MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Spring 2020

40 ... Then, whoosh! We’re heading up the mountain, and with the trees under us and no snow covering the ground, it looks even more intense than it does when you’re going up the ski lift in the winter. The ground looks farther away, the movement feels faster, and it’s actually a lot scarier. Under us, I occasionally catch glimpses of cyclists through the trees, buzzing around corners, going off jumps, and hitting corners so fast that they leave a dust trail behind them, like they would if they were riding motorcycles that puffed smoke. And right as I’m starting to get comfortable, I realize that the lift is about to come to a stop, and the guy at the top is already grabbing our bikes and gently placing them on the ground, while another guy lifts the bar off our seat and slows down our chair barely long enough for us to (almost) gracefully step off. Standing at the top, I realize just how far down it is to the bottom. With the wind whistling around us, I’m absolutely paralyzed. Maybe they’ll take me back down on the ski lift? (I don’t think they do that.) The sky is gray and ominous, but it doesn’t seem like it’s actually going to rain, which is too bad. When it rains, they shut down the lift for a while. Then we could have just gone inside and been done with this, without me having to admit that I’m terrified. “Let’s pedal around the top,” Phoebe says, grabbing her bike. We ride in circles in the flat open area, loosening up and calming down while practicing. On these new bikes, it feels way different from how it did back at Joyride on our BMX bikes. The handlebars are a lot wider, and it’s easier to sit down on these bikes, though Phoebe warns us not to. “Trust me,” Phoebe continues. “If you sit down while you’re heading downhill, it’s going to be really uncomfortable—and kind of dangerous, since you won’t be able to move your body as fluidly.” She demonstrates, trying to take a tight turn around a tree while sitting down and almost falling as she slows down and turns her handlebars to point the front wheel around the trunk, and then stands up and takes the same corner, leaning her whole body as she swings into the turn. No braking, no turning the handlebars, just a smooth, speedy motion. ... When it rains, they shut down the lift for a while. Then we could have just gone inside and been done with this, without me having to admit that I ’ m terrified.