All this snow coming down reminds me of my first two tries at downhill skiing. I think I was in third grade. A family friend, Joyce Snyder, invited myself and another kid RR to go skiing at both local ski areas.
One trip was to Lookout Ski Area. The other was to Jackass Ski Bowl.
Yes, that was the name before it was Silver Mountain. Before it was Silverhorn. The original name was Jackass Ski Bowl.
The drive up to Jackass was quite interesting...as you traveled through Wardner, then drove the winding road up the mountain. And the steep dropoff on the side of the road also made it quite an interesting trip.
From all my memories, it was a very terrifying experience. I had no lessons. I think it was basically, here are your skis, now go ski.
I remember going up to the top of the little hill, and probably sliding my way down on my bottom for most of the way. I remember you skied right toward the lodge, which seemed very daunting. And it seems as if there was some large ski equipment by the lodge that I knew I was going to run into if I kept going. Then probably most of my day was then just spent in the lodge.
The rope tow is what stands out the most in my mind on my trip to Lookout Pass. I'm sure I was just as terrified then.
I was very greatful for the two ski trips, but I don't think I got a whole lot out of them. RR seemed to have a lot of fun.
I didn't ski again until my senior year in high school. Again, at Lookout Ski Area, and it was night skiing, very icy, and not very fun.
While living in Montana, I took up cross country skiing. That was not terrifying. It was fun. Especially the two times we traveled to Yellowstone National Park to ski. That was unbelievable.
I have faced the mountain as an adult, up on Silver Mountain, and actually enjoyed it. I'm not that great at it, but I do manage to have fun.
