“Why I Like Skiing” by 9-year old Cordovan Ian Americus


Skiing is a fun and exhilarating sport. I like skiing with my dad and not my mom cause she gets hysterical and not my little brother because he whines. All skiing trips start like this. We are all really bored and are sitting at home after a storm my dad is telling us to do stuff from the couch while he is being lazy after me and ben get my dad off the couch we ask if we can go skiing . Next comes the getting everyone and everything in the car ritual. Dad, me, and mom go into the shed to find skis, poles, skins, avalanche beacons and backpacks, here are some quotes: "What the, why is this pole broke in half" "these skins don’t stick" don’t worry we’ll just use duct tape" "my boots don’t fit" "first of all try undoing the bindings before you put them on" "they still don’t fit" "where are those new 100$ beacons from Colorado" "Ben was playing treasure hunt again". Meanwhile my little brother Ben has been in charge of making "survival food" the usual PB&J sandwiches. Ben has his own recipes and usually puts bananas, cheerios, blueberries, honey, and hot chocolate mix in his "Sandwiches". After 2 hours of throwing stuff in the back of the truck and having mom and dad yell at me about not having my stuff on I finally get every thing of mine ready. Now I have to endure the mandatory 1/2 hour wait in the living room with enough clothes on to get through the ice age. While my brother has changed his mind about going and now wants to sit at home. After much tears we are out the door and on our way to a mountain that looks good to ski. We stop at the store to get some "motivators" a candy bar or two of our own choice. I get a Three Musketeers bar because it gives you the most energy per bite my dad gets a snickers because it has the most Grams of sugar and Ben gets a Baby Ruth because it looks like something gross and mom gets nothing because she’s "on a diet". When we get in the truck mom Takes some of mine and Ben’s candy bars saying you don’t need it ben has a counter plan by the time we get in the truck that Baby Ruth is gone. Once we get too the parking spot we unload and quickly skin up and start going up the mountain Ben goes first wading through the snow that’s up to his waist Ben thinks going up the mountain is a race and the summit the finish line the prize you get an excuse to eat more food and brag that your faster than anyone else. Dad and I quickly pass him in the "big race". If you pass Ben you automatically get a little demon that thinks ski poles are swords and that he is someone from lord of the rings. My dad calms Ben down and We’re all going up the mountain when either mine or bens skin falls off. Dad had given us 20 year old skins that he used when he was young and by now they are completely unsticky from years in our shed. We reattach the skins with a skiers secret weapon, duct tape. Duct tape is also used on our many blisters to protect our feet from rubbing against the inside of the boot some times Ben doesn’t wear socks skiing. We’re all cold but Ben’s the coldest and now he is throwing a fit ski poles fly everywhere. Dad threatens to turn around about 10 times and ben keeps going on even though his tears are frozen to his face. We get close to the summit and it’s cold the wind is howling. Mom has a favorite turn the kick turn it is mom’s favorite turn because it is used for going up the hill more specifically for making switch backs where it’s steep. We finally are one switch back left from the top and ben runs up the trail, somehow he is running on skis. Ben reaches the top first and starts asking for food. He has been trying to steal my candy bar the whole hike because he already ate his. The rest of us look at him view for a couple minutes. When you ski up the hill you are going at a snails pace it seems like an eternity of tired legs chapped lips frozen extremities and little brothers. the fact that you have hiked up a big mountain is just amazing. We eat lunch, "sandwiches" and trail mix I eat the trail mix even though ben and mom have high graded all of the M&Ms and chocolate chips out of it. Dad and I never touch the sandwiches partly because of what ben put in them and partly because they get squished to a pulp and then frozen. After lunch we take off our skins and get ready to go down hill. The top is mom’s least favorite part and once ben said "Dad my leg won’t stop twitching". Dad goes first because he tests the snow because he is expendable, and then one by one we ski down the mountain. That’s the best part. The snow is always powdery and you turn so easily. Mom Freaks out going down the mountain and says she got caught in an avalanche when some snow sluffs past her. Well that is about it I really can’t describe what it’s like skiing down the mountain. After we get down to the truck we take off our gear and go home at home we just fall into our chairs and veg out. That is why I like skiing I mean if everyone skied like that who wouldn’t?