The Beauty of Enjoying Skiing

So, after skiing with some wonderful friends this last weekend in Vail, it occurred to me…I don’t just ski for the fun and wonderful personal challenge that skiing offers me both physically and mentally, but I ski to enjoy the beauty around me.

 

Yes, I was fortunate enough to be born in Colorado.  Even more fortunate, I was raised to “keep your eyes open for Big Horn Sheep or Deer….they are here, you just have to look closely.

 

To my excitement and surprise, I encountered my first ever antlered deer running right across a ski run in Vail.  I was breathless.

 

The next day, I was blessed enough to see the aftermath of frozen winds and snowing for 2 days with the beauty of the afternoon sun, warming the trees up for a bit.  Unbelievable and gorgeous.

 

Skiing for me is not just about the sticks on my feet and the wind in my face, it’s about the beauty I’m surrounded by.  If you ever lose sight of that, then, in my opinion, you are not enjoying the full beauty of skiing.  Don’t just stop and SMELL the roses (or in this case the Evergreens), stop and LOOK very closely at them.  They will astound you if you let them!

Do you know your TRUE friends on the Slopes?

I was thinking today about my favorite people to ski with! They are the ones that laugh with me, sing crazy songs with me on the ski slopes, help me look for my skis (in the Winter AND the Summer) and share wonderful stories with me on the lifts about my childhood ski experiences. They are my family and my friends.

I’m always interested about skiing experiences when skiing with new people…people I’ve not skied with before. I had that opportunity on several occasions last year.

During my best days of skiing, I experienced those wonderful people who laugh with me, stop to take pictures, never pressure anyone to ski anything they are not comfortable with, don’t give un-solicited skiing advice, jump, ski the trees, introduce me to new equipment and techniques and compliment the ways in which I do ski well! These are the best people to ski with!

During my not so fun days, I experienced competition and pressure to ski better/faster/more challenging ways than the women I was with, whining, people leaving others behind or leaving them all together, no collaboration on where to ski but only skiing where they want to ski, pressure, ridicule of other’s skiing abilities, giving unsolicited advice, etc. The list could go on, but I choose to stop here.

So, in my entire 40 years of skiing, I will say this….my skiing childhood was full of giggles! I choose to carry that into my adult years. I will continue to giggle on the slopes, sing on the lifts, help others out when they are having an unexpected “yard sale” (it’s the Coloradan in me!), and always checking in with my skiing cohorts! THIS is how you make and get to know the best friends you will have on the slopes!

Don’t run your friends over or “leave them on a powder day!” Ski with them! Isn’t that why you are true friends in the first place?

Trust me on this one!

It’s Here!

Opening day at A-Basin and Loveland Ski Areas in Colorado! Just a little strip of snow, but it IS happening! Welcome to the 2008-2009 Ski Season!

Two Peas in a Pod…Skiing & Blind Dates

This past weekend as I was “primping” in preparation for, yet another blind date, I was thinking how alike skiing and blind dates are. Really! What’s that you say? It doesn’t make sense to you? Okay, let me walk you through it!

First there’s the anticipation. Think about it. Before you go skiing don’t you get that excited feeling deep in your belly? See! Just like a blind date! Okay, so with a blind date you might  also have that “I’m gonna throw up” feeling added to the equation. 

Then there’s the “unknown” factor once you hit the slopes. Is it going to be a day filled with “aha moments” or is it going to be a speed dial ski patrol day? Just like a blind date you aren’t quite sure what you are going to get from moment to moment. But, that’s part of the appeal, right? That quest for the perfect fun or partner. 

Finally, there’s the afterglow when the event is complete. The moments of reflection, the sigh of relief and the anticipation of the next time!

I love surprises! Maybe that’s why I keep allowing my friends to set me up and it is for sure part of why I keep hitting the slopes….day after day….

Adjustable Kid’s Ski Boots!

I admit it, I’m a gadget freak! Some turn out to be great, and others, well…not so great! The new Roces adjustable boots may sound gadgety, but, they could save you some much needed cash! 

After a very positive response in Europe, the Italian based company, Roces has officially launched their first ever adjustable kids ski boot, the IDEA 6-in-one Kids Adjustable Ski Boots. The IDEA is made for children from toddlerhood through adolescence. Roces says that the average child will fit the boot for three seasons. This is based on a child growing 2 sizes per year. All you Moms & Dads out there know this isn’t always the case, so you might be able to get even more seasons out of them!  

The mode of adjustment appears to be quite easy. You simply open the buckle, choose the size, and close the buckle. This changes the length, width and cuff height.

 

My initial concern when reading about these is that they would leak. However, after reading through various reviews I couldn’t find even one that raised that issue! 

The IDEA boot YouTube – RocesUS’s Channel can be purchased by viewing the dealer locator at Roces USA or calling 800-770-8750.

P.S. I also found them on Overstock.com! Here’s the link…

Roces Idea Adjustable Ski Boot (Size 9-12) from Overstock.com

Hey, you can’t say I didn’t try to help you save a buck now right? Okay, now let’s go shopping for all the great new women’s skis!

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Skiing Green

With the threat of global warming (and in my personal opinion, a very real threat), the future of skiing and winter sports is in jeopardy. So, what can we do, as skiers, to help the environment, as well as to protect the future of the ski industry?

This is a question that has been haunting me for awhile. For the past few years, we have dropped wildflower seeds (native to the Colorado Rocky Mountains) from the chairlifts as we ride up. It’s a small gesture, but an important one, in order to keep the environment healthy.

During the 2006-2007 ski season, at least 61 ski resorts purchased wind and solar energy credits. Similarly, Jiminy Peak, in Massachusetts, became the first ski resort in the country to produce its own alternative energy, installing a 1.5-megawatt wind turbine that supplies one-third of its electricity.

Here in Colorado, Aspen has become an Industry pioneer in this area. Aspen Skiing Company, which runs the high-class resort, was the first in the ski and snowboard industry to announce a policy to protect the climate. Their eco-conscious efforts are not just aimed at the slopes but at the resort’s tourism industry as well. Some of its most significant environmental initiatives include using biodiesel fuel in its snow-grooming machines, and making snow that is seeded with a speck of dust to lessen the amount of water and energy consumed during the process. The resort was also a first in the U.S. ski industry to offset 100 percent of its electricity use with renewable energy from wind farms. Now, 45 other ski resorts have followed their lead. In other areas, the resort’s coke machines operate by motion sensors to reduce the constant compression cycles and two of the resorts newest buildings are heated and cooled by water from a nearby pond. Additionally, Aspen encourages activism through its own green website and employees have contributed $1 million to date for local environmental causes.

We recycle.

We compost.

We carpool to the slopes and do all that we can to help the environment in the ways in which we have become aware.

I think that the real question is what else can I do to help? Get me, as a skier, educated about saving the environment and the sport of skiing, and I’ll do it! Guaranteed!

So, do my small packets of wildflower seeds make a difference in the ski industry? I like to think that they do. It’s a small step, but a step…by one person, to help to protect the environment. Imagine what we could ALL do just one little attempt at a time…

by Kelly

Early Snow = Early Ski Excitement!

Well, it’s official! The early snow here in Colorado the last few days has given me an excited head start to my ski season! I just HAD to go and look at my skis, dust off my helmets and look at my “great deals” on ski jackets that I found this summer! It’s all ready to go! We just need the snow!

I even had a notion to go up to Loveland and do a little teeny tiny bit of pre-season slushing through the snow…..a notion that had a short shelf life!

So to YOU Mother Nature….Keep it Coming!!!!

Peace, Love, Ski!
Kelly

Do You Help Out On the Slopes?

After watching some VERY disturbing stories on the news lately, I began to think about how people react to situations. If you see a person being attacked, robbed, abused, etc., do you get involved or do you walk away? I like to think that I would help out in any way that I can, while keeping my own safety and the safety of my loved ones in the fore-front of my mind. The unfortunate Olympics stabbing in Beijing comes to mind. The women’s husband was being attacked, and she stepped in to help him out, and was critically attacked herself. A very tragic story in and of itself.

So this got me to thinking…

When skiing, and someone falls on the slopes, off the lift, loses a pole or other piece of equipment…do you stop to help, or do you just keep going?

Growing up in Colorado, and raised by very caring parents, we watched our mother and father stopping on the slopes to help those in trouble. I even watched my father helping some who were on a run that was too difficult for them to get down more easily…always making jokes and giggling along the way. This was not necessary for him to do. It was the RIGHT thing, in my opinion, for him to do. We live in Colorado and have many opportunities to ski here, so taking the time to help others out on the slopes is part of what we do, here.

I think you can tell a lot about a person by whether they ski on by a person who has had a “yard sale” or whether they stop to pick up the pieces and ask if the individual is ok. It may embarrass them, but it certainly shows them that it happens to the best of us. I think it’s good to say that, too.

For me, I will always stop to help someone out of their element. I will always check to make sure that they are ok. I will always shout from a lift if I see a horrible wipeout, just to make sure they are ok. This is just good practice, and for the most part, it is what those of us who grew up skiing were taught to do.

So, thanks, Mom & Dad, for providing a great model for how to act on the slopes. It’s the right thing to do…and it represents what TRUE Coloradans are all about.

by Kelly

Helmets and Skiing

An online conversation came up the other day about wearing a helmet while skiing. Someone was returning to skiing after being absent from it for many years, and when this last person skied, there were few, if any helmets. Someone commented by saying the following:

“Here’s my two cents as a patroller:

1. I’ve seen folks who wouldn’t have been injured if they’d had a helmet.

2. I’ve seen folks who would have been much worse off if they hadn’t been wearing a helmet.

3. I’ve NEVER seen someone who was hurt by wearing a helmet.

Moral of story: wear a helmet!!”

Now, that is all very good advice. I will say, however, that comment #1 made me a little, no, VERY un-easy, and let’s face it….it was just plain judgmental. Basically, this “Patroller” noted that it was the fault of the skier who did not wear a helmet if they were to get injured! WHAT?

Let’s take into consideration that wearing a helmet is a VERY good idea. Yes. It just is! However, just because someone doesn’t wear a helmet doesn’t make them the recipient of the “You got what you deserved” award! There are so many accidents that are related to the carelessness of a resort worker or other skier, lack of coordination, and inability to ski in control. Does that make the person that doesn’t wear a helmet responsible for any injuries incurred by them due to the carelessness of another skier? No. Actually, NO!!!!! Any attorney would certainly agree with THAT “NO!”.

Skiing has changed. Ski technology has changed. It IS smarter to wear a helmet nowadays. There is no need to “Learn” how to ski as I had to back in my early days of skiing. The skis work FOR you now. You don’t have to learn to control them, they control you. There is, however, still a NEED to learn CONTROL of your skis. Let me say that again. THERE IS A NEED TO LEARN HOW TO SKI IN CONTROL AND TO CONTROL YOUR OWN SKIING! That is the first key to safe and healthy skiing. The second is to look out for the “other guy.”

There will always be someone out of control.

There will always be a lift operator not paying attention.

There will always be a ski-patroller who may just blame YOU for any injuries you may incur should you not be wearing your helmet…even at the hands of another’s lack of control, attention, or skill. It’s sad, but true, as evidenced by this so called “conversation.”

My best advice? Wear a helmet. It just may save you in 2 ways: 1. It may save your life. 2. It will reduce the amount of blame and guilt that some unknowing “Patroller” or someone else may put on you should you be the unlucky recipient of a head injury. That alone is hard enough to deal with, but dealing with the guilt and blame of others is just plain un-necessary.

by Kelly

Sniagrab, Ski-Rex, Tent Sale, Oh My!

from Kelly:

Well, it’s here!  The big pre-season ski sales!  Sport’s Authority’s “Sniagrab” (“bargains” spelled backwards and a VERY huge tradition in Colorado), Colorado Ski & Golf’s “Ski-Rex”  and Christy Sport’s “Cyber Tent Sale” are on..and the commercials here in Colorado are AMAZING!
Powdery snow falling!
Skiers & Boarders carving and riding in EPIC conditions!

It’s all over my tv, and I can’t WAIT for the snow to start falling!

The coolness in the air is an indicator that it’s on it’s way, but the commercials just solidify the fact. I have never been a fan of television commercials, but I could watch these over and over again when the temperatures are in the 80’s and 90’s and my boots, helmet and quiver are collecting dust.

Let it snow!