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Guest columnist: Skiing: The glue that keeps us together

Gary Horman
guest columnist

It began in 1986 when my girlfriend responded negatively when I surprised her with a Colorado ski trip. “But I already bought the tickets,” I insisted, followed by: “The airline was practically giving them away.” And, finally, my last attempt to entice her: “I’ll pay for the whole thing.” Her answer was a resounding NO. This obviously meant she was not seriously interested in skiing, which translated to she was not seriously interested in me.

Since the girl who sat behind me at the office professed her passion for skiing on many occasions, I thought, what better opportunity than this? So I turned and asked, “Would you like to go to Copper Mountain skiing with me?” What woman would just go to Colorado with some guy at the office?! She liked the idea of skiing the west, but had to qualify me before committing to go. To test me, she said she would go only if she could see me ski a couple of times at our local ski area. She wanted to make sure I was capable. I, on the other hand, couldn’t care less if she could ski. My thinking was “at least I’ll be going to Colorado with a babe.” Ultimately, the question of “Would you like to go to Colorado skiing with me” has been answered with 18 years of marriage and a 13-year-old son who is a ski nut.

From ski lessons on the bunny slope when he was 5 to riding the chairlift two days later brought tears of joy to this proud father’s eyes. And today, these years of skiing have resulted in a teenager able to ski anything the mountain has to offer. Whether the double black diamonds of the Imperial Bowl in Breckenridge or the groomed runs at our local ski area, he can handle it all with agility and form. When my legs are done for the day, he pleads for the one last run.



From the little boy with cheeks and lips so red he looked like a clown, to the 13-year-old who can’t wait to be first on the mountain each day. The look on his face is priceless every time we reach the top. From the 6-year-old who loved making his skis look like a pizza slice to his ski buddies today calling him “Trick Air.”

My memories of skiing are as sweet as a deep blue Colorado sky. The pleasure of getting to introduce my son to all that is great about this sport is truly an honor. What future ski adventures await? Who knows. Undoubtedly, we’ll be skiing together as a family for years to come.



One thing is for sure, when my son is dating in college, he’ll be certain that his girlfriend is a diehard skier. You never know when a great deal on a ski trip will come along.

Gary Horman lives in Morristown, N.J.


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