Taking the Occasional Fall

When I learned to ski I did it by falling. I stayed on the bunny slope for about twenty seconds before throwing myself on the lift to the top of now defunct Temple Mountain. From the top to the bottom I'm sure I fell quite a few time but each time I got up dusted myself off and went again. For the first few years I actually measured the quality of my skiing by the number of times I fell, In fact I still remember my first no falls day.

In the adaptive ski program young men with strong backs are in short supply, so there is some pressure to train myself and one other new volunteer Matt on how to do some of the more physically demanding functions. Tethering a sit ski is very physically demanding, besides the skiing the load and unload also requires some muscle and coordination. A few weekends ago I started learning how to tether (sorry Nancy see above) and this weekend I thumb tethered my first student from the top of the lift to the bottom (sorry Paige image unavailable). Once again I find myself measuring my ski aptitude by the number of times I fall in a day. Maybe that is why my hips are killing me.