Sunday, January 16, 2011

Smugg's U; Snow Sport University, Smuggler's Notch; Jeffersonville, VT




















I've spent almost thirty years in schools as a student, teacher and now principal.  But the best school I ever attended was ski school.  On my week-long forays to Colorado with my dad, I got mornings with kids my age learning the mountain and moves, and afternoons with dad showing off.  I loved Steamboat's Ski School.  One year, my instructor (who was on telemark skis) broke a binding.  Did he blink?  No.  He hit the moguls with one tele ski all the way down.  I still aspire to his greatness.


It was hard to give up time with the boys and send them to ski school.  I can teach them a lot of things, but I remembered how fun ski school was, so we gave it a shot.  Smugg's Snow Sport University is serious business.   We dropped Lij at Treasures for their Little Rascals program. The wonderful staff there let him play hard inside and hit the slopes hard on the outside.  He ran in there without so much as a "goodbye" on day two.  He came back today jabbering about pizza slices and french fries, and he wasn't talkin' lunch.  Not bad for still two.


Sydney spent the day at their Discovery Dynamos and I couldn't get him out of there.  I thought I'd check-in at lunch and see if he wanted to ski with his old man for a bit.  "I'm going back out dad!" he swatted in passing as I sat and waited for him like the goofy kid on prom night.  His teacher kindly referred to him as "my assistant instructor."  Four times up the lift, and not a frown in sight.  I don't know what magic pudding they feed 'em at lunch here at Smugg's, but it sure does work.








0 comments: