My Luna Chix NASTC clinic: Serious A few concerns

This next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I will be in receipt of my Christmas/birthday present from Husband: an all-women's ski clinic at Squaw. It sounded like a good idea at the time he suggested it (I could use a good kick in the ass to get me out of the intermediate/advanced slump I've occupied for the past couple of years, and I always improve when I take a private lesson), but now some serious anxiety is setting in.

The NASTC (North American Ski Training Center) comes highly recommended by the owner of our favorite ski shop, California Ski (get a website, Greg!), and I love the idea of learning in an all-women context. Knowing I will have a woman instructor eliminates the possiblity of this, one of their staff members:



He looks like he could ski you off a cliff and not care. And be pissed at you for crying about it.

But I am worried about several things. Specifically, will they expect me to do shit like this?



Or this?



I don't want to be negative, but I just don't think it's going to happen.

And what about my classmates? Will they be nice? Will I like them? Will they like me? Will they be a bunch of twenty-something sports jocks? Cause that's not me. The last sport I excelled at was hopscotch. Once balls were introduced, it was all over. Will it be junior high all over again? What have I done??

Well, one thing I know I've done right is book myself into this swanky lodge for the ordeal experience. NASTC has a partnership with the Cedar House Sport Hotel, which offers a generous discount to NASTC class participants. The end-of-the-day chat and opportunity to watch video will be there, so it really does sound like the place to stay.



And the rooms have a sort of Jetson-like ambiance. (Ha! Those twenty-somethings have probably never even seen that excellent show!)



And I'll have my entourage with me for support. My dad is flying up from southern CA Saturday morning to head up to the mountains with us really, really early Sunday morning for a day at Sugarbowl. We'll all stay in my room Sunday night and ski together at Squaw on Monday (I'll be in my class). Then Husband will drive home (someone's got to work to pay for all this), leaving my dad and Sophie to ski together Tuesday and Wednesday while I'm in class. I've told the Pink Rocket that she has to take good care of Grandpa: no tree skiing, mogul runs, or black diamonds—all stuff she's pretty adept at. I think they'll have a great time together.

And me? My goal is to not be NASTC's first student who makes absolutely no improvement.