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The steepest run on Blackcomb Mountain is called the Blow Hole. Located at the top of Blackcomb Glacier, you have to take four lifts and hike the last ten minutes to get to it.

Standing on the lip of the Blow Hole always gives me a small pit in my stomach, no matter how well I am skiing. One year, my first time down the Blow Hole that season, I fell on the second turn, losing one of my skis. At 54 degrees slope, I was at the very bottom before I could stop myself. Thankfully, a better skier than me stopped at the top, collected my ski, and brought it down to me. Having been humbled by the mountain, I put my ski back on and skied the eight kilometers down the rest of the run.

Why challenge myself by skiing down the steepest run on Blackcomb Mountain? To keep my edge honed. By challenging myself in one area of my life, I increase the capabilities that I bring to the other areas of my life. If I ace the run, the sense of accomplishment gives me confidence to reach for new limits in both my professional and personal life. And if sometimes I fall down, it teaches me that I can fail, get up, dust myself off, and try again.

What do you do to keep your edge?