Skiing. You would think growing up in northwestern Pennsylvania, I would be a skier. But I played basketball and didn’t want to get hurt. Plus, I didn’t really care to be out in the cold for hours. Therefore, I skied a handful of times. Four years ago, my husband introduced me to his ski and snowboard club. Skiing is his passion. He’s been skiing since he was four years old, and he loves it. He also loves going to the snow and going back to warm, sunny Florida. (And now I do, too.)
Every month December through March there is an airline ski week. Most of the airlines race and earn points. I am not sure what the points get them because our ski and snowboard club does not race:) Many resorts give the airlines discounts on lodging and lift tickets. My husband started taking me three years ago. I wasn’t very good or comfortable on the mountain, but I wanted to learn. I wanted to see the beautiful views from mountaintops, and I wanted to be a part of the ski club.
Steamboat Springs
The first ski trip I went on was in Steamboat Springs, Colorado in December 2018. I didn’t have any confidence and really no ski skills.  My husband’s friends insisted that he NOT teach me how to ski.  So, one of the girls we were with took me to the bunny hill and started with the basics… how to stop, how to get on the lift, how to get out of my skies. She was an amazing instructor. We did some greens (beginner runs) and accidentally a blue (intermediate runs) or two, where I proceeded to yardsale down the mountain. For those of you who don’t ski, yardsale means my poles and skies went flying as I tumbled down the mountain. I enjoyed it though because I was warm, it was fun, and I didn’t get hurt. I especially liked apres ski (happy hour) and the theme party on Wednesday night.
Copper Mountain
The next year, the first airline ski week was at Copper Mountain in Colorado. My husband, against my will, persuaded me to take three ski lessons. This turned out to be very helpful and the instructor took us on greens and blues that we could handle. I started feeling a little better and more confident about skiing. On this trip, we couldn’t find anyone to stay with Gram so we could get a break from Gram therefore we took her with us. My husband and the two guys we stayed with would take turns checking on her while I was in my lesson. They would sit with her for a few minutes, hand her a banana or some Hershey Kisses, and then be back on the slopes. She was relatively steady and comfortable for a few hours on her own and the TV was on for her. She had a wonderful time. We took her into the village and to apres ski. She just laughed and smiled. I didn’t know that Copper was one of the highest mountains in Colorado and that many people get altitude sickness. Not Gram though, she hung right in there doing shot skis and all!
Park City
The next month, we did two days in Park City, Utah before heading to Steamboat Springs again. I love Park City. It is one of my favorite mountains. We skied Park City, the Canyons, and Deer Valley. I loved that the ski resorts were so close together. I absolutely loved Deer Valley. I felt pretty confident on the greens and blues there. After two days there, we went back to Steamboat. It was great to be back on the mountain where I originally learned. It was fun to do the blues and not yard sale down the mountain. I was starting to get the hang of it and really enjoy it.
Then Covid hit and I didn’t get to ski again that season.
In 2020, the ski weeks have been different. As you read in Missing Gram, we put her into senior living in November. Therefore, I was able to go to the first ski week. Usually, it is at Copper Mountain, but because of Covid, it got changed to Steamboat Springs. Since we were going there in January, our ski and snowboard team decided to do our own ski week and go to Park City, Utah. There were about 10 of us, and we have a friend that lives there so she hosted many of us. I was excited to go back to Deer Valley. I was also excited because my husband bought me the Ikon Pass. This is the only way to go if you are going to ski more than four or five times a year. We skied Snowbird, Solitude, and Deer Valley. Deer Valley is my all-time favorite thus far. The greens and blues are absolutely perfect for me. They even have double blues, which I love. Double blue means it’s a little more difficult than the blue but not as difficult as a Black Diamond. It was early in the season so a lot of the more difficult trails were closed so it was nice for all of us to ski together, and I didn’t feel like I was holding anyone back.
First Black Diamond
In January 2021, we decided to head out to Denver early before the airline ski week. We stayed with friends in Silverthorne, Colorado, and we were able to ski for a couple of hours at Copper Mountain. We parked the car at the bottom of a chair lift and got right on the mountain with our Ikon Passes. The hill to get back to the car was a Black Diamond (advanced runs). Our friend was confident I could make it down to the car but I was too nervous and didn’t chance it the first day. But on the second they sneakily took me down. I saw the sign but I told myself to relax and just go slow. I remember looking up at what I had just skied and couldn’t believe it. But once I was down, I was so excited to have skied a black diamond!! I really had no desire to do it, but it was fun and I didn’t fall! Thank you, friends, for pushing me.
Steamboat Springs Take II
We spent the next week in Steamboat Springs. I did a few more black diamonds, but by the end of the week, my legs were so tired. Therefore, I decided to play it safe and stay on the blues. It was a great week but very different. Usually, during ski weeks we have a meet and greet party on Mondays, team dinner on Tuesdays, a theme party on Wednesdays, and an awards dinner on Thursdays for anyone who races. This year, many teams stayed in their condos with the people they were comfortable with or did apres ski outside. There were no parties and only our team went to dinner. It was definitely a different experience, but fun all the same.
Deer Valley Take III
In March, the airlines usually hold an international ski and snowboard week. It bounces between North America and Europe. This year it got canceled because of Covid. Our team decided to have our own ski week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Other airlines decided to join us so we had a group of about 24 people. My husband and I were going to meet in Denver and ride up with friends from Silverthorne. Well, we had to go to Plan B which entailed me flying to Denver, my girlfriend, Kelly, picking me up at the airport, and us driving eight hours to Park City, Utah. A huge snowstorm was coming and we didn’t want to take the chance of getting caught in it and not making our ski week. Plus, we didn’t really want to try driving in a snowstorm.
Kelly and I had the best time driving. We drove her husband’s truck which is a stick shift. I love driving sticks so I was super excited. We had great weather and Taylor Swift on the radio! It was a long day but we made it and stayed at a friend’s house, which was beautiful. It was extremely generous of them to let us stay, and we really appreciated it. The next day we did a little Workout and then went to Deer Valley to ski. She had never been there, and I had never skied without my husband so it was just the two of us and we had to pay extra attention to where we were and how to get back down the mountain. We had a great time!
The next day my husband flew into Salt Lake City and he and another pilot Ubered up to the house. We all got ready and met other friends on the mountain. We had another beautiful bluebird day at Deer Valley. One of our friends, Lisa, used to be a ski instructor so she gave me a few pointers on how to become a better, more confident skier, which I really appreciate.
Jackson Hole
The next day we drove 5 hours to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I was so excited to see a new state and another beautiful mountain resort. The views you see on top of the mountain are breathtaking. Not everyone is willing to dress in cold gear, put on snow pants and skies, and go up the hill to see them. I, for one, am glad my husband pushed me to learn a new skill that enabled me to see such beautiful sights. I am beyond blessed.
Jackson Hole was a great little town. The four of us had lunch at the Million Dollar Cowboy Restaurant and then headed to the resort. We stayed on the mountain at the Alpenhof. Jackson Hole is a steeper mountain and up at the top, there are no greens. The first day our friend had us traversing across Black Diamonds. We were trying to find a blue but I was not ready for this and my whole body was shaking. I was deathly afraid I was going to slip and tumble all the way down the mountain. We eventually got to a spot where I took off my skies and turned around. I could not go any further. My beautiful husband turned around with me as well as another couple. We eventually found a blue and decided to ski there.
The week was wonderful. Great people, great skiers, great times. On St. Patrick’s Day, my husband and two friends, Sean and Lisa, surprised me with t-shirts that said “St. Gram’s Day”. Everyone in our group had the shirt on and unzipped to show bright green and Gram’s beautiful smiling face. It was the most amazing, thoughtful gift. Thank you wonderful friends for thinking of it and participating in it. Some of the skiers didn’t even know Gram but they heard such wonderful things about her that they were blessed to be a part of it. That night in town, several people asked who Gram was, and I shared my blog with them. I am hoping I now have followers in Wyoming!
So here I am on day 28 of skiing. I am learning to love the sport. I love the friends I have made and the people I have met by being a part of the ski club. I love being a woman in my 40’s and learning a new sport and being healthy and athletic enough to participate. So stay young, stay strong, be inspired, and just go for it!
