iFREEDOM OF THE MOUNTAIN	null	(FALSE)	0
i	null	(FALSE)	0
i2024-02-19	null	(FALSE)	0
i	null	(FALSE)	0
iDuring a family holiday last week to the Three Valleys region of the French	null	(FALSE)	0
iAlps for some skiing (Also a little geocaching and some mountainside Where's	null	(FALSE)	0
iWally?), I came to see that I enjoy a privilege I call the freedom of the	null	(FALSE)	0
imountain.	null	(FALSE)	0
i	null	(FALSE)	0
IIn black skiwear, Dan looks into the camera from a bench in the snow, his skis upright behind him.	/2024/02/20240216_120612-scaled.jpg	danq.me	70
i	null	(FALSE)	0
iTHE FREEDOM	null	(FALSE)	0
i	null	(FALSE)	0
iThe freedom of the mountain is a privilege that comes from having the level of	null	(FALSE)	0
iexperience necessary to take on virtually any run a resort has to offer. It	null	(FALSE)	0
iprovides a handful of benefits denied to less-confident skiers:	null	(FALSE)	0
i* I usually don't feed to look at a map to plan my next route; whichever way I	null	(FALSE)	0
igo will be fine!	null	(FALSE)	0
i* When I reach one or more lifts, I can choose which to take based on the	null	(FALSE)	0
ilength of their queue, rather than considering their destinations.	null	(FALSE)	0
i* When faced with a choice of pistes (or an off-piste route), my choice can be	null	(FALSE)	0
ibased on my mood, how crowded they are, etc., rather than their rated	null	(FALSE)	0
idifficulty.	null	(FALSE)	0
i	null	(FALSE)	0
IA snow-covered Alpine glacier sandwiched into a gully of exposed rocks.	/2024/02/20240215_111836-modified-scaled.jpg	danq.me	70
i	null	(FALSE)	0
iThe downside is that I'm less well-equipped to consider the needs of others!	null	(FALSE)	0
iOut skiing with Ruth one morning I suggested a route back into town that "felt	null	(FALSE)	0
ieasy" based on my previous runs, only to have her tell me that - according to	null	(FALSE)	0
ithe map - it probably wasn't!	null	(FALSE)	0
i	null	(FALSE)	0
iAPPROACHING THE PEAK	null	(FALSE)	0
i	null	(FALSE)	0
iThe kids spent the week in lessons. It's paying off: they're both improving	null	(FALSE)	0
ifast, and the eldest has got all the essentials down and it's working on	null	(FALSE)	0
iimproving her parallel turns and on "reading the mountain". It's absolutely	null	(FALSE)	0
ipossible that the eldest, and perhaps both of them, will be a better skier	null	(FALSE)	0
ithan me someday (Assuming snow is still a thing in ten years time.).	null	(FALSE)	0
i	null	(FALSE)	0
iI'm not perfect, mind. While skiing backwards and filming, I misjudged the	null	(FALSE)	0
iheight of an arch and hit the back of the head with it... despite the child	null	(FALSE)	0
ishouting to warn me! ?	null	(FALSE)	0
i	null	(FALSE)	0
iMaybe, as part of my effort to do what I'm bad at, I should have another go at	null	(FALSE)	0
ilearning to snowboard. I always found snowboarding frustrating because	null	(FALSE)	0
ieverything I needed to re-learn was something that I could already do much	null	(FALSE)	0
ibetter and easier on skis. But perhaps if I can reframe that frustration	null	(FALSE)	0
ithrough the lens of learning itself as the destination, I might be in a better	null	(FALSE)	0
iplace. One to consider for next time I hit the piste.	null	(FALSE)	0
i	null	(FALSE)	0
iLINKS	null	(FALSE)	0
i	null	(FALSE)	0
hLes 3 Vallees	URL:https://www.les3vallees.com/	(FALSE)	0
hMy blog posy about finding the GCADXC6 "Tour de France" geocache	URL:https://danq.me/2024/02/16/dan-q-found-gcadxc6-tour-de-france/	(FALSE)	0
hMy blog note about playing Where's Wally? on the mountainside	URL:https://danq.me/2024/02/16/wheres-wally/	(FALSE)	0
hMy blog post: "Do What You're Bad At"	URL:https://danq.me/2022/06/09/do-bad/	(FALSE)	0
.