ramp. He immediately recognized a guy in a dark green helmet and jacket, black pants, and white as snow boots. The other guy did the same thing.

Both skiers landed and stopped on the side of the path not to ruin the jumps for the next victims.

“Jakub, is that you?” the question was asked by Jero. “How have you been? I thought you would never want to ski with me again, after all, we haven’t spoken to each other in seven years. I missed you.”

“OMG Jero, I’m good, how have you been? I have missed you too. I’m so sorry we haven’t been in contact. It was hard for me because of the new phone and me moving away from Mexico but I never forgot about you,” answered Jakub and looked at him.

“Bro… you could have sent something or at least tried to get in contact. All these years I have been thinking my best friends abandoned me and I felt betrayed,” said Jero. The silence was in the air for a while. Jakub not knowing what to say, a sudden realization of what he had done wrong hit him.

“I’m so sorry I think we need to catch up more over a coffee or something. Where are you staying?” Jakub asked. Jero agreed and both acknowledged the fact that they are staying in the same place, they set up a meeting. Jakub said ”See you soon” and took off with an amazing jump from the next ramp in the direction of the sun. His shadow lay on Jero covering him from sunlight. They met again later in the hotel.

Snow gives a lot of opportunities to avoid boredom and in fact, it also gives pleasure to the ones that want to be connected with it

After the spontaneous meeting on the mountain, they both realized they had hurt each other. They learned that instead of trying to get in contact they pushed each other apart. Jakub realized that he should have never left without a reason and Jero acknowledged the reason he left.