The "Cautious Expert" Skier

I didn't learn to ski until I was over 50 years old. The very thought of attaching long boards to my feet and sliding down a slippery slope at high speed seemed to me INSANE!

Then some friends invited me to go skiing.

Gulp! What to do?

Go! Rent skis, boots and poles. Take a ski lesson. Try it out.

I loved it from the first day, even though the temperature was -12°F (-24°C). I love it now, a decade later. Just goes to show what I knew!

I have no pretentions to expertise. My form is pretty terrible, I wish it were better, I try to improve it, but I really don't care all that much.

One wag in a ski rental shop called me a "cautious expert." He meant it as an oxymoron: a "cautious expert" can really schuss down all those difficult slopes, but chooses not to.

Yeah, right!

(The ski rental shops usually define an Intermediate skier as "Not a beginner, and not an expert.") That's me I guess.

I go skiing for fun: for the spectacular mountain views, the clean, brisk mountain air, the sun, the snow, the beauty of nature, the exhilaration of exertion and speed (however moderate, in my case).

I don't own my own equipment: skis and bindings, boots, poles. I rent skis wherever I go, and it's almost always easy, satisfactory, and moderate in price—or downright cheap, considering that a complete set of equipment can approach US$1000 in cost.

So my tips and suggestions for New England skiing reflect my own preferences and abilities. I figure that the double-black-diamond (super-expert slope) readers don't need my help.

If you can do moguls at speed, you're better than I am.

Rather, my tips are for beginning and intermediate skiers.

For those who have never skied before, all I can say is "Try it!" I'm living proof that to ignore or fear skiing is to miss out on one of winter's best, healthiest, most enjoyable and exhilarating activities.

—Tom Brosnahan

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