Commentary: A Reflection on Fifteen Years of Skiing

[thetrailboss]

The close of my fiftenth year (or sixtenth season I guess...the math always messes me up ) has led me to reflect back on my years of skiing.

As some of you recall, I visited Burke in November 2004, right before Thanksgiving, to check out the mountain and see what was happening. I got out of my car and walked up to the lower base area. It was cloudy and damp. The snowguns had been running the week before and piles of snow were already being made at the base of the old J-Bar. Tears came to my eyes as I looked at the empty slopes of the J-bar and the old Double Chair. "This was where it all began," I said.


My first ski lodge.


My first ski slope (foreground) with such an incredible backdrop. The J-Bar is on the far right and the double on the left.

At that point I was transferred back to my first day of skiing in January 1990. My parents, who were both unemployed at the time, were adamant that I take advantage of the school ski program--$10 per Wednesday for group lesson and ticket. I wanted to go swimming at the indoor pool, but they insisted and took me up to West Burke. Thank god for those folks--in the basement of an old post office, a ski shop tech and some friends from the area collected old equipment, fixed it up, and offered it for $10 per pair of skis, boats, poles, and bindings. $20 bucks later we had skis and boots--the tech was honest with my folks and said that new bindings would probably be safer and better since they could be reused on other skis.


The first skis...now immortalized on my wall. Rossi skis from 1982 and 140 cm long (serial number has "82" in it).


The first bindings...everyone had this model.

January came and I was off to the mountain thanks to some parent chaperones who volunteered to drive us up. It took me a while to find my skis...my Dad had stuck them in the snowbank with the other skis . I was nervous as all hell--I'd never done it and many of my peers had. So, I tried to look sophisticated as I tried to put my buckled boots on (didn't work) . I finally gave up and asked for help . Putting on the skis was the next thing--I stumbled out and tried to put them on heel first. My instructors helped me and watched as I slid backwards screaming. I was told that skiing was fun and that since I liked sledding this would be fun.

That first day the J-Bar got the best of me...three attempts and I still couldn't ride it, so my instructor resorted to having me climb up the first slope and ski down. I was still nervous. My Dad came by to pick me up and was a bit disappointed to see me hiking up and skiing down. "That's what the lift is for," he said. The next week I finally got the J-Bar down (STAND up and don't sit ).

From there it was up and away to the double. I mastered these slopes but the season ended before I could head to the top. When I did the next season, I had no problem skiing the Toll Road off Burke's summit and I enjoyed this new world of snowcovered trees and the old "quad" ride . I had moved up to some hot rear-entry boots that looked like something from Star Wars, but my feet still got cold and it was painful at times to ski.

And then came the blue square runs. Burke's trails have some pitch--quite a bit in fact--and at the time Willoughby was the only run off the top at the time with snowmaking, so it got icy and crowded as I found out. On my first run, I was paralyzed with fear--staring down the slope into the trees. "Stay on the side...the snow is deeper." Yeah, right. Easier said than done. The chaperone and the other two kids got it easy...which put more pressure on me. I had so much fun that I did it again Not much better.

So I spent the rest of this season and much of the next hitting just Toll Road and avoiding all others like the plague. I ducked out of lessons that mentioned the word "Willoughby." Yet, I got pretty good, thanks to some newer skis...you see, my brother needed my white ones, so I got another $10 pair of skis and $10 bindings:



These were with me on my first descent down the Lyndon Outing Club, Jay Peak, and later Cranmore and Bretton Woods.

Later that season I met my Uncle "Trailboss" on the lift and asked him how the skiing was. "Great on East Bowl and Powderhorn. Where have you been?"

"Toll Road. That's it. I hate Willoughby."

"Well, come on. I'll show you some new stuff you can handle."

And he did. I saw what I had been missing--great runs that weren't ice or straight down. I give him a lot of credit for taking an hour to show me this newer world.

From here I tried every other trail on those old skis...reading magazines and watching ski films to pick up new tricks since my lessons were pretty much over. I was too old for the ski program and now relying on a cheap season pass to my town run hill ($50 a season...no snowmaking and 450 vert) and the local Kiwanis Ski Club Afternoon Program (Burke Sundays--$10 per afternoon).

I did move on...new skis just for me in 1995...NEW that is. What a feeling. Later it got better when I got my own new boots which propelled me forward even more. I was exploring more of Burke and other areas.

By 1999 I was about to head to college and got my first new skis/bindings combo. I had enough sense to know that I was a high intermediate looking for a boast and those K2 Fours did it:

In 2004 I found myself teaching Ms. Trailboss...she blew my mind as to how fast she learned. I also found AZ and have gotten to know you all. I'm now a ski-aholioc with two 40+ seasons under my belt and closing out a 35 day season. It is so hard to believe I've come so far.

I've had a lot of fun this season talking skiing and hopefully I've helped some of you out with ski related stuff. Most importantly, I marked the 15th year by introducing skiing to some Girl Scouts. I got tears in my eyes when those girls smiled on their first descent or on their first chair ride.

So here is my advice after my skiing stint: be one of those volunteers or chaperones and help introduce someone young to skiing. Greg was telling me the other day about how he looks forward to his little girl skiing...I can't wait to show my future kids someday, but take it a step further. Be that volunteer who looks past the cynics and roadblocks to gather used ski gear and make them available to those who don't have much money. At the very least donate them instead of burning them . I'm so grateful for those folks (we donated some stuff to them this fall). Be that Uncle who takes a few runs with his nephew and opens a whole new world of skiing. Get out there and show some of your kid's friends a great sport that we all love and maybe someday they'll end up here. I can't put a dollar sign on the value of my 15 years.

Stealing the words of Leanne Womack, "I hope you ski," and show others the way. Just don't tell anyone that I sent you

Thanks and see you on the slopes!

Thanks to billski for the Burke photos.

Oh yeah...and here are my Ski pics

[Nancy]

Very cool retrospective. Makes me SO glad that we started our daughter out skiing when she was just a youngster too. We had to do the trade-in thing as she grew up...for some folks it's the only way to stay in the sport. She's still a better skier (and now snowboarder) than I am and that's okay with Mom. Now I'm going to go out to the garage and gaze at my ski bag, pat my boots...*pang*

[Charlie Schuessler]

Originally Posted by thetrailboss

...be one of those volunteers or chaperones and help introduce someone young to skiing...

...I've been doing it for decades...

Good job TB! Keep up the good work!

[BeanoNYC]

Great story TB. I didn't realize you were so young. I always had you pegged to be 40ish. I wish I had 15 years of skiing under my belt. Unfortunately I learned, quite recently I may add, as an adult. (Thank god I played hockey for years, I owe a lot of my advancement to that)

[Sky]

Great story TB...nicely done.

I chaperoned when my kids were in the town program (Sunday afternoons @ Wachusett).

I was a hack skier at the time. I had learned as an adult in Italy. We could rent boots/skis/poles for $2!! Pick up stuff on Wed after lunch, ski Thursday, turn it in before lunch Friday. What a bargain! And they had boots to fit me!! (size 14 shoe).

Bought gear while I was there back in 79. Salomon 555 bindings. Ski-Stoppers were "new" (vs those awful straps *shudder*). Kneisell Skis (210's). Had to go to Belluno to buy boots from the factory. No one carried my size locally.

I kept that gear for years. Never used it after we left Italy (lived in Kentucky for five years). Hauled that gear around from place to place.

Started using it again in 90 when the #2 son decided to join the local ski club. Finally dumped those skis for some Kastle's I bought from Ocean State Job Lot (hey...$40!!) They were a quantum leap from the Kniesells. Then I bought a pair of new boots (Alpina's) from Strands. They got a good laugh @ my old Nordicas!...they gave me $25 for the turn in!!

Then I bought a pair of Salomon CUT's (184) from a friend @ work. Nice Salomon bindings!! Never knew what chatter was till I got onto these things! Later that season, I demo-ed the Atomic Beta Ride 8.20's (190). Rock frickin solid compared to the Salomons!!

I rode those for the past four years, took lessons, worked at the sport to get beyond the bad habits I had learned.

This year I bought brand new boots again. WOW! Those old Alpina's were packed out!! Didn't realize it till I put them back on after trying on those Dalbello V-10's!! Strands gave me $50 for the trade in! Those Dalbellos worked out well this year! I had tons of peaople comment on them! Techs asked how I liked them. Other folks who had bought them talked about how much they liked them. It must be a cult!

Then, at the end of the season...Wachusett made me an offer on the Volkl Supersport Superspeeds (I had demo-ed earlier). A far cry from those $40 Kastle's!!

It has been a long and interesting trip indeed.

[dmc]

This was my 19th year of doing Tuckermans...
I really did sit back and do some thinking..

Excellent post!

[Brettski]

Great story....

That's what I've been looking into...now that I've got the family taking care of business...I'll be trying to organize the kids school mates and families...

You could almost write a step by step guide of what you need to know, as a beginner.

I'm of the mind that all of my kids have to carry their own gear, boot up, put on their own lift ticket.

It took a lot of time helping out, and we stressed to them to help out as well...and it does take years...but the last trip of the year...we unloaded the car, made camp in the lodge, and were on montain in record time...

Everyones go their own boot bag (that was huge), stowe the gear away, get the layers off in the lodge so you don't overheat...there a bunch of little things to know....

I gotta think more about this...

[smootharc]

nm