From the Ski for Light Bulletin - Spring 2012
Compiled By Peter Slatin
Editor's Note: I asked SFL 2012 attendees to send in brief comments about their week on the trails at Soldier Hollow. You obliged with some great stories and observations. Here goes:
As first time guides at SFL, Karin Grossman and I want to thank everyone for making us feel so welcome. It was an entirely new way for us to share our love for cross-country skiing and to give back to the world of skiing, which has given so much to us. We made a lot of new friends. Our days were filled with new experiences that made us feel good. We went to bed each night tired and happy. It is entirely true that the giver receives and the receiver gives. We returned home feeling like we received more then we gave. We hope to see you again. Happy trails to everyone.
I had a marvelous time at SFL and having my skier CARA BARNES (who is absolutely fabulous) come in second in her age group on race day was very exciting and rewarding. This was my first time entering a cross-country ski race. What I noticed most about this group is that everyone is so positive and all have a great sense of humor, which I find essential in my life. I thank you all for your hard work in getting this event organized. It takes a Village.
My favorite time during SFL was skiing : the tracks were just fine (especially in the morning) ; the organization was just perfect for the race rally, even though I sometimes had a tough time (after 18 years without practicing). It was a terrific time. I'm very grateful to the guides, who spend their time and share their knowledge with us. I enjoyed all of the evening activities, but my favorite was the "Dueling Pianos." I liked what they played, the dancing, the atmosphere... Thank you to all the volunteers who involve themselves so much to make a wonderful week.
I was introduced to guiding and to Ski For Light in 2009 by my young friend Theresa Fancher, a former US Alpine Team Paralympian. After her unexpected death in 2010, I dedicated my 2011 ski season to guiding others and attended my first SFL International in Granby, Colorado. That SFL was such an uplifting experience that I committed to returning to the 2012 SFL in Provo/Soldier Hollow. What I quickly discovered in Provo was that I had returned, not just as a guide, but as a member of a new family. A family of familiar faces, voices, and personalities. A family that grew in 2012, as I reconnected with skiers and guides I had met in Colorado and embraced new skiers, guides, and worker bees in Utah. The 2012 SFL was another great experience and I look forward to seeing my new family in Michigan next year.
I went to SFL in a very hesitant mode. I had been watching the Soldier Hollow website for weeks and all they showed were 2-3 kilometers of trail open. What a great relief it was to see that at least 5 kilometers were open when I arrived on Saturday and skated the area. After having such a great ski on that man-made snow, I was re-energized about spending the week on the Soldier Hollow snow. The Marriott was a very comfortable place to stay. I really enjoyed meeting many more new people this year and getting to revisit people I met last year. The selection of Shanty Creek as next year's location also is a positive. Less time in a bus and more ski time! Hope to see you all next winter,
I had a fantastic week at Ski for Light, easily the best I've had this century or since I've been blind. I fell all over the place on the first day of skiing, but started tapping into the muscle memory of decades ago, and by Thursday relished the freedom of gliding along untethered to another person, cane or canine. I cannot capture in words that feeling, sort of like riding a bike for the first time without the reassuring yet constraining hand of a parent. What made it better though was sharing it with my sighted guide, Jeannette, who skied beside or behind me, describing the upcoming terrain, calling track changes and coaching me down the hills. Sometimes sharing such moments with another surpasses the actual physical accomplishment. Jeannette was a great guide who figured me out rather quickly. She adeptly knew when to nudge my competitive nature and when to rein me in a bit. After the second day of skiing, she inquired as to my goals for the week. I muttered some vague thoughts about improving my technique, going faster, and having fun. After pondering her question overnight and during yoga the next day, I flashed on the idea of covering 100 kilometers during the week. When I posed the goal to Jeannette, she quickly did the math and accepted the challenge. We started Wednesday with 28 km covered, and gobbled up 20, 25, and 20 km over the next three days. Thursday was probably our best overall day of skiing. The tracks were good, the snow cold and not slushy. We skied loop after loop, three before lunch and 2 more afterwards. The last loop of the day was our best with no falls, smooth transitions, and great double poling on the fast sections. After the race and lunch on Saturday, Jeanette and I skied a final leisurely loop with the trail to ourselves. We skied as near equals with her using our short hand terms and code to describe the terrain ahead. It was a great way to end the ski week and finish with 103+ kilometers beneath our skis for the six days.
I really appreciated the fine week in Utah. The skiing conditions were a bit iffy, but for the most part I had a great time. It's too bad that we didn't get natural snow, but what do you do? You take what you get. I thought the hotel was absolutely awesome. The people were great. The entire staff bent over backwards to make sure we had clean rooms and a place to relax after a hard day of skiing. On a personal note, I lost my luggage, or should I say that the Airlines lost my luggage. The hotel staff was very nice. They supplied me with what I needed until my luggage was brought to my door at 6:30 AM. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had lost luggage. I found out that morning that my next door neighbor from Norway lost his luggage. It was traced to Vietnam!
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