Skiing - beginning experience

Amy is skiing with friends this weekend. (Snowboarding really) I'm jealous - though I haven't skied for years now. I have many fond memories from my days on the long boards. Except that first experience...

Sister Susi (she had officially dropped the "e" from the end of her name by then -hippy!) was attending college in Denver. For the first two years, she was at Temple Buell - a small private school that eventually turned into Colorado Women's College. She played on the golf team and dated fellas from the Air Force Academy.

The Bullocks decided to visit Susi and try downhill skiing. We'd done waterskiing - so what could be so hard? I think I was in 8th grade. It may have been our Thanksgiving break. All of us - including my father were going to ski. Mom arranged for us to borrow ski clothes from the Pellett family.

The Paul and Betty Lou Pellett Family was Atlantic's version of the Kennedys (except Republican). I will do a whole blog on them later - what a clan! The Pelletts skied often and had the gear of the day - stretch pants, mittens and goggles. It was great that we didn't have to buy that stuff. Susi had been skiing since she started attending school there - so she was a bit of an "expert". I don't know if she had her own skis or not.

We were skiing at Loveland (click for webcam) - the first ski area on I-70 past Denver, near Georgetown where we had a motel lined up. It was so exciting and scary. Most of the family rented skis and boots, but not Dad and me. I got to use my Aunt Jean's 1950's boots (lace up - really?) and long wooden skis. Dad had some family member's too. That is important to this story. In that era, someone decided new skiers should learn with skis that were very short. So Betso, Cindo and Mom got that kind. Dad and I were in the antiques. (likely saving $10)


The probably weren't this bad..but in my mind...

Susi wisely lined us up for a short beginner's class on the bunny hill. That seemed to go okay. Then, after a sandwich lunch and hot chocolate, she volunteered to partner with me to go up my first ski lift. It might as well have been a NASA launch as complicated as it seemed to be with my mile long skis! Once I got my ass situated onto the seat, the ride was okay - but I knew the end was coming and I'd have to get off the damn thing.

And did I ever get off! I wiped out in the snow platform leading down from the chair and slide towards what seemed to be a cliff. If I went over that cliff, I just knew I was going end up with broken limbs in some sort of skiing hell. I was terrified and started bawling. Susi helped me maneuver my way out of that precarious situation and start down the hill - which seemed to be a sheer drop. Snot got on my (Pellet's) goggles. I sat on my butt and felt sorry for myself. Susi was forced to use all her collegiate (she was a Sociology major) and big sis tricks to get me going again.

Somehow, I survived! The rest of the family survived. My ankles and Dad's were very bruised from the old leather lace-up boots we wore. Cindy remembers being so very exhausted that she didn't even make it out for supper that night - she just went to bed. Mom was likely stuck dealing with Betsy, who was 10ish and I don't remember much about them...it was all about me, me me.

You'd think I would have never wanted to ski again after that experience. But somehow it was like childbirth...after a year went by, I'd forgotten the bad stuff! By then, Cindy was a frosh at Drake and she and her boyfriend Doug Mustoe took Jennifer Deter and me to some tiny ski place with a rope tow by Dexter. I wore fuzzy mittens (I guess I didn't get the Pellett equipment) and several times they stuck to the rope and continued around the top of the tow without me...I used new equipment there and had a great time.

Cindy had her new Christmas skis (K2s - I can still remember them sitting in her bedroom, a proud possession). Even though her love affair with Doug didn't last, the one with sport of skiing did! She went skiing often and eventually headed west to live in Vail after college graduation. The old bat (and I say this in a loving way...) will soon be 60 and skis often - even helping on the mountain at times when she isn't working her "real" job in Human Resources for Vail Resorts. She says the snow this winter has been fabuloso!

Sadly, Mom and Dad never skied again. Golf was more their thing. I will write more on the fun I've had skiing through the years - and if someone could plop me at the top of the mountain in gorgeous weather with my skis (not wooden) on, I'd do it again. If it wasn't icy or cold. And I could be guaranteed not to fall. Yep...I'm such a wiener. Writing about it almost has me excited about going again someday...