Wanted to introduce myself after finally joining instead of lurking.. I started skiing at age 7 in Red River N.M. where my gramps had a small cabin. My family would spend Thanksgiving crawling around on our knee's picking up pecans, we'd fill multiple feed bags each and then sell them for our ski money each year for a Christmas trip. He sold the cabin just as we moved to the TX Panhandle and as I entered high school, my parents got a small place near Angel Fire and we'd make that 5 hour drive every Friday night, pull in late, bust the snow in our suburban and be ready to ski all weekend.
After spending the first year on bought rentals with my own boots from picking up more pecans than usual to buy them, I found the best sporting good store with ski's in Amarillo and worked there for discounts. I was able to buy a new pair of K2's that my favorite skier Glen Plake was wearing on the big poster at work. Unfortunately, I had a car wreck in October of '90 and I never got to use those ski's! I sold them to a friend that loved to ski... almost as much as me.
The wreck paralyzed me and at the time there wasn't the internet, there wasn't YouTube to know what was available and doable. There was move back near family in small town Oklahoma. Jump ahead through the years of life and I finally started skiing again with lessons on a mono ski in 2019... then COVID hit and I only got in 15 lessons over 3 years and was still not able to ski independently like I wanted.
I was able to get a grant for my own sit ski and then last year at this time I was hired to help run an adaptive ski school. This past season I honestly don't remember how many days I got to ski after our snow sports director took me out on Christmas day and for possibly the best present in my life, had me independent before lunch. I just simply lost count in the bliss of it all. I go out on lessons, which helps me learn faster and more, I'm working towards getting a PSIA certification, and I have the most amazing volunteers that teach and students/athletes that love to ski. I was even lucky to connect with a local filmmaker for a short video that made it onto outside.com website... Skiing has brought back a joy in my life I try to share with everyone I can.
Oh yea, and I'm known for sending out long emails to our whole organization... You can find me skiing on the front range at Eldora and usually in a bright green and blue Ignite Adaptive Sports jacket.
After spending the first year on bought rentals with my own boots from picking up more pecans than usual to buy them, I found the best sporting good store with ski's in Amarillo and worked there for discounts. I was able to buy a new pair of K2's that my favorite skier Glen Plake was wearing on the big poster at work. Unfortunately, I had a car wreck in October of '90 and I never got to use those ski's! I sold them to a friend that loved to ski... almost as much as me.
The wreck paralyzed me and at the time there wasn't the internet, there wasn't YouTube to know what was available and doable. There was move back near family in small town Oklahoma. Jump ahead through the years of life and I finally started skiing again with lessons on a mono ski in 2019... then COVID hit and I only got in 15 lessons over 3 years and was still not able to ski independently like I wanted.
I was able to get a grant for my own sit ski and then last year at this time I was hired to help run an adaptive ski school. This past season I honestly don't remember how many days I got to ski after our snow sports director took me out on Christmas day and for possibly the best present in my life, had me independent before lunch. I just simply lost count in the bliss of it all. I go out on lessons, which helps me learn faster and more, I'm working towards getting a PSIA certification, and I have the most amazing volunteers that teach and students/athletes that love to ski. I was even lucky to connect with a local filmmaker for a short video that made it onto outside.com website... Skiing has brought back a joy in my life I try to share with everyone I can.
Oh yea, and I'm known for sending out long emails to our whole organization... You can find me skiing on the front range at Eldora and usually in a bright green and blue Ignite Adaptive Sports jacket.