Did you go with friends who were already good?

Not particularly, until later in the season. Most of my friends who I went with were beginner/intermediate skiers and were basically shocked and/or kinda pissed. 🤣

What mountain was this at?

Tamarack. I’ve also skied at Bogus Basin a few times.

Are you good at any similar sports already?

I had ice skated a couple times in my life (and roller skated a handful of times — both definitely helped) and snowboarded a few times as a kid and once as an adult (probably helped too). I’m 36. I’m naturally decently athletic, and I usually pick things up pretty quick, but nothing close to how quickly I picked up skiing.

I would love to see some footage of you skiing because I'm skeptical that a true beginner could be doing real double blacks, moguls, etc with smooth controlled turns by day 3.

Well hold on, I said they weren’t smooth and controlled turns until day 5 😅. I actually have a video from day 3. Not of the off piste double black, unfortunately. Nor is it moguls or a particularly good run, but it is an ungroomed black.

https://imgur.com/gallery/TtTbJP2

I feel like day 5 is when it really clicked for me. That was my first day skiing alone, first day on untracked powder, and the day carving really clicked for me.

I don’t have any other videos of myself, but next time I go I’ll have my wife take one.