Visit to Vermont

30 Jan - 1 Feb 2009

This was my first time to do skiing. In fact, this was only a trial - to try to do skiing! Can't imagine this virgin skiing experience was taken to as far as 8-hours drive into the next country, Vermont in USA, and as long as a 3-days chalet stay in a place covered with knee-high snow, and what you can do is to ski !!!


Look at those ski trails, exciting for the real ski fanatics! But intimitating for beginners like me!


These are the chalets by the slope sides!


Chair lifts to bring you up the slopes and you can breeze through the snow...


This is the cable car that will bring you all the way to the top of the mountain, where the more advanced trails are located. They called it the black diamond trails, which also meant steeper, trickier slopes.


People 'parked' their skis and snowboard and went to the cafeteria for food and beer.



It was actually a mass ski trip event professionally organized by a hubby-wife organization, and they specialized in organizing ski events. There were more than 20 buses leaving from Toronto to Vermont on Thursday night. The overnight bus trip brought us to Vermont in the morning, just in time for the ski pass to kick in, and people can go skiing immediately upon arrival. Our bus got stuck on the slopes to the chalets, because of the snow and the weight of all of us on the bus! I went with 2 other friends (who are avid snow-boarding fans), and we shared a chalet.

I did the beginner's lessons, learning how to use the equipment, did little bunny slopes, treading the skis crumpsily, falling down, and keeping myself warm etc. In fact, snow-boarding seems to be more popular among the people who went. Only a handful did skiing. And I seems to be the only one doing skiing, some more being the only one from the group to be taking beginner lessons.

Overall, I think I don't like skiing. Maybe because I am not good at it. Maybe I just need to practice more to make me like it. Anyway, it is a gear-intensive sport, you need to have the right attire (waterproof jacket, pants, warmers, goggles, gloves, helmet etc...the list goes on), also the equipment is not cheap (those skis, boots and stuffs are expensive), plus you will need to spend lots of time dressing up warmly and properly for it. Plus the list can go on and on...

I think I spent more energy trying to tread through those knee-high soft snow in the heavy uncomfortable boots, and hauling those skis and poles and boots, than I actually SKI ! Well, being trapped in a mountaineous place with only snow, and no other entertainment, the only thing I can do is ski, surf internet, carry on my filmfest work, and also watch a lot of crap tv shows! :)

Good for me, I did skiing, wow! And I came back alive in one piece, only little bruises on my legs, caused by those damn boots! Great job! :)