STOGUIDE pages 80-84:Layout 1 11/5/07 3:10 PM Page 84
First runs
The boys took off with Christine for their lesson. She had asked that
I not hang around—nothing personal; it’s a school policy.As I
glanced back she had clearly caught my boys’attention with the
“French fry and pizza” approach to teaching. Form your skis as par-
CONTACT:
allel French fries and zoom ahead; form your skis into a pizza-
shaped V and stop.
I went back to the lodge for a coffee and to arrange my own
rentals. I emerged and quickly looked around in mild panic for my
boys. Nowhere to be seen. Then a youngster zooming down the
Inspiration Trail smiled and waved. Wow, what a nice kid, I thought.
Wait a minute. That is my kid! The same child, who just three hours
ago refused to drink his milk because he didn’t like the color of the
straw, was already zooming down the slopes? I waved back, smiling
proudly. My older son zoomed by next, right up to theAdventure
Triple lift, ready for his next run. Clearly Ivy League material.
The instructors
As my boys ate a big lunch, I sat down with Christine. She’d just
graduated from Endicott College where she studied sports marketing.
A native Vermonter from Barre, she comes from a family of skiers
and teachers. Her dad is a high school teacher and she spends the
summer teaching kids how to be physically active. She said that the
Stowe Ski and Snowboard School is quite discerning when hiring its
instructors, and by spending just a few minutes with Christine, you
can see that the Stowe human resources department takes it job very
seriously. They look for instructors who have outgoing personalities,
are good at group building and have superb skiing abilities. There is
a strict appearance code. Tattoos, for instance, must be covered.
Through the season, instructors face ongoing evaluations, using
videos of their classes, and a mid-season review. With 200 instruc-
tors, that standard of excellence takes a great deal of commitment.
I was consistently impressed with the professionalism of the entire
operation, from check-in to the blue-jacketed helpers and the
engaging teachers.
The piercing scream
We all broke lunch together, and the three of us walked ahead of
CALLAHEADFORPRIVATEANDSEMI-PRIVATE ski and
Christine. She’d invited me to ski with them all, and my younger son
snowboard lessons, and remember that classes fill quickly
insisted that they had already gone up the Sunny Spruce Quad, which
during the holidays. The school assigns instructors based on
goes to the second highest point on Spruce Peak, a blue square, or
the ages and skill abilities of the students. To save time at
intermediate ski run, one step below a single black diamond trail.
check-in, be prepared to provide the school with billing
Micah wanted us to all go up together. Wowed by his instant ability on
the smallerAdventure Triple, who was I to question, and so off we
information. Call 800-253-4754 or 802-253-3000.
went. Christine followed a few chairs back.As we alighted the lift,
LOADSOFINFORMATIONISAVAILABLEat Stowe.com.
Micah said, “Fooled ya!”—Turns out they’d never been up that lift! He
Click on the Lessons link and read about the classes that are
was just eager to go to the top of the mountain. But my little man soon
right for you.
got his comeuppance, because we immediately encountered a relatively
steep slope. Micah screamed in fear. Not just a yelping scream or a
quick burst of a scream, but a fearful, enduring bawl that you normally
associate with crimes and innocent victims caught by surprise. Crowds
stopped and stared, their eyes saying, “Where is the father of that poor tion. They were able to get on and off the lift by themselves, turn, stop
child?” I pulled my hood tighter to cover my face. Christine swept in as I and gain remarkably confident speed, to the point where I didn’t feel as
took the blame for bringing the boys up the bigger lift. She calmed though I was taking care of them or needing to be watchful, but skiing
Micah down immediately, put her skis to either side of his, held him with them, the three of us racing down the slopes and jockeying for
snugly, refocused him back to the pizza-and-fries ski configuration, and position on the short lift lines.
moved him firmly and carefully down the slope. She took every chal- The day ended with Christine evaluating what the boys should focus
lenge as an opportunity to engage him in a continuation of the morning’s on at their next ski lesson.A cash tip is appropriate at the end of any les-
lesson. My older sonAsa managed the trail easily, and I once again for- son, and I was happy to provide it, given the personal attention we’d
got that it was only the boys second day on skis—ever! gotten from Christine and the school. Turning in rentals was easy, as the
Wrap to a great day
attendant—still smiling—placed the boots on boot-drying systems to get
them ready for the next day.
Our instructor took the boys on a few more afternoon instructional runs, As we grabbed some hot chocolate, the boys begged to come back.
and then the four of us skied together on the Adventure Triple lift, and We surely will. a73
we had a ball. What literally took me an entire season as a youngster to
reach in skill level, my boys mastered in half a day with superb instruc-
84
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