Where and When Did You Learn to Ski?

[Kneale Brownson]

Are those folks who have donated to the nonprofit?

 

[markojp]

No, just random old skis... Ray Sutton's Head Std's, etc...

 

[Zen McArcs]

1973. Breckenridge Colorado. Moved from Texas. Never left. Made it a career. Still averaging 200+ per season.

 

[Philpug]

1973. Breckenridge Colorado. Moved from Texas. Never left. Made it a career. Still averaging 200+ per season.

Averaging????

 

[Viking9]

1974 so-cal snow summit in big bear.
I can still remember the rental shop and the smell of p-Tex and ski wax and of course the rope tow; me and my older brothers waiting for out turn and laughing are asses off when someone would just clamp on to the rope and get jerked outta their skis

 

[Guy in Shorts]

1973. Breckenridge Colorado. Moved from Texas. Never left. Made it a career. Still averaging 200+ per season.

44 years x 200= 8,800 lifetime days. That is a big number. Sweet!

 

[Carl Kuck]

Skied a couple of days at Badger Pass in the early 70s before I decided to make it a permanent pursuit, started in earnest the '79-'80 winter, then took instruction the following season at Adventure Ski Schools (adventureski.com) in Encinitas, CA. I did lessons there for several years, then went on to teach on "the deck". I carried my stoke over from surfing, and, as they say, the rest is history...

 

[Bad Bob]

44 years x 200= 8,800 lifetime days. That is a big number. Sweet!

That is OVER 24 YEARS on a pair of skis.
You win!

 

[Lofcaudio]

March of 1986...Telluride, Colorado. I was 14. I was hooked immediately. I will still argue anyone to the death that Telluride is one of the best places for beginner skiers to learn to ski (if they can get there).

 

[Wolfski]

1967 or 68 at Fox Trails in Cary IL. I was a rink rat and well the ski club had girls involved so I signed up for the outing. Rentals, lesson and lift tickets included.
Rentals were wooden Northlands with cable bindings and long thongs. Put them on inside and if the Tech could kick your boot out you were good to go. I ended up leaving the lesson before they even reached the rope tow so the learning could proceed. Skied the rest of the evening with my friends and was totally hooked.

 

[karlo]

Craigmeur in NJ about 1971. Well, can't say I learned there, except what a ski is and how to put it on. My Dad brought me there for that one day, in preparation to join a boyhood friend and his family at Aspen. First day there, he went off with his Dad and brother. His Mom told me to keep facing downhill and told me to place my weight on the downhill (not outside) ski to make turns. Worked like a charm. She went down with me once and left me to figure it out on my own. Had a great week and was able to join my friend, for some of the easier runs, before it ended.

As Skibob is, per his post, I am also still learning. In fact, for about 10 years, I stopped because I felt I wasn't learning. Took up Telemark, then Nordic. It wasn't until I realized I couldn't carry two kids in a pack that I returned to Alpine. By then, shaped skis had come into being, then fat skis and rockered skis, opening so many possibilities. Then, backcountry gear has become so good, and avy classes and more became easily available. As long as the learning and discovery continues, I'll keep skiing until I am no longer able.

 

[Doug Briggs]

1961 at Cranmore Mt., NH. Leather and wood were where it was at.

 

[fatbob]

1st ever Junfraujoch on a summer family holiday. Hooked me for life.

Reality the hike or herringbone for your turns plastic slope of Bebington Oval not far from Prenton Park home of the might Tranmere Rovers.

 

[lonestar]

The front yard. First real ski area Mt. Peter NY ski week 2 lessons a day and lift tickets for a week $25, about 1966. I owe my obsession to Walt Westerveld and Don Sampson both from Mt. Peter. After that it was endless days and nights after school at Campgaw NJ. I've been a few more places since then.

 

[pchewn]

1967 Loveland Valley (the small beginner area just east of Loveland Basin, Colorado). 10 years old. We had just moved to Denver and my brothers and I were in a season-long ski group lesson with one neighbor kid (5 of us with one instructor). My dad followed us around and basically mooched free lessons copying whatever the instructor told us to do. The instructor was from Austria, an old guy who skied VERY SMOOTHLY. The extent of his vocabulary was "follow me" "bend zee knees" and "do like this". We just followed him and imitated whatever he did. Now, 50 skiing years later I think back on that and I'm so darned happy my dad drove us up there every weekend and dished out the cash for that. And for kids, just "do this" and "follow me" is perfect instruction as we never would have learned by discussing mechanics of skiing.

BTW: Dad just stopped skiing after moving to Florida -- at 91 yrs old.

 

[Goldmember]

Perisher Valley, Australia, 1980. I remember having those high tech ski brakes in 1982... instead of straps.

Fast forward to 1988 or 1989, 12 years old and inspired by seeing this ski race. Not your typical kind of SL or GS, but this, the Perisher Dash for Cash.....Spool video to about 3:50 to get to the race start.

 

[KevinF]

1992 on Wisp in western Maryland. Some friends invited me out on a ski trip. Been hooked since the beginning.

Still learning though. Maybe someday I’ll know how to ski, but it hasn’t happened yet.

I tried boarding for one day in the mid 90s at Roundtop in Pennsylvania. My ass hurt for a week. I’ve never been inspired to try again.

 

[Ptrqc]

1976 ish, Sonnenkopf (Wald.a. Arlberg, Vorarlberg, Austria).

Local ski school during our annual 1 week ski holidays from Belgium.

Have been back often to Lech/Zurs/St-Anton, even after moving to B.C.

 

[VickieH]

First time ever was 2008, age 49, at Whitetail in PA.

Second time, a fall ended with the ski tails being stuck in the snow with my legs twisted and splayed out sufficiently to strain inner thigh muscles on both legs.

4th time was at Seven Springs. I aimed for a nice small pile of snow so I could slow down. I face-planted so hard that ski patrol raced down to me, prepared to call 9-1-1. Someone was evac'd from that exact spot the day before.

Got boots and skis before the next season, then 4-hour lift tickets once a week at Roundtop in PA.

 

[Ogg]

I skied the first time at Brodie Mtn in MA with my father, stepmother and much younger(2 and 4) half brothers in 1987 when I was a senior in HS. They had only skied a few times but had become obsessed. My second time was a school trip to Killington later that winter where I fell for the "follow, us, you'll be fine." I survived, had a blast and have been hooked since. I took a couple of trips but the real learning to ski didn't come until about 6 years later after I had gained a lot of weight. My father was a pretty good skier at this point, had my younger brothers in ski school /competition programs at Killington and wanted to get me more active like the rest of the family. The first season or two I was an uncoordinated blob on skis but when I decided to get serious about losing weight I bought some real equipment and had my father(PSIA cert) really teach me to ski. I lost ~70lbs over the next 2 seasons and learned to balance and turn my skis.