The Bearded Goose

Sometime near the beginning of the fall in 2010, my wife pointed out an email she had received, in which a local homeschooling group was putting together a “Snow Fun” group at our local ski resort, Alpine Valley.

I thought maybe she had finally gone off the cliff. “You… want me to… ski?” I had asked her, a bit incredulous. The only skiing I had ever done in my life was the cross-country kind, and while I enjoyed it, I knew it was nothing like this “downhill” skiing the kids do. “I think it would be good for you and the boys to get out and active during the winter,” was her reply.

Yep, she found the deep end alright. But, knowing my wife as I do, I knew arguing this was pretty pointless. So, I agreed that, yes, I would sign up and have some fun with our two oldest goslings.

I am so very, very glad that I did!

The “Snow Fun” package I bought for each of us included skiing every Thursday afternoon, lift ticket, equipment rental, five lessons, and a few free passes for other days or to share with our friends. We began our journey at the beginning of January.

I was scared out of my wits. All the comedies I’d ever seen with folks breaking limbs while skiing plus all the stories I read made me extremely nervous about flying down a mountain with two flat pieces of wood strapped to my feet. But, I strapped them on and went to the first beginners class with a smile on my face. I was determined to enjoy it, despite the fear.

And, again, I’m so glad I did.

After an hour’s lesson, being taught how to walk, how to stop, and how to do some basic turns, and the goslings and I were having a ball. To the point we even went to some of the larger hills, to try things out. And we’ve been having a blast each and every week ever since.

Thank you to my darling wife for nudging me into this, and thanks to the folks at Alpine Valley for showing us rookies a great time.

So, what did you do to enjoy the wonderful snow this winter?