Holiday season brings back family memories

Warning: The following contains a rather heartwarming family story that will send the Scrooges scurrying for cover.

What can I say? The holidays always get to me and I can’t think of a better time to mix families and skiing than during the Christmas Holiday.

My parents started me on skis before I can remember. I have a picture of me in my one-piece pajamas standing on little wooden skis next to my playpen in the living room. Apparently, I was 4 when I actually started on the snow. I can’t thank them enough.

For one thing, it’s a lot easier to learn when you’re only 3 feet from the ground. But mostly, my fondest memories with my family are of our ski trips.

I grew up on the East Coast and I was lucky enough that my parents took my sister and me to Colorado annually. They would dump me in ski school for the week saying, “It’s for your own good.” In other words, “Hey, it’s our vacation, too, and until you can hang with us, well, it’s ski school for you.”

OK, so I carried a lot of resentment for a few years, but I’m thanking them now for my good habits.

When we “graduated” from the ski school and could keep up with the parents, they took us all over the mountain. My dad would scoot in and out of the trees with us and we’d spend time at the jumps taking pictures and seeing who could get the biggest air.

My mom would make these pretty turns, always more focused on her form than her speed. My dad worked to rid me of my bomber-who-needs-a-turn attitude. He’d be ahead of me yelling, “Gerbs, stay in my tracks!” I still didn’t get it. Why make all those short, quick turns when straight is the fastest way?

When my sister and I entered our teens, we were given the choice of the beach or the slopes for our vacation. No contest there – we chose the slopes every year.

The trips came to an end when I graduated from high school and I actually had to pay for skiing, which meant I rarely skied. My senior year in college arrived in no time and my father suggested I move to Aspen, Colo.

I know most fathers would gasp at the idea after paying for four years of college, but he’s a smart man and had ulterior motives: He’d have to go visit his daughter from time to time.

When my dad arrived for his first visit, I couldn’t wait to show him how much I’d improved. I took him to my favorite run on Ajax, Back of Bell. I got to the bottom of the run and this time I had to turn around to find my dad. He got to the bottom and said, “Gerbs, you gotta take it easy on your old man.”

I sort of felt bad for perhaps two minutes. But after all those years of him kicking my butt, I was happy to return the favor.

Now I live in North Idaho. My life still revolves around skiing, and my parents continue to find every excuse to visit me so they can ski, too.

Last Christmas, I took my stepdaughter Catherine skiing. As we headed down The Great Divide, I turned and shouted over my shoulder, “Catherine, stay in my tracks!”

As for your holiday weekend, I certainly wish the best of snowy conditions so you and your family can get out and make some memories.

The snow level is dropping, so it’s looking favorable. Larry Schick, the Imperial Grand Pooh-bah of Powder, has updated his Powderwatch and tells us that the neutral El Nino/La Nina is leaning toward a weak La Nina, meaning snow is on its way.

Here’s to a White Christmas.