Susan Solo – Photographer | Traveler | Adventurer

Category: travel

Deep Thoughts on Snowboarding vs. Skiing

Hope everyone is still staying all warm and cozy through this long winter! Chris and I just returned from a quick trip to Seven Springs in Pennsylvania where we broke in our new skis and enjoyed playing on the snow. We decided to go during the week rather than on a weekend so that we could practice skiing with fewer people on the trails. Hardly anyone was at the resort, and we really did have the place pretty much to ourselves so we felt like that was a good call! The drive up was so beautiful, and the mountain was also really lovely. We stayed at a cute condo with ski-in/ski-out access, and were able to get in lots of practice.

So now that I’ve skied a few times after spending the last two seasons learning how to snowboard, I think I can say with confidence that skiing is much (much much) easier to learn. I have fallen maybe 4-5 times total so far while learning on skis, whereas with snowboarding I fell at least 4-5 times per run in the learning stages. Ow. And that’s not counting falling when getting off the lift, which was at least half of the time. Oh, the bruises and aches I collected while learning! It took me at least five separate trips to various resorts to get the hang of snowboarding (meaning, linking smooth turns all the way down without falling), but with skiing I was able to successfully make it down the green runs on my first try. I’m not really counting the first time I ever skied when I was sixteen, although I was able to ski down the greens back then, too.

I’ve read that snowboarding is harder to learn but easy to master, and that skiing is easy to learn but hard to master. I wouldn’t say I mastered snowboarding, but I did become proficient enough and I can agree with that statement – skiing is waaay easier to learn. But I can see how it’s going to take some more time to improve my skiing techniques, and I imagine the patience comes into play during the intermediate level. So if you’re new to snow sports and trying to decide what to try, maybe that will help. If you enjoy a challenge and have the patience to stick with it, try snowboarding! If you’d rather have an easier time with just getting down the mountain on your first day, maybe skiing is a good option. Or you can always choose to try both so you’ll know for sure which one you like better. I’m planning to put more time into skiing next season to work on technique.

Here are just a couple of photos from Seven Springs. I meant to take more, but the one thing that is harder on skis is taking photos! It’s hard to hold both poles and a camera. 🙂

February 27, 2014
Tourist at Home: National Geographic Museum

Yesterday Chris and I had planned to go snowboarding, but the forecast looked a little too cold for me so we visited the National Geographic Museum in D.C. instead. For some reason, we had never been, which is crazy considering we both love National Geographic. We attended the Women of Vision and A New Age of Exploration exhibits.

Both of the exhibits were wonderful. I love that quote above, by the way. I could have said the exact same words because it’s exactly how I feel. And I actually thought seeing the exhibits would make me bitterly jealous – I assumed being a Nat Geo photographer would be my dream job. But seeing some of the harrowing images and reading the accompanying stories made me wonder if I don’t quite have the stuffing to photograph some of the assignments. I can’t even think about some of the photos without tearing up – horrible situations in the world I wasn’t even aware of, and photos that will stay with me forever because they made such a lasting impression. Even the photos I’d love to take of beautiful wildlife, for example – I’m not sure I could hang out in a jungle for hours or days waiting for the perfect shot, all the while potentially being threatened by various parasites, blood-thirsty mosquitoes, animal attacks, native attacks, the elements, and so on. I have an enormous amount of respect for the photographers who complete these assignments in hazardous and/or heart-wrenching situations. I’d love to be a travel photographer, but a National Geographic photographer is an entirely different job.

Now, if for some reason I get a call from the publication wanting me to join them on a trek to Antarctica to photograph emperor penguins, I’m so there. That’s definitely a dream of mine, despite the risks of hypothermia, frostbite, blizzards, falling into a crevasse in the ice, or accidentally drifting away on a chunk of sea ice (apparently this happens). Photographing penguins in their natural habitat is at the very top of my must-do list, and I’m absolutely planning to do it someday! And yes, this is coming from the girl who didn’t want to snowboard because it was too cold, hence the reason we ended up in a toasty warm museum, but I’m stubbornly determined to go see those penguins.

February 9, 2014
Meet-the-Parents Photos

Do you remember the scene in the movie Meet the Parents where Greg and Pam arrive at Pam’s ex-fiance, Kevin’s, house for a pre-wedding barbeque? Greg finds all the old photos of Pam and Kevin together, doing amazing things like skydiving and snorkeling (still on display in the ex-fiance’s house – hilarious). Somehow that scene stuck with Chris and me, and every time we take a photo together doing something even slightly adventurous, we call it a “Meet-the-Parents” photo. Now that I’m explaining it, it sounds totally weird, but to us it’s silly and good fun. We’ve been collecting quite a few of these, and we’re hoping to add more to the series soon! Here we are doing things like kayaking, zip-lining, dog-sledding, hiking and snowboarding:

This year we’re planning to add a big one: scuba-diving! Truth? I’m pretty scared of trying it even though I love doing things (within reason) that put me well out of my comfort zone. I’m not interested in say, holding a spider, mind you. That’s light years outside of my comfort zone. But challenging myself to do things that are a little scary seems to broaden my horizon a bit each time. I learn about myself, about other people, and about the world, and I truly enjoy that part of it. So I’m expecting to learn quite a bit from getting PADI certified if I can get through the open water dives, which we plan to do in Grand Cayman!

I’m not actually too scared of the breathing under water part. I think that will be fun, and I’m glad we get to try it in a pool first. It’s the ocean-wide world of creatures that makes me nervous. How do I know which ones are friendly and which ones aren’t? And when I’m approached by one in the unfriendly camp, then what? What if I panic? I’m also someone who gets really (really really) excited about things. Big things, little things, plain things, amazing things. Ask Chris – we are often driving along somewhere when he hears me draw a sudden GASP that makes him worry he’s about to hit another car when nope, it’s just that I saw an interesting cloud/tree/house/random stranger. So I’m worried I won’t know how to properly “chill” while diving. But I’m willing to see how it goes, and hopefully I’ll have a Meet-the-Parents photo to post for you here!

February 5, 2014
Snowshoe 2014

I can’t even believe it’s February already! Chris and I went on out first trip of 2014 over the weekend – just a long weekend in Snowshoe, WV. We had great weather and conditions! And we love Snowshoe – the Village area is so fun with lots of good restaurants and shops. The first time we went in 2012, we stayed right in the heart of the Village. There was even a Starbucks on the first floor of our building, and we were steps away from everything. It was really (really really) noisy at night though, so the past two times we stayed at the far end of the resort where it’s definitely quieter at night. It’s still a ski-in-ski-out condo steps away from the lifts, but we did have to take a shuttle bus to get to most of the bars/restaurants.

The Village is super cute all lit up at night.

And yes, we skied again! Chris and I both wanted to give it a few times before deciding if we’ll take the plunge and buy our own ski equipment. We’re really enjoying it, so we’ll probably go ahead and do just that – rental boots are kind of icky if you think about it.

Check out my fancy moves! (Really, I was probably going at a snail’s pace here, so not that fancy at all.)

Annnnnnnd here’s the shot we always take. Someday we’ll have quite the collection of ski lift selfies!

February 4, 2014
Milan 2004

Sub-title: The time I spent a day wandering around Milan, Italy by myself.

As promised, I have a couple of photos to post from my day trip to Milan that I’ve finally scanned from film. While Chris and I were staying in Lugano, Switzerland, I signed up for a day-trip bus tour that went across the border to Italy. Chris had to work that day, but I figured it would be safe enough to go by myself since I’d also be accompanied by a bus full of tourists and a guide who could keep an eye on us. It was only about an hour-long ride into the heart of Milan, and the tour stops included Sforza Castle, the Monumental Cemetery, and the Duomo Cathedral. Oh, and when I say “tour,” I actually mean we were dropped off at each of these spots and given time to wander around on our own. So much for safety in numbers! But I did enjoy the freedom of seeing whatever I wanted at my own pace.

The cathedral was certainly one of the most impressive parts of the tour. The architecture is just mesmerizing. I made my way to the top and took one of my most favorite photos ever by holding my camera up high and over the ledge into the street below, and hoping for the best. There was no LCD on my 35mm film camera! 🙂

The piazza was fantastic for people-watching. I had some fun interactions with the locals using my broken Level 1 Italian, and also some not-so-fun moments. See all of the pigeons in the photos below? Apparently some tourists think it’s super fun to have their photo taken with the birds, so there are vendors (?) milling about who give you corn to feed the birds and then volunteer to take a photo for you in return for a small tip. I had no interest in a pigeon photo, but this guy kept insisting (in Italian) that I must have one. He grabbed my hand and put corn in it, while also trying to take my camera out of my other hand. Thankfully I had the neck strap over my head like a ~~true tourist~~ safety-conscious photographer and he was not able to get the camera away from me. He probably meant well and just wanted a few Euros in exchange for the photo op, but I couldn’t be too sure. And I don’t easily separate from my camera! So I shared some polite/nervous laughter and politely refused the photo. Oh, and did I mention I had about two-dozen pigeons on my arms and shoulders and surrounding my feet at this point? Yeah. Pigeons like corn. A lot. So there were quite a few birds that accosted me, and there was quite a bit of arm-flailing on my part, all while trying not to let a random Italian dude take my camera from me. Rather than a photo, I wish I had video of that whole scene because I’m sure it’s pretty hilarious.

In order to calm my nerves after the Pigeon Incident of 2004, I walked around some of the streets of Milan surrounding Piazza del Duomo. There were some amazing couture boutiques as well as really cute street vendor carts. I didn’t buy anything except for lunch in a nearby cafe, but I always just enjoy my photos as souvenirs. (Okay, actually I do regret not buying some designer shoes or a handbag – come on, it’s MILAN.)

One of the last stops of the day was the Sforza Castle, where I had the privilege of seeing Michelangelo’s Rondanini Pietà, the last sculpture that he worked on in the last days of his life. We weren’t really supposed to take photos (I’m not sure if this rule is still current or not?) but I did snap one careful image when no one else was around. Side note: I’m assuming light from the flash is the main reason photos aren’t allowed, so I’ll just mention that I took a very quick photo without flash and without interrupting anyone else’s viewing experience.

Milan was absolutely stunning, but I know it’s just a small slice of Italy, so I can’t wait to go back some day and travel the whole country. And with Chris this time of course!

January 24, 2014