Tips for Late (In Years) Arrivers

I'm probably not your typical skier or ski site blogger for that matter. I grew up surrounded by corn fields. I'm more than a little embarrassed to admit that one of my favorite movies is Field of Dreams. I don't really like baseball or Kevin Costner all that much, but we gravitate to that which we know...or want to know.

The deal is I somehow ended up on east coast near Washington, DC where we somehow ended up being able to afford a mountain cabin in Canaan Valley, WV in the Allegheny Mountains. With two alpine resorts, and one Nordic ski venue within minutes of our house, I was kinda obligated to learn to ski. Exceptin' how I was already 49 years old, female, and of the stockier persuasion. This should be sufficient disincentive, but not for me. First off, I'm married to an expert telemark skier. Second off, I hate being left behind. But at 49, I kept my goals modest. As is true with most female skiers, I wanted to ski in control and with grace. I was not interested in speed or gettin' air (I was decidedly anti-air).

My goal for Year One was to flawlessly ski our local 2 mile green from top to bottom. I exceeded that even having lost several weeks to a knee injury that was slow to heal. Goals should be attainable.

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