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 [Editor: Eleven years old Rata Ingram writes about skiing the Big Mama run at Porters Heights on the recent Heathcote Valley School ski trip for Years Seven and Eight. Her mum, Gail, has sent it in for us and says Big Mama is a double black diamond (super advanced!) and yes, she enjoyed it too.]
"I'm not so sure about this mum" I think as I glide across the soft
powder. Mum has disappeared into the fog. I push my poles into the
powder as I slow on the thick cornflour-like surface to catch up. She sees me and quickly warns me of the rocks on the ground. Only
just managing to avoid them, I ski in mum's tracks across the icy patch
and into a snowdrift.
"Lucky me!" I breathe as my skis cut thinly
through the pile so I don't topple over. I have caught up with mum,
she's stopped. "Listen for a minute" she says. I stop and listen. Nothing. Not a sound.
We push off and our skis crunch over the snow. It squeaks like cornflour under-ski. We have reached the end of the traverse, Big Bill's Traverse actually. My breathing quickens as I look down the slope. The sign read "Experts Only" and it really is. In the background of my scared thoughts, I hear "You go first Rata, that way I can catch you if you fall".
 The fresh air tastes cold in my mouth. It is a long way down. The sky overhead is blue, but there is fog down the end of the run. Big Mama seems to go down forever. The visibility is finally good. "Okay" my voice wobbles. I clutch my cold poles in gloved hands. I take a deep breath and turn down the hill. I squeak as I turn. I concentrate on bending my leg.
POOF! Snow flies everywhere as I fall. My skis are in an awkward position. OW! I struggle to get up. Mum skis down to help. I shake snow off my face and spit some out of my mouth. My nose has gone numb and the snow tastes funny. Crunch. My poles dig into the snow. I laugh and feel confident now as I shrug the powder off my shoulders. "Falling over is okay after all. Well, at least in powder it is" I say. In fact, it's fun.
Now I am sure about this run. "WOOHOOOO!" I take off down Big Mama without a second thought. I'll do it, no matter what! And nothing will stop me. I will finish this double black diamond run. I'm advanced now. Super advanced. A top skier.
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