Ok folks...finally some ski pics of Aspen. The following are a few pics of our first day out. So far I've been out skiing 20 days. Lunch in the sun!!!! Ok...maybe a litte aggressive but we took a cat ride up to the bottom of Highland Bowl. We then hiked along a ridge for an hour. It was a little hairy as you needed to hold onto a rope to ensure you didn't plummet down one side. We didn't hike the whole way up and dropped into the bowl early. Very steep and tons of fun. Even the traverse out was hairy as it was only two skis wide with a significant cliff to your right. When we get tons of snow this will be the place to be. Our first of many hot tub visits. Testing out the fireplace. My first day with the Challenge Aspen group. They give me a jacket to use when I work. This is the most amazing experience and I'm learning a ton. My first day out I shadowed and experienced guide. Here we are actually tethering someone with cognitive disabilities. She can stand up ski but needs help with speed control and direction. This day I was out with an advanced mono skier. Basically it turned into a free ski day for me. However, he helped me understand the needs of mono skiers and how I can be as effective as possible in my roll as a guide and buddy. The next day I actually went out in a mono ski to see what it was like. I spend half a day in one and the experience with make me a better guide. This was the most amazing day. I went out with a PSIA adaptive certified instructor who has been skiing with Max on his bi-ski for seven years. Max is quadriplegic but loves to be out on the mountain. Doug is his guide and the bi-ski is really an extension of him. Max likes to go in the half pipe and catch big air. I couldn't believe what they were doing...even the snowboarders in the half pipe were cheering.
I later took out the bi-ski (empty) to see what it was like to manuever. Lets just say I'll need much more practice before I'm taking a participant into the half pipe. A great pic of Snowmass...which is one of the four Aspen owned mountains. Our first night out on the town...which is only half a block down the street.
Stay tuned...more pics to come. |
