Hudson Spyros
Laughter and Stoke During Ski Week
When it was announced that we would be going to Ski Cooper, our local ski mountain here in Leadville, I was ecstatic. The goal of ski week is to prepare everyone for our wintery, second expedition into the backcountry mountains of Colorado. Additionally, we make sure everyone is somewhat confident on skis since we use them to travel to our campsites. Since I have been a freestyle skier from a young age, I was incredibly excited when the first morning of ski week rolled around. This served as my favorite type of class, skiing on a mountain, sharing in laughter, and being fueled by adrenaline. During breakfast, the energy was palpable as everyone waited in excitement with their ski boots on and skis ready. This stoke continued, as we listened to some great tunes that Amos had been loading up.
When we got to Ski Cooper, we were split up into groups based on our skiing abilities: beginner, intermediate, intermediate advanced, and advanced. We all went to our designated groups and were instructed to be respectful of everybody on the mountain. With Redbull energy drinks in my pants, the advanced group took the pomalift (a lift-oriented device that you put in between your legs and it pulls you up the mountain) as our first run. Simon, Ellory, and Emma, our instructors of the group, decided the first run we should just ski for fun to get the feeling of being back on snow. Conditions were slushy and it felt like spring in the air. It was magical to feel the warm sun shining down during a brilliant, bluebird day.
After the first run, we moved to the chairlift, and lapped different runs. I love riding the chair lift because you can chat and laugh with your friends in-between runs. Emma, one of our instructors, began giving different drills for telemark skiing. Telemark skiing is the skiing we do on our second expedition where our bindings keep the toe of our boot stationary, yet allows our heel to be free. This gives us the ability to use skins (strips of fabric that we stick to the bottom of our skis and have short hairs on the other side which allow us to walk up on the snow without sliding backwards) to walk up mountains as well as ski down trails normally when we take our skins off. Additionally, telemark skis give you the ability to lift your heel slightly when turning, which is different than your normal alpine skis that keep your entire foot locked into the binding.
People truly began honing their telemark skiing skills, even though there were some hilarious crashes. Stoke was really in the air! On our last run, Simon guided us into some trees, to resemble some of the terrain we might be going down during expedition. This wrapped our day at Ski Cooper. As we headed back to the bus, I felt disappointed that day was over, but felt so grateful and satisfied that I was able to take some turns in the snow. This was day one of ski week and I couldn’t wait to get back on the hill to hone my skills and create more memories with my friends at High Mountain Institute.
Lucy Targum
Casino Night at HMI
Every Saturday, students embark on an activity or event that allows us to reset after a long week of classes. One Saturday, during first academic block, HMI students arrived “dressed to impress” and found that Who’s Hall had been transformed into a casino. For the rest of the night, we played cards, a competitive game of poker took place, and some students made it through three whole rounds of Catan! Each table was set up with a different game to choose from, and everyone, in the spirit of casino night, came prepared to win. My favorite moment of the night was playing Codenames with a group of people that I hadn’t gotten to know super well at that point in the semester. I truly enjoyed having the opportunity to connect more meaningfully with new people. Along with the games, we danced to a student-curated music lineup all night and enjoyed fun snacks and sodas. After a long week, casino night was a fun event to bring the Semester 54 community together and maybe win big?!?
Georgia Clews
Town Day and Leadville’s Famous Skijoring
Every year during the first weekend in March, Leadville shuts down the main strip, covers the road in snow, and shapes jumps for the annual skijoring event. Skijoring is a ski race that involves a person on alpine skis holding onto a rope which is attached to a horse. The horse and rider charge at full speed through an obstacle course as the skier behind has to collect rings on their arm and send it off tall jumps. This event is one of the busiest times during Leadville as it pulls tourists from all over Colorado.
For all of us students, skijoring served as the first time we were allowed to go into town. It was shocking to see how many people were lining the streets; making it quite difficult to walk around! We went to almost every shop: thrift stores, candy shops, cafes, and the Antique mall. These shops that are along the main street of Leadville truly help showcase the country, cowboy vibe that skijoring cultivates and pays homage to the old mining town that it used to be. With all the stores we visited, thrifting clothes from different places was definitely my favorite. At one of the stores, you are able to fill up a trash bag worth of clothes for only twelve dollars. What a bargain!
As we stepped out of the stores, we witnessed skiers fly over these jumps. It was insane to watch! There were people riding horses all over the street and one guy rode up to us carrying the cutest puppy and tried to get us to buy it from him. Unfortunately, we had to decline. Additionally, I couldn’t help but think about skiing on a mountain and how when you go over a jump, the landing is downhill so the impact isn’t that bad. The skiers being pulled by horses were hitting jumps, yet landing on flat ground. Ouch! Skijoring was an epic experience and I’m glad that HMI gave us this opportunity.
Zoe Norris
The Simple Pleasures of Campus
Looking back on my first academic block at HMI, I learned a simple yet profound truth: at the end of the day, I am content, and everything is going to be okay. After hours of study hall that seem endless, I step out onto the boardwalk every night and look up, finding solace in the vast, beautiful sky. It serves as a quiet reminder that even after the longest day, peace awaits. My friends feel like family, even though I only met them weeks ago. They ground and reassure me of my own positive qualities and resilience that I possess. After study hall ends, laughter and familiar faces greet me in the bathroom. We sing while brushing our teeth, transforming stress into joy and reminds me of the power of community to lift us up when we feel burdened. Even on days filled with challenges, piles of homework, long classes, and moments of doubt I find solace in these small, yet meaningful experiences. The beauty of nature, the warmth of friendship, and the rhythm of shared routines become my anchors. At the end of these seemingly everlasting days, I am reminded once again: I am capable, and everything is good.