Fresh Tracks

When I was seven, I told my mother that I wanted to learn how to ski.

Like most immigrants new to the country, my mother had never gone skiing before in her entire life and, at the age of 33, didn't feel compelled to start learning anytime soon. However, she was adamant in her desire to expose me and my brother to everything this country had to offer.

After doing some research, my mom found these discount group tours that would take us to the mountain and provide ski lessons. I remember how she'd wake up before sunrise in order to pack breakfast, lunch and snacks. Then, the three of us would get into this giant bus with a bunch of strangers and drive for several hours to the mountain. While I was in ski school, she would sit inside the lodge all day with a book and my little brother by her side.

Those early bus trips fostered my deep-seated love for skiing. Since then, I've been fortunate enough to ski at more than 50 different mountains in four different countries. I love it.

For a city boy like me, there are very few things in life more enjoyable than waking up early, putting on my ipod, and skiing by myself in the great outdoors. I love the peace and quiet. I love the solitude. I love the thrill of challenging yourself to overcome your fears. And besides, what's more fun than writing your name in pee on top of a secluded mountain?

Ever since the Peanut was born, I've been waiting to get her up on skis.

In fact, ever since she could speak, I've been working on getting her excited about skiing. If she asked me whether skiing was fun, I'd always reply, "Well, do you like chocolate cake? Ice cream? Penguins at the zoo? Staying up past your bedtime? Skiing is just like all that stuff...but even better!"

So, after waiting all season to find the right weekend, I finally decided that I was going to take Peanut skiing for the first time this past Sunday. Although at 3.5 years of age, she's still a little too young, I wanted her to get in a couple of days skiing this season so she could start getting really excited about it.

Fast forward to Sunday morning.

The night before, BossLady and I had gone to a friend's dinner party for his 35th birthday. It was an intimate gathering with a few close friends. However, my buddy counts among his close friends Sting, P.Diddy, Josh Hartnett, Dean Winters, and several other recognizable names. The dinner was totally bizarre and I think I ended up drinking half a bottle of vodka. I vaguely remember an extremely drunken conversation with P.Diddy, where I ended up giving him a man-hug and saying, "keep doing what you're doing, man."  I'm lucky his bodyguard didn't beat the crap out of me for being such an idiot. Oh well.

Needless to say, I woke up early Sunday morning with a massive hangover. The last thing I wanted to do was get in the car, drive two hours, and give the Peanut ski lessons. All I wanted to do was die a slow death or eat bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwiches all day in front of the television.

But then suddenly I got the image in my head of my mother waking up before dawn so that her oldest son could learn how to ski. She didn't even like skiing and was doing everything possible to allow me to learn.

How could I not do the same for my own daughter? Selfish bastard!

I popped out of bed, swallowed about 10 Advils, and then jumped in the car with the Peanut. Three hours later, she was up on skis for the first time in her life. She was so tiny compared to all the other kids. And although there was one occasion where she had a mini-meltdown, she eventually started having a great time and was soon tearing down the mountain yelling "Yippee!"

She loved riding on the "magic carpet."

And hitting her friend C on the head while wearing helmets.

When we got home, she was so excited about having gone skiing that she wouldn't shut up about it. First, she talked BossLady's ear off over dinner. Then, she demanded on calling my brother and my parents to tell them that she "went skiing for the first time by her big-girl self." She even wanted to call all her teachers and friends at home to tell them about it.

Honestly, I don't know who was more excited: me or her. It was so amazingly cool to see my daughter having so much fun skiing for the first time. I felt like I'd been waiting for this moment forever and it only served to remind me about how many things I want her to experience during the course of her lifetime.

As the old bumper sticker says, "Life is short. Carpe Skiem."

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What activity are you dying to do with your kid? Now or when they get older? And for parents of older kids, did you always find your children receptive to sharing some of your interests? Or were they like, "Pshaw, old man. Camping is for losers."

 

Comments

[Childsplayx2]

Here's a story you'll enjoy...

One of my best days ever was going to a ball game at Shea on my 23rd birthday. The Mets happened to be playing the Giants (my hometown team) and I bought the best seats I could afford. I ended up sitting next to a seven-year-old boy and his mom. I was keeping score and I could see he was interested. So I started teaching him how to keep score and we followed all nine innings together. It was a great day and at the end of the game the mother silently thanked me and I realized he didn't have a father.

I have never been able to forget that day and I have so looked forward to teaching my son and daughter about baseball and how to keep score while eating so much ball park food we'll be sick afterwards.

I can't wait.

[misshll]

you are truly a wonderful father. keep it up =)

[Trish]

We've been taking our two girls skiing every winter for the last few years. This year we're thinking of going to New Zealand. It's SO much fun skiing with your kids (ours are 7 & 9).

Both the girls started horse riding lessons when they turned 6, so I've started taking lessons too. I hope that when they're teenagers and they hate me at least they'll let me come riding with them.

[neal]

You've skiied 50 mountains in 4 different countries? I'm more jealous than you could ever imagine. That's awesome.

[Jrock]

MD - you rock! The peanut is adorable in her helmet and skis. I love seeing all the little kids all bundled up! Great time to teach her skiing, she doesn't have nearly as far to fall as us adults (just started skiing this year, after a great ski trip two years ago).

It's great when you share some bits about your parents too.

[Janet F.]

I can't believe you drove 3 hours with a hangover to take your 3 y.o daughter skiing. I'm impressed. You're a great dad. "Keep doing what you're doing, man!"

[d]

Lovely post.Says a lot about how Parenting Best practices are passed down from one generation to the next. Ever since my son was little I'd wanted to take him scuba diving. He's almost 18 now and has done most things his dad wanted him to, like golf and tennis, but we never took that scuba diving holiday in the Maldives with one thing and another.Have to do it before he goes off to college!

[Holmes]

That is beautiful. Sharing stuff with our kids has gotta be one of the greatest rewards of this whole parenting gig. Definitely makes up for the sleepless nights and all the snot.

I live in Texas, but a few years ago I developed a love for snowboarding. Needless to say, I don't get to do it much, but I remember coming back from my first trip, long before I even had kids, and I knew it was the kind of thing I wanted to take my kid to do.

[Gene Floyd]

For me it was always bicycling. When my ex left, she took the car, so for the next couple of years the kids (5, 3, and 1) and I rode our bikes everywhere. Fast-forward 17 years and now we're getting ready to leave in two months to ride across this country of ours...together. We'll be in NYC, maybe we'll get to meet.

...The idea behind our Off-Piste Combination Course is to work on both your own Performance Off-Piste as well as seeking out some great routes and off piste ventures in the selected resort that the course is run in