Stranger to the Slopes

Stranger to the Slopes
May 4, 2017 Will

My family always skis without me. U.B. spent his childhood winters skiing the powder of the Colorado Rockies, and Stassa learned to ski around age three in the French Alps. The last time I actually wore ski boots and stepped onto a pair of skis was, to the best of my recollection, about 1989. Almost thirty years ago!

Stassa has been after me for years to at least…”try” one of the next times they planned a trip, just on a Bunny Slope. I’ve promised to do so for a couple of ski seasons, but there was always a good excuse not to.

I signed up for a one-hour refresher class

This winter I bit the bullet and went along on a holiday trip, just across the French border to Les Angles, a ski resort in the Pyrenees. There was a charming town there at the foot of the slopes where, I was promised, I could entertain myself if I failed on skis.

It was supposed to be on this BUNNY SLOPE!

Imagine my surprise to be taken by gondola halfway up the mountain for my ski class!

It was beautiful up there…

…before the slopes opened

After ski class, hot chocolate with Stassa

Ready to go

Heading downhill, still vertical

Ta Da!

Stassa shot the video with her go-pro, showing me making it down the slope without falling (although I got my skis crossed once). Sometimes she skied backwards.

So…I did it. Just for a morning. And my family says, “Papa thinks he’s Jean-Claude Killy.” But I did it! And it’s as far out of my comfort zone as I’ve been during the whole time of writing this blog.

And then I went back to making art…and eating!

Les Angles

Fondue!

5 Comments

  1. Paul Fisher 7 years ago

    Hey, better Jean-Claude Killy than Spider Sabich!

    What was that delicious looking dish on the table?

    They’re still skiing up in the Sierra Nevada!

  2. Paul 7 years ago

    Oops! Now I see it was fondue. (I was lost but now fondue.)

  3. Silvia 7 years ago

    Genial Will!!, con mi marido aprendimos a esquiar hace unos 6 años…, por lo cual me siento muy identificada!!, jjaa, jjaa!! Pero lo de esperar a los que saben esquiar, en la cafetería leyendo, dibujando o comiendo, tampoco es mal plan!!!

    • Author
      Will 7 years ago

      Me alegra que te sientas identificada!

  4. Mage Bailey 7 years ago

    Not bad at all. Stassa did wonderfully filming you.

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