Notchview was beautiful yesterday with a fresh coating of fluffy snow. Skiing the trails after a fresh snow, while the branches are still covered, is like skiing in a winter photograph. Sometimes the muffled quiet that a fresh snow brings makes you feel like you're the only one out there. But, that is certainly not the case on a Sunday afternoon when Bill Koch skiers take over Notchview! There was a great turnout yesterday for our first real session on snow and everyone seemed excited to get out there and SKI!
I caught up with the Katahdin group at the beginning and end of the afternoon. This group is comprised of beginning skiers who are roughly 10 or 11 years old. Some of them got on skis for the first time ever yesterday. Some of them have a little bit more experience, but are benefiting from learning the basics of Nordic skiing. Things like, how to get up when you fall, or how to get your poles on properly with wrist straps tightened are a couple of examples of things this group covered. After making sure everyone's equipment was on properly they set out towards Circuit Trail. I was impressed to see how well they chugged along!
I saw the Katahdins again on the Kinder Loop. They were smiling and laughing as they made their way through the woods. Coach Jennie Wolf had her group skiing the short trail without poles, and the kids did great! It looked like lots of good progress was made in getting them comfortable and confident on their skis!
The wind was bitterly cold and the temperature was dropping, but the kids didn't seem to mind. They came into the lodge at the end of their ski time with rosy pink cheeks, cold fingers, and smiles on their faces. On our way home I heard both of my skiers say, "I had fun!" and "I love skiing!" That's what it's all about.
