I woke up this morning aching and bruised… and it was well-earned.

Yesterday, a Sochi-inspired Ryan and I headed to Hunter Mountain, a small ski-resort town about two hours north of New York City. We had nabbed a Groupon deal, which included equipment, ski passes and a bus trip organized by Sourced Adventures. The only problem was that said bus left from Midtown West at 6am, which isn’t very friendly when you’ve been out until 1am drinking G&Ts. But somehow we made it.

After a snooze and a drive past frozen mountainsides, we arrived at Hunter and picked up our equipment – skis for Ryan, a snowboard for me – and headed to the slopes.

As Ryan heard about 57 times, I was a little nervous.

I’d not been on a snowboard in five years and even when I was going every year, I never exactly tore up the slopes. Still, I’ve always loved it, so we jumped on a lift to the friendliest run to see how we’d fare.

After a couple of slips and a bumped left butt cheek, I was cruising. Despite those years off, it came back to me and I got to work practicing my turns while Ryan, ever the gentleman, waited for me and snapped some pictures as I neared the bottom.

Thankfully, New York state has thawed out a little over the past week so there were none of those threatening ice patches lurking along the runs.

When we got tired of the easy slopes, we headed up the mountain for others – with Ryan eventually bombing down some tougher ones while I took my time perfecting my turns, taking in the views and doing everything I could not to fall over at the end of the ski lift (unsuccessfully).

After several hours on the slopes, we headed to the bar and glugged beers in the sun before hopping back on our bus for another snooze. We arrived back in the city by 7pm, ready for a hot shower and an early night.

For a quick trip out of the city, Hunter Mountain is perfect. It’s really not far from NYC and its slopes – which include wooded trails, jumps and rails – definitely give enough variety for a day or two. You can take classes ($20 through Sourced Adventures) so I think I’d be tempted to try out skiing next time.

But best of all was being outside. I never think the hubbub of New York City gets too much for me – but as soon as I get into the countryside, I always like if I’m shedding a weight. Being out in the cool, fresh air overlooking purple mountains and snaking my way through trees was such a treat – and one day just wasn’t enough.

I just wish I’d prepared the ice packs for these knees.