Tales from a Rookie

There is a first time for everything. But when it comes to learning to ski, you would prefer that your first time was around age five when you were a mere two to three feet from the ground and absolutely fearless.

Some of us, however, aren’t so lucky and hail from the flat, snow-free state of Texas, moving to Sun Valley not for ski season, but for trail running and the small town perks. That someone is me, a newbie to the winter sport and outrageously terrified of all snowy hills including Dollar mountain.

But last winter, when I realized my two-week vacation would turn into an indefinite hiatus from life in the big city, I decided maybe I should take up skiing. So, I dragged my father, a newbie in his fifties to Dollar Mountain and we were beginners together. As a seasoned skier, in my second season, here are the tips I have for you:

Don’t Go Big

Or, you will go home. My first winter here, my best friend, a seasoned skier from Europe took me to the top of Baldy. I feigned minimal skiing skills (enough to get down College without a broken bone) until we reached the top and I froze with fear. Two and a half hours later, we hit Lower River Run with me screaming, “I hate you!” and she mooing like a cow and calling me “le vache” (what the French call old slow skiers in the Alps). Needless to say, we went snowshoeing and sledding for the rest of her vacation and she hasn’t been back.

Start Little

Poverty Flats on Dollar Mountain, my dad’s personal favorite, is the place to begin your ski career. Sure, you’ll have to wait on the magic carpet with a bunch of five year olds who can kick your butt, but at least no one else your age is there to watch you blunder and fall on a hill with less percentage grade than your driveway.

Get Schooled

Don’t be a baby or a cheapskate; it’s your life we’re talking about here. Enroll in ski school, preferably with another not so skilled partner in tow and learn the ropes. Dollar Mountain offers the best group classes for beginners. You’ll come away feeing well learned and stoked. To hone your skills, pay up for a private lesson and sooner than later you’ll be hot to trot.

Pace Yourself

Dollar can get boring -- and a bit humiliating. But Baldy’s green runs aren’t like other mountains’ greens; they are way harder. So get to know Dollar. Get to love it. Get to love riding the lifts with the little people. Get to be king or queen on the mountain.

Reward Yourself

The only way my father and I ever got through a day on the slopes was the promise of grilled cheese and tomato soup by the fire with an ice-cold beer or two. If the going was really rough, we chose to hit up Grumpy’s, order a schooner and a basket of fries each. Makes all that hard work pay off, at least temporarily.

It is a long road to travel, but it is well worth it to learn to ski. Once you learn, you too will be psyched for winter season, powder days, retro onsies from the Goldmine and all the après ski your heart desires and your liver can handle. So pump up your ego, bust a move and get on the slopes.

 

By Della Sentilles