One great thing about Patrol, is that it is often a multigenerational family affair. We have have a significant number of adult patrollers who grew up on our mountain as the children of patrollers (many of whom are still active). It's not uncommon to share the patrol house with three generations of Patrollers on a saturday morning. These guys and gals (ranging in the late 20's to, in some cases, mid 50's) embody the best in our sport. Not just as very strong skiers, but people who made skiing a permanent lifestyle choice WITHOUT becoming ski bums. They work at fitting all of it in, including family and friends, and link it together with some high-minded volunteerism and sweat equity.
It's that passion for skiing, that desire to be part of a larger community in a very hands on way that got me into patrol in first place (and sustains my love of the sport).
This year, I have had a great time watching my own 10 year old begin to really step up his skiing with some of the other budding hotshot patrol-kids (the best of whom are girls right now). They've all participated in the excellent race program at B'East and they have really begun to push the boundaries of skilled free skiing, and I must say, as an old bull watching their growth (and having become friends with adults who grew up this way), I find it extremely pleasing and inspiring.
These kids get it, they're not punks, or bums, but they have a passion for the sport, a pursuit of skill, and a great sense of responsibility and belonging to something bigger in their ski experience.
And honestly, they rip. And everyday they rip more. Although I wouldn't put up videos of mine or anyone else's kids (I respect the privacy of minors) I would love for any of us jaded older skiers who lament the disappearing advancement of technique and general skiing joy among the general skiing public to see this group of kids just laying it out on a steep groomer or a field of cruddy bumps--You'd get a good feeling that all is not lost and hard core skiers of the future won't just include the reckless, self-inulgent daredevils.
Just something I thought about this weekend...must be the signs of Spring creeping up on me.
Been a good winter, by the way!