[chaz longue]

I grew up skiing in VT, back when there were literally dozens of little town and community ski resorts. I learned to ski on the T-bar at Toll House at Stowe. I skied as a kid, raced in school (skied 4 events) and was a ski instructor for 18 years. I cross-country ski, and I alpine ski. I've even been known to telemark, and I'm learning to Snowboard.

I finally stopped teaching formally, although I take friends skiing and offer some coaching and pointers. Often what I offer is simply a way to ski with less effort and more joy. Technique is essential, but so's learning to stop and smell the flowers - or should I say, the hot chocolate...

When I was a kid, skiing was about the thrills. Now I find a beautiful view thrilling and I find myself running fewer gates and taking more photographs. There's nothing more rewarding than taking someone skiing who's never been before and showing him/her how to make a beautiful graceful round turn - at walking speed, without any falling and no apprehension or fear. I love that uncontrolled laugh that follows the discovery of that new sensation. I love showing beginners new easy trails they can ski, that they thought they'd never ski on. I love showing novice skiers the view from the first chair lift. I love overhearing "hey - I learned to ski today!" in the lunch line.

I love that there's a ski area nearby which believes that no child in Vermont should not ski for lack of skis or money.

Do you love to ski?

[Adream]

Originally Posted by chaz longue

I grew up skiing in VT, back when there were literally dozens of little town and community ski resorts. I learned to ski on the T-bar at Toll House at Stowe.
Do you love to ski?

What a beautiful description of the joys of skiing! I know the Toll House at Stowe - our "home away from home" is just down the Mountain Road a bit. Our DS likes to snowboard up there. Sometimes, we like to sit in the Fireside Tavern while he snowboards!
I love to X-country ski. I've tried downhill, but stopping seems to be an issue for me. I'll continue to try, but for now - Xcountry skiing on the Stowe Rec path is wonderful. We like snowshoeing too, and have trekked the Catamount trails, and 3 miles up the trails at Von Trapps to the little cabin.

[arel]

I have never learned to ski. I have always wanted to. There's really no place to ski in New York City and I have not researched nearby places to learn. One of my plans, when/if I move to Vermont is to learn to ski. Another plan is to buy a Subaru.

[Boycey]

I've never skied in Vermont before (I live in England) but skiing is one of my favourite things in the world. We try to go to the Alps once or twice every year and i love every minute of it. I've recently got into skiboarding too (those little skis with no poles, commonly and mistakenly known as 'snowblades') and that's added a whole new dimension to it.

I just love the different feelings and emotions skiing conjours up inside you. You can be relaxed and calm cruising down a gentle blue with the sun out and beautiful scenery for as far as the eye can see but you can also be tearing down a steep red or black, adrenaline pumping, miles up the mountain in a blizzard. One of my earliest memories is that creaking sound you hear when you push a ski slowly over flattened snow, i still love hearing it now.

When i finish high school and leave home i'd love to live somewhere i can ski regularly. Vermont looks beautiful (i've been looking at Killington and Stowe in particular) but so does Colorado with the Rockies stretching up into the clouds. Who knows where i'll end up? But i do know one thing, learning to ski was the best thing my parents ever made me do and i love each and every minute i'm up on that mountainside.

Boycey

[chaz longue]

Skied yesterday...good mid Winter conditions. And tomorrow it'll be a powder day again.

Spring skiing is the best - The snow is soft, the cover is good, there's seldom a crowd, and it's warm. And when I drive back to Burlington late in the Spring skiing season, there's green grass and it's really warm. Often I'll wear shorts on the drive.

The scenery is astounding. The colours in the mountains and the fields in between the slopes and the lake are just brilliant, and amazingly varied.

After instructing for 18 years or so, these days I rarely begin to ski until March. The later the better in fact...

[NYtoVT]

You should be selling houses

[skivino]

I too love to ski! My husband and I went skiing for our honeymoon 10 years ago to Steamboat Springs, CO. I just went to Telluride with my girlfriend and WOW what an awesome mountain that is!! Yeeha the whole time. We started our 3 children skiing when they all were about 3 1/2 years old and now they are 14, 8 and 7. We all love it, it's such a wonderful family sport. We were just in Vermont 2 weeks ago (when it was -12 !) but still skiied the whole week...the kids were troopers, never complained, we took lots of warm up breaks but at least we got to ski the awesome conditions.
Our 3 year goal plan is to move to Burlington, so we have the mountains nearby every weekend. (My husband has a well paid job where we can live anywhere - well near an airport- and we both love winter, skiing and Vermont).

Another thing to add is the friendliness of skiiers, such a wonderful happy (who wouldn't be after a day on the slopes!) group of people.

Thanks for starting this post on "The Joy of Skiing!!" Nothing better...

[chaz longue]

Glorious Spring skiing today:

Started out overcast, ended up brilliantly sunny and soft..."hero snow" we call it. Sunny and white and dripping warm in the foreground, bits of green and Lake Champlain in the distance. Finally figured out the new skis and got them turning the way the engineers designed them to - just in time to have to leave early ...aaarrrggg.

Going to Jay Peak next weekend.

I've got to make more of an effort to go this next month. As friends have noted above - Spring skiing is the best!

David

[chaz longue]

Jay Peak was terrific. Huge long views of all the surrounding lakes, mountains and farmland. Two days with excellent visibility and wonderful skiing.

Last Sunday, (4/22/07) I took a day and skied at Stowe. Once again I got lucky with the weather and had a very memorable day. Sunny, long views, loads and loads of soft snow. Too warm though really. 62f at the base of the Mountain Quad at 11AM. But that's not much of a complain really. I always try to get at least a day in at Stowe every Spring. I skied The National, Liftline and Nosedive. Then a few of the trails formerly served by the old T-bar: Hayride, and so on. I was going to ski Goat or Star, but Star was closed and I got to skiing Nosedive, crossed over to the Gondola and missed my chance to ski Goat.

I had lunch at the deck on The Octagon, then went and just sat behind The Stone Hut for a few minutes and ate an orange and took in the scenery.

I don't believe there's anyplace more scenic in VT than Stowe or Sugarbush or Jay on an April day. Unless perhaps it's another ski area...

Sunday the 29th is the last day at Stowe for the year I believe. Sniffle...

David

[chaz longue]

I thought that since snow is on the horizon, and our first skiing related question just appeared for the season...I'd bring this thread up.

Think Snow!

David