by Bernard Renaud

Created on: September 17, 2009   Last Updated: January 03, 2010

          I got my first pair of skis for Christmas when I was young and it would not be long before I would be walking down the street towards the hill closest  to my home.

         For a moment I stood at the atop of this hill looking down towards the bottom and perhaps might be to this very day still standing there at the top of this hill looking down if not for my older brother's comments concerning my fondness for the three metre diving board."When you are young, he said you  have little fear(close enough)" and so with the courage of youth I turned my red skis towards the bottom and off I was down this hill dotted with trees and shrubby. 

        I don't remember much this first experience, all three minutes were and remain somewhat of a blur.What I do remember is being upright for all of these three minutes and remaining upright when it was all over.A remarkable moment! At that moment or very shortly thereafter another recreational skier was born.

       Soon I would be on the the early morning bus heading for my favorite ski hill,sitting in front of the open fire place getting ready to go skiing. My first ski outfit was a little something I put together myself. After a few hours of skiing andit would be time to go back to the lodge where I would sit in front of the fire place to warm myself up, the woolen socks I was using for gloves (no, I am not kidding) and to place my white summer coat ,upright,on the table so it would thaw out in front of the warm fire. I really appreciated that fire place. Of course now I have a ski out fit with suspenders,boots that end somewhere around my knee and have eaten steak (with a baked potato) at the Wobbly Barn.

       I like to ski at night when the lift lines are short and you can see,from the top of some mountains(yes I finally graduated to mountains) the city lights.Like many recreational skiers I skied the groomed trails.But after awhile I got bored of skiing on these groomed trails and began to ski in the woods,one tree at a time. I like skiing in the woods and decided one late afternoon to combine this fondness for skiing in the woods with my fondness for skiing at night,with only the lights along the trails to guide you on you're way.There is however one small problem with skiing in the woods late into the dusk.... it's hard to see those low lying branches.

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