A dry-land training day and four on-snow training days? Check.
A hearty "welcome back" to returning instructors? Check.
Greeting a bunch of new instructors and getting them ready for a fantastic season? Double check.
Thanks to Wintergreen Resort's awesome Snow Power and some chilly nights, all of our training terrain was coated with a sweet blanket of powdery goodness! Every year, we put every single instructor from the veterans to the newbies through a minimum of three training days. And we had near-perfect weather to do it this year.
For veterans, it's a chance to brush up on skills and to shake off any rust. For newbies, it's a chance to learn about the wide array of adaptive equipment and training techniques we use to get any student sliding.
The training weekends allow us to put all of our adaptive technology on the mountain, from modern bi- and mono-skis to simple nylon straps and carabiners. Some students need nothing more than just a single instructor and extra patience, while others need a crew of instructors and some of our most expensive equipment. We can get virtually anyone out on the mountain for a fun day!
WAS instructors usually turn heads when we have our bi-skis out on the mountain. They're designed for students who need to sit and require some amount of assistance to navigate the slopes. Bi-skis are super fun to operate but it takes quite a bit of skill (and lots of practice) to pilot one. WAS instructor Haley Bates, in the blue pants, spent most of the training weekend working with other instructors to show them the bi-ski ropes!
Every year, with the help of our generous donors, we are able to send a handful of instructors out west to not only teach Wounded Warriors and other students, but also to see and experience the latest in adaptive technology and techniques. Anne Holliday, below, was one of several WAS instructors who make the trek this year to bring back some new knowledge to WAS.
Are you ready for some big news? WAS now has legit flush toilets and running water in our bathrooms!
Because we're a little outpost on the mountain, it has been a challenge to figure out ways to install anything other than the Port-a-Johns near the section of the cross trail we call home. But over the summer and fall, we were able to work with Wintergreen Resort management and the Building Goodness Foundation to overcome the logistical, financial and mechanical challenges. We're still working out a few kinks, but this is a huge step forward. And as you can see below, we had a ceremonial toilet-paper cutting to open the new bathrooms!
We closed the weekend with some honors for a few of our long-serving instructors.
Last year, we created the much ballyhooed "Order of the Green Man," an exclusive society of instructors who have served WAS at least 10 years. The "Green Man" is a nod to our very first logo, which was a green silhouette of a three-track skier. Since then, we've grown so much and serve students with a much wider variety of challenges, but those early roots still hold a special place. And we celebrated four more inductees into The Order!
And now, a word from our board president chris ziegler in this week's episode of "ziegler's zingers."
Welcome back! I am looking forward to the start of the season, it is always great to see smiling faces again in The Hut and on the slopes.
As you know our winter season, from the start of training to the last week we are open in March, is only about three months, however, there is a tremendous amount of fundraising, planning and preparation during the nine months leading up to the season. On behalf of the WAS Board of Directors, I’d like to thank everyone who participated in a fundraiser, work project and/or training session in preparation for the season. Each of you gave up a lot of your free time to make sure we will be able to reach and teach the greatest number of students possible this winter.
I am very excited about our staff as I think we have a fantastic amount of leadership talent and experience in the program this winter. Rachel MacKay is our Winter Operations Director this season, she started with the program as a junior instructor, left to go to college plus teach skiing in Utah, and returned several years ago to rejoin the program. Working full-time Wednesday – Sunday, Rachel has responsibility for all WAS activities on the snow. It is great to have Rachel’s experience and knowledge leading us this winter.
I think all of you know Caroline, who is our Program Director and has been with WAS for more years than she would want me to mention. I am amazed at Caroline’s ability each year to juggle staff, 90+ volunteer instructors and, of course, our amazing students to get lessons out on the snow seven days a week every week of the season. Thanks for all you do Caroline. Rachel and Caroline are just the tip of the iceberg; I’ll be highlighting our other staff members in my column later in the year.
I hope everyone has a great Holiday Season, see you soon!