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DISCOVER
Sunday, October 29, 2000
So you think you want to learn how to ski? Start slowly, and by all means, invest in lessons DARREN SAMUELSOHN, THE OLYMPIAN "I went from being extra terrified, just hanging on for dear life, to really having just a great year." -- Charles Shelan, Olympia
OLYMPIA -- Like many Pacific Northwesterners, Charles Shelan isn't originally from the Pacific Northwest.
He's not from the mountains. And he's not from a family that spent time on the ski slopes.
"I grew up in the sand dunes of west Texas," said the 52-year-old Olympia man. "The only skiing we had was water-skiing."
Shelan, like so many transplants to the region, has nontheless taken up skiing. And as ski season approaches, there's little doubt many more folks will follow in his footsteps and strap on boots and skis this year for the first time.
The key to skiing is lessons, said Shelan, who signed on for instructions at the Evergreen Ski School four winters ago.
"I went from being extra terrified, just hanging on for dear life, to really having just a great year," he says.
So what can first-time skiers expect on their first day?
All parties agree on that one: the basics.
The first step to skiing is learning how to walk in the awkward equipment. Instructors usually do this in baby steps, first on a flat surface, then on a small incline and finally on a slight hill.
Turning left and right come next, followed by the most important threshold in skiing: how to stop.
That last move is known as the snowplow, the vital ingredient for any aspiring skier looking to make his way down a slope with some semblance of control.
And will first-timers be able to say they skied after their first day?
"Yes, I can't see any reason why not," said Ron Sisson, director of the North Thurston Ski School. "If they're at all coordinated they can get to that point in a day. Will they be doing high-speed turns? No. Will they be able to do it without falling down? No."
So there you have that.
Expect to get wet. Expect gravity to be a monster. Expect to have your confidence and bravado put to the test.
And expect to have a good time, for there's little to match the exhilaration of the first time you ski on your own.
Just heed this one piece of widely proven advice:
"I honestly believe that the best way to learn is to take lessons," Sisson said. "It's so hard to break bad habits that you pick up fairly fast and it's also fairly frustrating to a beginner to not be able to stand up, to not be able to get on chairlifts, to not know how to stand up when you fall down.
"If you do nothing more than take a couple of lessons, at least to show you the basics, you can learn from there."
LOCAL SKI SCHOOLS
The Evergreen Ski School
- For information: - To know: - Cost: Evergreen students: Four weeks, $125. Transportation only, $110. Lessons only, $25. Eight weeks, $195. Transportation only, $180. Lessons only, $65.
Community rate: Four weeks $140. Transportation only, $125. Lessons only, $40. Eight weeks, $210. Transportation only $195. Lessons only $80.
Wednesday Program, 8-week session:
Evergreen students: $195, $180, $65. Community rate: $210, $195, $80.
North Thurston Ski School
- For information: - To know: - Cost: Olympia Ski School
- For information: -Cost: Crystal Mountain lesson packages
- First-time special for ages 12 and older includes beginner chairlift ticket, ski or snowboard lesson, and equipment. - Additional lessons: - Kids program, for ages 4 to 11, includes 4-hour lesson, lift ticket, lunch and supervision from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Olympian Copyright 2000
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