Slalom, Slush, and Snowplow

Last evening, my sister-in-law, Karen, took Amy and Heather to The Wisp to go skiing for their very first time. I haven't had a chance to talk to them, but the videos Karen posted looked like they had a blast!

I am glad they had fun. I am pleased that their first experience on skis was a positive one. I sure wish mine had been...

When I was in 5th Grade at Accident Elementary School (at least I think it was 5th grade), our class went to The Wisp Ski Resort in McHenry MD for the day. Despite not owning any "official" ski clothing or having any experience, I was excited.  That morning, I layered on lots of clothes and headed to school. Soon, a busload of happy kids was headed for the slopes.

Upon arrival, we were fitted with boots and skis and shown how to put them on and also how to stand with them on. This skill of attaching your ski to your boot was a very necessary one for me to learn, because every single time I fell down, which I might add was frequent, my ski would fall off. I spent half the time there on the ground reattaching equipment.

Once we had boots and skis, we headed out in small groups to the beginner slope to have a ski lesson. You know, the basics. How to start, stop, snowplow, reattach skis, etc.

My instructor liked everyone in our group but me.

No, really. When a student learned the snowplow technique, he would move them to the next group to advance their skills. After a few attempts, not counting the one where I got turned around and was going backwards towards the parking lot, I figured out how to snowplow. I never got moved up to the next level. He never even told me I did a good job.

Oh, the heartbreak of a 10 year old on skis.

After the lesson, we were on our own. I was off to tackle the rope tow. It certainly looked easy enough. Just grab ahold of the rope gently and as you do, it will pull you up the hill. 


For the record, they lied.

Every time I got the rope and did what they said to do, it would violently jerk me forward, and with my face planted in the snow, would begin to drag me up the hill. I could hear voices yelling, "Let go! Roll out of the way!" They didn't need to tell me twice as there were people behind me, successfully managing the rope and they would've skied right over me.

The next thing I tried was walking up the hill (still the beginners slope), turning around and skiing down. I think that only happened twice. The first time, I plowed into an unsuspecting person and knocked them down, nearly skewering them with my pole. The second time, I ended up in the row of pine trees that divided the slopes.

The best part of the whole day was eating lunch.

My grand ski adventure never got off the beginner's slope. And I never tried it again.

Watching my girls ski made me think that maybe I should try it again. Maybe I could actually ski. Maybe I should add that to my list of life goals. I've never broken a bone before; what better way to try?

And maybe, just maybe, that ski instructor is retired...

Love,
Dianne