Why Do I Ski?

     The first time I ever skied, I was in my late 20's.  I had a group of friends who would annually rent a cabin for a week in Truckee and gather to downhill/cross country ski, catch up/socialize, make and have great meals.  I was part of the cross country group ( a very casual group).  One morning, a group of friends going downhill skiing asked me to come along.  So, clad in jeans, I took a beginner's group lesson (at Alpine Meadows).  Needless to say, it was a disaster.  I fell a lot. was painfully frozen and vowed never to try it again!

    About 20 years later, my then boyfriend (now husband) suggested we go to Tahoe for Xmas and that I take a group lesson (again at Alpine Meadows).  Although I had a cold, I agreed (strictly to humor him).  He insisted that I needed to have the proper clothing and equipment to properly experience skiing.  It turned out that he was absolutely right!

   That Christmas day, it was snowing a little bit.  But I was quite comfortable in my (borrowed) neon pink outfit.  I would not describe myself as naturally gifted at skiing - if anything, the opposite.  It felt very foreign to me to move around with long sticks attached to my feet.  But I was laughing a lot, noticing how beautiful and fresh it was.  It had a sense of magic and wonder about it.  I felt the hook sink in!

   As Henry was tied up with work many weekends, I discovered the Bay Area Ski bus as a way to get myself to Tahoe to ski.  That first season I skied 6 times, the following 12 times, then 25, then 30+ each year since then.

   What I discovered was a way to dance with the forces of nature and Earth, to seek the harmony of flow, to feel (I'm not sure how else to describe it) a sense of something beyond the ordinary day to day a sense of home unlike any other.

  I often refer to the mountain as "Mother Mountain."  She is a force to be reckoned with, one that demands her rules be understood.  And yet, I always have the sense of her trying to help me to understand.  She and I hold each other precious.  For me, it is a type of spiritual connection.

  I can definitely be fearful; I am not a natural athlete.  But, over the course of time, I have learned that knowledge is the key to growth and confidence.  The more you know, the better you are able to "fly".  People will think this a highly risky activity and there are things that can happen that are beyond your control (being collided into).  But, the more you know, I think the better you understand your capabilities.  I don't know anyone who would describe me as "over-confident."

  Perhaps the best way I have if describing what skiing means to me is to share the following poem videos: