Graceful ... For the First Time on Skis

You would think that, being a snow sports writer for about a dozen years, I would have had my daughter, Grace, on skis or a board at, like, 2.

OK, I tried, but it backfired. I took her out to play on the snow at a resort about a hour before her lesson when she was 2. When I brought her into the shop to get fitted for boots, she thought she was done for the day when her shoes came off and lost it.

Had to cancel the lesson.

Nothing went right after that. I was either working an event, had interviews throughout the day, the drive was too long or it was just too cold.

Last weekend, I put my foot down. It was time. She's 5.

Besides, it's a pretty good story.

Grace and I saddled up at about 6:30 Saturday morning to head to Catamount. It was a logical choice because it's just about 90 minutes from Vernon to South Egremont, Mass. (or Hillsdale, N.Y. depending on what side of the mountain you're on). I am a big fan of Catamount anyway because it's one of the most underrated mountains in the East, and I was also familiar with its Snow Cats program.

It's a good combination: A good snow sports school and enough terrain to keep me busy while she had her lessons.

Catamount's Snow Cats program certainly has a good philosophy - the sessions are fun but very instructional, the facilities and equipment are good and the instructors seem to have constant smiles on their faces.

A lot of that has to do with the ship run by Judy Webb. She has been a teacher in the Taconic Hills, N.Y. school district for nearly 20 years and learned about kids and snow sports areas by chaperoning school bus trips to the mountains.

She and Marie Leicht can supervise as many 120 kids ages 4 to 12 from Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts on the weekends during the season.

The Snow Cats emphasize safety first, then fun, then skiing. Oh yes, there is lunch.

And some pretty fun instructors.

Grace was matched up with Cassidy Austin, a 17-year-old who skis and snowboards and also plays some pretty good defense on the field hockey pitch. She is lively, tireless, has a good way with children and understands the fundamentals of skiing. She also had a purple bandana and shirt on, which happens to be Grace's favorite color.

First-timers usually start on skis, because they are generally easier to maneuver. 

While I filled put the paperwork, Cassidy joked with Grace and made her feel comfortable. She also made the boots comfortable. Grace was also fitted with a good pair of Elan learning skis and a helmet. First-timers do not use poles.

Grace was teamed up with one other first-timer. They started out by learning how to get in and out ofd the bindings, then worked on footwork and hit the Magic Carpet to get up the bunny hill. It's a conveyor system that is much safer than a chair and much easier than the rope tow, T-bars and J-bars.

They worked on stopping and turning in the traditional snowplow stance with the traditional pizza terminology (make the slice bigger and the snowplow gets wider, thus slowing you down) and some other fun terms thrown in for good measure.

Webb says the goal of the level 1 lessons is to get the youngsters to make six to seven turns on a run while controlling the speed.

The goal of level 2 is 9 to 10 runs and level 3 brings the youngsters to the regular lifts.

Youngsters also learn the responsibility code.

While Grace and Cassidy were heading to lunch, Cassidy indicated Grace was headed to the larger hill for level 2 skiers. She was definitely making six turns each run.

She was confident and was really making turns. She was also controlling her speed.

Grace received her certificate and posed for a photo with Cassidy. She also asked me if she could hang around and play in the snow before we left.

As we stopped for french fries and milk shakes on the way home, she was all smiles. She then asked when we could do it again.

I have always wanted Grace to accompany me on these trips. Is she ready for the main chair at Catamount, the British Columbia backcounty, the trees at Owl's Head, the steeps at Stowe, the cruisers at Okemo or the terrain park at Stratton?

No.

But the thought of even a few times down a green slope with her makes me happy to be a dad.