Semester 52: Ski Week & the 1st Academic Block
By Pierson Parker
This week, Ski Week, has been so much fun. Before Monday of this week, I had never touched a pair of skis in my life. At home in North Carolina, I snowboard and I work as a snowboard instructor. Initially, I was nervous to leave my snowboard behind for a pair of skis, but I have enjoyed the new experience of Telemark Skiing.
The faculty has been such a big help in the process of learning to ski, shout out to Sophie K. Sam and I, both snowboarders, signed up for the beginner group, but because of our prior experience on the snow, we picked up skiing very quickly. After a short amount of time with our original group, we were able to split off and learn at a faster pace. After our first day, we were able to make decent S-turns down the slopes of Ski Cooper. Our next day, Friday, we continued to perfect our turns throughout the day with a new member of our crew, Iris.
Together we practiced our balance and weight distribution to further our skiing abilities. For me, there was a major difference between my abilities on Monday and on Friday. Monday I had to make my turns in pizza form, but as Friday came around I was able to make parallel trunks and ski at a much faster pace. On Friday we were also introduced to ski poles, which aren’t my favorite. I’m very proud of how far I’ve come, even though I miss my board, it has been a lot of fun. I’ve also heard talk of a free ski day in the near future where I can rent a snowboard!
By Nelson Liu
In preparation for our second expedition we were told that Monday instead of a normal school day, we would attend a trip to Cooper mountain, a nearby ski resort, to explore telemark skiing. This alternative method of skiing, leaving the confines of the classroom, aimed to teach us to be comfortable in the backcountry as well as teach us a new skill that could develop into a hobby. Initially, the unfamiliar equipment and technique presented a unique challenge. Our initial attempts resembled those of first learning how to ski, characterized by precarious balancing acts and frequent tumbles. Laughter did accentuate the process, both a testament to the community that HMI has built and a frustration of attempting to tie down a new skill.
By Oona Weiler
I used to dread Mondays–meant waking up at 6:30 am, getting to school at 7:45, and sitting in a classroom with no windows until the bell rang at 2:25 pm– there could be a natural disaster, and I would never know it. Monday was a constant reminder of how the days of the week only repeat. I waited for that final bell. I wanted to escape those controlling halls. However, I kept waiting for the next bell, the next class. When I got off the bus, I wasn’t living in the moment – or really living at all.
Here, I wake up at 6:30 and enjoy it. The brisk air during my morning cross-country ski leaves my cheeks with a flush, and my lungs gasp for air. As we head back on the trail, the rising sun reflects off the mountains and into the pink-tinted sky, leaving an unbelievable landscape. Showered, I head to breakfast, admiring the mountains along the way. I love eating breakfast. I never had the time to enjoy it before. There’s something about sharing a meal without distractions–fueling our bodies for a long day–waking up with a cup of coffee or tea, warming my hands as I slowly sip out of it. When I place my mug down on the table, it’s only to add to the conversation, but most of the time, it’s drowned out by the “Who’s Band” (as I’ve named them), a combination of musically gifted students and their instruments. HMI has taught me to no longer dread Mondays. Now, I embrace them.
By Killian Coutelle
When the idea of a 6:30 am Nordic ski (which I had never done or heard of before) was introduced as a three times a week morning activity, I was less than thrilled. However, much to my surprise, my first experience of Nordic skiing on the trails behind HMI was filled with beautiful scenery and plenty of time to talk with my expedition mates. Though I fell (many times), I became accustomed to the movements of the skis relatively quickly. And by the second time I went for the 4 mile loop, I found myself focusing less on the movements of my skis, but rather on the tree shadows, glimmering snow, and far off Rocky Mountains.
This was my second time on skis, and a voluntary solo ski on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. But as morning AMX rolled around, dread washed over me. I begrudgingly put on my ski gear, but decided to take some friends with me, just as I did the first time I went skiing. As we began to work our way through the trail, the sun rose and our frigid faces began to warm up. We giggled at our stumbles through deep snow, admired the mountains, raced each other, and breathed a sigh of relief once our skis came off and we could admire the view.
Since then, the 6:15 am wake up has gotten slightly easier, but the beauty of an early morning cross-country ski, no matter how cold, will always be one of my favorite parts about HMI.
Speaking of skiing, let’s talk about the snow. I’m from a part of the east coast that gets very little snow these days. I anticipated snow, but never as much as snow up to my belly button. One of my favorite things about HMI is how much of our science class is spent outdoors, doing experiments and collecting data in the snow. One day, we drove a little outside of Leadville, to an area of untouched snow. We were bundled in big puffers, rain pants, mittens and boots, and ready to step into the snow. I trudged through the waist-deep snow, dug our snow pit, collected data from our snowpack, and ate chunks of snow as we went along. By the end of our lab, I could only think of one thing: how much fun it would be to run around and fall into this mass of snow. After all, I was fully waterproofed and layered, so a little snow angel or two couldn’t hurt. The one thing holding me back was if I was going to look silly having this much fun in a little snow. But as we and other groups reached the end of their lab, all I saw was people jumping and running into the deepest parts of snow. The inner east-coast child in me, who lacked the experience of playing in this much snow, told me to run forwards and follow them. And so I did. I threw snowballs, collapsed into fresh powder, and crunched on ice. I was football tackled by some friends at one point, and as we lay there, laughing harder than I have in a while, I looked at the sky, forest, mountains, and friends surrounding me and knew this moment would be one of my favorite memories from HMI.
By Ben Baskin
A day in the life of a cabin 6 member. I start my morning by waking up to someone’s alarm going off way too early and then falling back asleep the second time I wake up. It’s always pretty chilly outside the covers, but it feels refreshing. Then I rush to breakfast to get the bacon, which has a 50% chance of being cooked. After going through classes the whole day without shoes on, I end the night with the cabin playing music on a speaker and testing our fireplace’s limits. While telling everyone not to be loud in the morning even though there is no hope.
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