Skiing: The Ritual of Winter

First tracks on a bit of fresh powder, a dusting of white still clinging to the trail-edging pine trees, the soft whirr of the chair lift, the quick shuuush of skis passing by as I stand and soak it all up. This is why I got up early, made the drive, hauled the equipment, bought the ski pass. I've been skiing most of my life, and I can't imagine not going through all of this bother, because the reward is so splendid. It just gets harder through the years.

My dad first stood me up on skis when I was four years old. It took a lot of time, effort, and determination for him, along with my mom, to suit up four kids and get us on the mountain. He taught us all to ski, how to respect the mountains in the winter, and to love it. I started teaching both of my boys when whey were four years old. There are so many life memories tied up in skiing, from the local hills when I was a child, to skiing with my brother and dad in Austria, with another brother in Canada, with my kids at Mad River Glen. If you ski, you’re probably smiling now, reminiscing about your own precious winter rituals.

Today, I ski a bit differently. The alarm goes off at 5:50 a.m. so I can do my foot stretches to alleviate plantar fasciitis pain. Then the core strengthening stretches - some crunches, lower back stretches, upper back stretches, neck stretches. Good thing I went through my cadre of knee exercises last night. A quick shower, then some fresh kinesiotape on my right foot, cover it up with a ski sock. Grab some breakfast before suiting up.

Ahh, the underlayer of warmth. Despite being the dead of winter, it's not going to be very cold today in the San Gabriel Mountains of California. So I pass over the heavyweight long johns and opt for some thin silk thermals. My husband grabs the lower cuff of the thermal as I drag a neoprene knee support into place on my left leg. Then, to support my bad right knee, the thick black neoprene knee brace with the metal support brackets. Memories...it was a gorgeous day at Mammoth Mountain when - pop! I heard it! - I sprained my ligament going down Dave's Run. Arthroscopy, then nine months of physical therapy, followed by 30+ years of knee exercises. As I’m never sure if those quads are strong enough, that metal-edged brace lends mental as well as physical support.

After driving to the resort and parking, I do a few quick stretching exercises near the car. I grab my skis and poles and start the slow walk to the lift. But guess what? All is different on the ski slope. When you ski, you glide. Not raising and lowering your sore plantar fasciitis foot, maintaining a healthy forward bend courtesy of that ski boot. And gliding, not jarring that titanium hip. Smooth and almost pain-free. Unless you hop some moguls. Which I try not to do, but that's so much fun...that will be one extra pain pill. And if you take steep runs. That's more crouching and up and down movements. That will be one extra pain pill.

Older skiers have a lifetime of experiences on the slopes. Share the chair with someone you know, and reminisce about places you've skied together. Share a chair with another single and compare stories. Share a chair with young snowboarders and smile. If they don't have earbuds in, maybe they'll look at your weird equipment and ask you something. But when you're on a chair, never talk about your aches and pains. No one wants to hear it. You didn't really want to read about them either, but maybe you're starting with one of these maladies and are interested in seeing what you can do. Keep moving, you can ski.

Today I skied with my oldest son. The snow was a few days old but not icy, there were no rocky patches. The sky was crystal blue, the weather almost 60 degrees, a typical Southern California winter day. Yes, I did the steeper run with the soft snowy moguls. Twice. Because the conditions were perfect.

Back on the near-flat beginner area, I did a tidy line of tight turns, passing the mob of ski instructors waiting for their students. One pointed my way and a couple others turned to look. Is it because I have my straight Rossignol 170s, and those boards are clacking because my legs are tucked together? You can't do that with curved skis. I've got my favorite old skis today because they're lighter to carry. I have some newer shapes skis, and they’re taking some getting used to, they’ll keep me going. The instructors looked. Maybe they're laughing, saying, 'look at that old equipment!' Maybe they’re jealous.

Aches and pains, grey streaks in the hair, younger people on the mountain responding to your older gear, your older skiing style, your older figure. Age happens. But be calm and ski on, because that is what we do. We have to do it. Echoing John Muir – the snow-covered mountains are calling, and I must go. And I will ski, as long as I can.