My
morning lesson was with Ray Kenney -- a very pleasant man from Richmond,
VA. Westin teamed with me (I think the two of us combined weighed about
the same as Ray). MGen Kelley (USMC) walked through and made sure each
of the participants was being treated well. Being a fellow Marine, Ray
was pleased to spend some time with him. MGen Kelley even worked as
a boot loader at the Fanny Hill lift.
The
lift operators at Snowmass are the best! They gladly helped us load
up on the chairlift and save our backs. It made going up the lift an
easy experience!
On
top of the Coney Glade lift, there is a cookie stand. Ray had us tape
the outriggers to his hand (note the red duct tape), so I had to pop
and entire cookie into his mouth. I think they were Girl Scout cookies.
Ray, newly energized, took
us down the mountain. He made turns very well and we couldn't wipe the
smile off his face -- but we didn't try too hard since we both were
smiling, too. Despite a couple of falls, we had a great time carving
the snow and soaking up the sun.
Linda
and Elaine were two of the lovely ladies gracing the slopes with us.
This is the top of the Fanny Hill lift....first lift of the day and
the sun was already shining! What a great day.
My
afternoon lesson with Matt was real kick. I solo'd the lesson. Matt
skied the Mogul Master Two -- Dual Ski (bi-ski). Skied it like he was
born in the seat! The beginning of the runs required me to help with
speed control and limit tail wash (pretty techie, huh?) so I opted for
a single tether on this hi-performance bi-ski. We skied the steeps and
bumps all the way down. 
The end of the day had us looking for shade. We shared our stories with our fellow ski instructors...like Karen and Rick and a first-year DAV instructor -- Dolly.
Some
of the team lounged and went over the schedule for the next day. At
least, that's what Bobby wanted me to write. I'm not supposed to say
they were sitting there for about 30 minutes...unable to get up out
of the sofa. So I won't write any of that stuff here.