Imperial Ridge | Teen Ink

Imperial Ridge

February 1, 2023
By Anonymous

Early, on a brisk winter morning in the Rocky Mountains

Today is the day.

The sounds of turbines and electrical start up

I place my board in the cargo rack, as the blades start to turn

Today is the day.

Already at 12,000ft, the climb into the atmosphere begins

Approaching the summit, my heart begins to race

My forehead pressed on the window and my breath fogs the glass

I stare deeply into my fate below 

Today is the day.

A gentle landing is necessary to keep the snow stable

I crouch away from the spinning knives after ripping the board off the rack

Crawling closer to the edge, I sit to strap in 

The clicks of my boots stop, and I peek over the edge

Today is the day.

Gulp. that's pretty steep I tell myself

A few deep breaths later, the music starts to play in my ears,

And a wave of confidence fills my head

Standing up, I can feel the snow start to move under my feet

Instantly, I understand what is happening

My only option…shred and dont case it

The ground starts to collapse below my board, and quickly starts to descend

Falling could be fatal

Today is the day.

Chopper on my tail, analyzing my every move

I'm racing away from the mass of snow chasing me

The challenging terrain does slow me down, 

But the obstacles become easy features in the time that death is near

Today is the day.

Nearing the end, the chaotic storm slowly comes to a stop

I narrowly escaped from the landslide of frozen crystals

But the rush of adrenaline I felt that day

Will live in my heart forever

Because,

Today is the day that I survived an avalanche.



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