“What matches with hot pink ski pants?” my husband Greg asks.
“Everything and anything,” replies my 16-year old daughter. “There are no
ski fashion rules anymore. It’s not about matching; it’s about making your
own statement.”
My daughter insisted upon the hot pink ski pants last year, but now she
needs a new ski jacket to match (or not match - given the new style rules or
lack thereof).
My daughter continues, “Oh, btw, there are still rules for you and Dad. You
can’t wear fluorescent green or hot pink. OK?”
It’s that time of year. Our family of four gets in gear for the ensuing ski
season. Each family member prioritizes and picks their one new item
(necessity or nicety depending upon how much growth or wear and tear has
occurred since last winter).
For Greg and I, and our 17-year old son, it was all about the hardware this
year. Shiny new skis (that now come complete with bindings in an
all-inclusive package) were too tempting to pass up. We had the opportunity
to demo skis at
Stratton last February and the longing had not
subsided since. When we found last year’s models on sale, the prices were
not so scary and the purchases were made.
Our daughter, however, wanted a swanky new ski jacket, hence our shopping
excursion and fashion lesson.
This annual preparation for the alpine season is expensive, yes. It’s not
just an expenditure, its also enthusiasm and excitement which you can’t put
a price tag on. We have a whole procedure involving physical training, the
mental psyching up, and the logistics when we open our planners and plot how
often and where we can ski this season.
Our shared goal is to maximize our time on the mountains. You can imagine
the groans from our home as we discover the formal school dance is smack in
the middle of a three day winter weekend or a work obligation occurs during
Sunday River’s no-bib jib my daughter wants to be at.
So we all bend, since the time we spend on the mountains is most precious to
each of us. We have our various reasons for loving the sport of skiing. But
the bottom line is we share this passion and a common goal – to get out on
the slopes together. And a trinket or a new toy each year is part of the
build up before going on our first ski trip of the season.
My son loves the challenge of skiing, constantly tweaking his technique and
taking it to the next level. Especially since
teaching skiing last year, he
is all about mastering the mountain. So the choice of new skis was no
surprise.
For my husband, skiing provides an outdoor outlet, and escape from the work
and worry of day to day life. On the mountains he is surrounded by inspiring
scenery, experiencing the pull of gravity and the sensation of sliding. My
daughter, she loves looking good and feeling good on the slopes.
For me, it’s all of these things but mostly that skiing is the one sport
that the four of us share without hesitation. I love that we
can go to the
mountains together and have our unique experiences, make our own tracks and
therefore our own statement. But at the end of every satisfying ski day, we
have lived, learned, and loved it together. In that moment, on that
mountain, we share a deep appreciation of nature and of each other.
For whatever reason, this is our favorite season. The alpine adventures lay
ahead like an untouched flank of mountain blanketed in fresh snow. Now, if
we could just find that jacket to match the hot pink pants, or not.
