44 SNOWEST JANUARY 2015
like me beginning to master all of the
elements that I struggled with. The
only limitations I ever had were the
ones I created in my mind. Adams
was constantly reminding us that we
needed to trust the techniques and let
the sled do the work.
Besides teaching proper footwork
and body placement, Adams also
stressed the importance of avalanche
preparedness. He instructed on using
our avalanche beacons and probes to
quickly and accurately locate a buried
individual. At the end of day two, we
conducted a simulated beacon burial.
After Jason rode off the trail and buried
his backpack, Adams started a stopwatch
and we rushed down the hill shouting
out distances as our beacons honed in
on the backpack. It was an eye-opening
and adrenaline-filled exercise.
My weekend riding with Adams
and his Next Level crew involved two
of the most challenging yet reward-
ing days of my life. I learned that with
proper foot placement, weight distribu-
tion and throttle control I am capable
of navigating my sled anywhere. I
learned that "momentum" is more
effective than a pinned throttle. And I
learned that, according to Dan Adams,
you aren't ever really stuck unless you
have to cut a tree down to get out.
But most importantly, I stood side
by side with fellow lady riders as we
stared both up and down steep slopes
we were told to conquer on our sleds.
All of us were scared.
But all of us were committed to
excelling in the sport we love and
breaking down the barriers that made
us feel like we couldn't do it. d
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