A Favorite Memory of My Dad

Skiing with My Dad

My dad was a man who loved the outdoors. He was athletic, adventurous, and eager to try anything new. He had a passion for the mountains, and though fishing was his all time favorite pastime, he also loved to ski. My favorite memories of my father are when he took me and my brother and sister skiing.

When my siblings and I were just beginners, my dad would put us in ski school or spend the day teaching us how to snow plow, also known as “the pizza.” He was not always the most patient teacher, but I knew that he wanted us to improve so that we could enjoy skiing as much as him. I was only four years old when I first learned to ski.

Generally, we would ski at resorts around Lake Tahoe, because we lived only three hours away. However, during longer vacations, my dad would take us out of state to ski mountains we had never seen before. He took us to Mt. Bachelor in Oregon, Sun Valley in Idaho, and all of the ski resorts in Utah. All of these trips with my dad helped me to become a pretty good skier. Skiing is now one of my favorite things to do for vacation, and I feel very grateful toward my father for introducing me to this sport.

In 2005 my father died of cancer. I am sad that he is gone, but I am grateful that he is no longer suffering from this horrible disease. And though I miss him very much, I have learned that whenever I am skiing, his spirit is right there with me on every run, and I am flooded by all of the happy memories that I shared with him on the snowy mountain slopes. Over the years I have come to understand why my father loved skiing so much. Skiing is not just a sport. It is being in nature, breathing fresh air, and appreciating and living life.  Thanks for the wonderful memories, dad!