Hi, I'm Willow Belden, and you're listening to Out There.

This is a podcast about the outdoors, from your window box and garden, to the fields on the edge of town, to the forests, prairies, seashores, and wilderness.

On the show, we explore our relationship with nature, through stories, interviews, essays, and even some fiction.

We travel around the U.S. and the world with tales of love and heartbreak, passion, and adversity, desperation, and triumph. Music If we spend enough time playing outside, we're going to get hurt.

Mountain biking, rock climbing, kayaking,

kayaking, base jumping, surfing.

Many of the hobbies which draw us to nature are inherently risky.

And athletes are pushing the boundaries in these sports every day,

trying things that are more and more daring.

That raises the bar for everyone.

So we get hurt, and sometimes we never get back to the way we were.

In part one of today's episode, Denver-based reporter Dan Boyce brings us this story about healing.

The first time I skied, I was about seven.

My parents took me to the small ski hill, a couple hours from my small, The first time I skied, I was about seven.

My parents took me to the small ski hill, a couple hours from my small Montana hometown,

and they signed me up for a lesson on the bunny hill.

There's probably 10, 12 kids in your little class there.

That's my dad on Skype.

You were slow to learn control, for sure.

You'd just point your skis straight down the hill,

and then you'd just go just fast as you could, you know.

Basically, speed was of the essence.

...