Looking down at the tightly packed snow hundreds of feet below my dangling skis, I gazed ahead at a mountain so tall that I could almost touch the clouds from the top. The sign at the bottom of the mountain said bunny slope, hadn't it? I was almost sure of it, key word almost. My sister and I exchanged nervous glances but neither of us said a word, absolutely terrified of what this double black diamond had in store for us.

As we came to what looked to be the end of the lift. We knew something was wrong; the ride up the mountain was supposed to be two minutes not twenty, but did we stay on and let the lift take us back to the bottom like any sane human being would do under these circumstances? Of course not. We hopped off and thought to ourselves, "What could go wrong?"

My sister and I glanced at each other, then simultaneously looked down the mountain with trepidation since our skiing skills put together were far from sufficient. Nonetheless I found myself putting one foot in front of the other as if my body had gone on autopilot. The next thing I knew I was flying down the slope with such incredible speed that the trees flew past me like shooting stars. Just moments later, I found myself barreling towards a ski ramp with no way of diverting my path. Without warning, I shot up ten feet into the air and landed with incredible force onto my left shoulder. Everything was numb, and I felt paralyzed as my body seemed to melt into the snow. It didn't take long for the ski patrol to come and call for backup and soon enough I was strapped down to a sled and pulled down the slope behind a snowmobile. Sirens were wailing as booming voices warned pedestrians to clear the path as I held on tightly for dear life.

Upon learning that the worst of my injuries was a broken arm and that I was going to live to tell the tale, I felt a rush of relief.  Life is fragile and never again will I take that for granted. Neglecting to be aware of my surroundings and making a mistake that could have easily been avoided has taught me to pay more attention to the things around me. Next winter when I return to North Carolina, I’ll be sure to stick to the bunny slopes.