I still enjoy downhill skiing in New England in the winter even at my advanced age! I like to take easy trails and stop from time to time and look at the frozen lake, the mountains, the village below, whatever that particular ski slope has to offer. I actually want the run to last a while.

I learned to ski as a high school student, way too late to have developed much of an expert form. My daughter skied from the time she was in first grade as did her daughters. They all put grandpa to shame on the difficult trails! Once each youngster began to take the chairlift I took her into the ski shop and bought a helmet on sale.

I bought my first pair of skis and boots my senior year in high school and kept them for twenty years or so. Near the end of that first pair’s life, I was riding up in a double chair lift with a teenager who looked over at my double leather boots and asked, “Say, is that something new?”

My next pair were more high tech, at least for that time. The boots were plastic of some sort and the skis were fiberglass. Two years ago, skiing with family at Loon Mountain, the toe of one of my boots actually broke right off while I was underway. Old guys should not have to get to the bottom of the mountain on one ski! It must have been a sight to behold.

My daughter helped me select my current boots and skis. These are parabolic or shaped skis. They are shorter in length and bigger at both ends. My boots sit high in the biddings. Turning on icy slopes is a breeze. I really like these skis.

And it’s important that I proceed cautiously. Because if I fall down I will have to wait for spring to get up!

Here are some books you might enjoy on skiing.