Adam and I recently had the opportunity to spend a weekend in Brian Head, Utah this past January! We just learned how to ski over the holidays and were eager to put our new skills to the test at an unfamiliar ski resort. I had read that Brian Head is a great place for beginner skiers because they offer an entire mountain of green slopes – what a dream! This was my second time ever on skis and as you can imagine, learning something new with type 1 diabetes was certainly an experience on its own!
here are some snaps from our trip:
TYPE ONE DIABETES STRIKES AGAIN
As someone with type 1 diabetes, I find myself a bit hesitant to jump into new experiences and activities because I know it will require more preparation on my part before becoming comfortable with how my body will react to the activity. When I learned how to ski for the first time, I was so terrified of going low on the mountain, that I made everyone in our group carry low snacks just in case. This time, I prepared a bit better snack-wise, but still found that I couldn’t get my blood sugars in range at all!
I put together a recap video of our weekend away, the ups and downs of navigating something new as a type 1 diabetic, and the things I learned along the way. You may notice a LOT of terrible skiing posture — but hey! I am still learning!
A weekend after this video was filmed, Adam and I decided to head up to Lee Canyon, our local Las Vegas mountain to hit the slopes for our third time ever. I ended up figuring out how to control my blood sugars a bit better and felt SUCH a relief.
Here’s My New Game Plan
From now on, I am taking my normal amount of insulin at breakfast before skiing, and will correct as my adrenaline starts to set in. If I notice that doing so will continue to spike me, I will increase my breakfast insulin to account for adrenaline. (Of course, this is what works for me. If you have questions about dosing/calculations/ratios etc, consult with your doctor!)
As you (someone with type 1 diabetes) may know, everything new will always be trial and error. It’s just up to us to have a little patience and some fun along the way!