Teaching Kids to Ski

It was a joy working with these kids. They were here for five days of skiing. They were polite, humorous, and couragous. In the Ski School at Whiteface this group was referred to as the, "never - evers," i.e. they had never skied before. Some started on short skis often referred to as, "blades," (99 cm in length, or short regular skis of 130 to 136 cm inlength. Day one started on Whiteface's bunny slope called the Mixing Bowl (a green trail). They crashed by themselves and at times crashed into each other in two and three person pile ups. No injuries just a lot of screaming and laughing. On the third day of instruction these kids went from the Mixing Bowl trail to skiing from the summit of Little Whiteface on Excelsior. This is a blue trail and rated one of the top intermediate trails in this country. They skied it doing mostly parallel turns or as instructor Ed puts it, "no pizza." Quite a feat in so few days on skis.

On day three Ramann made the transition from a blade to a traditional ski of 130 cm without a hitch. She maintained her parallel turns.

Day three was also very significant in a totally unexpected way. Abby, Ramann and your humble ski instructor had gotten significantly ahead of the rest of our group. As we waited for the others to catch up on a trail called Boreen Abby asked me if i was always a ski instructor. I replied that I was not, that I was a chemist. She than said that I would probably understand the medications she was taking. At the tender age of four Abby had received a kidney transplant and has undergone eighteen surgeries. My heart skipped a few beats as she started to name the medications she was taking and would do so for the rest of her life. She told me that in the nine years she has been taking the meds they have improved and she now can take some once instead of twice a day. I marveled at her courage and positive attitude. I may have been teaching her to ski but she was teaching me something far more important.

Goodbyes were said on day five and the kids were headed for two days in New York City (aka The Big Apple). Than it's back home to England. They are gone but not forgotten, not by this old ski bum.

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