hand holding up five fingers, the other showing two.
“You’re seven,” Chris announced. “What do you like
to do?”
A pause, then she stuck her head around my legs.
“Webkinz,” she said, a suspicious look on her face,
referring to the popular kids web site.
“Webkinz? What’s your favorite Webkinz?” he asked.
“Flipper, he’s a penguin,” she said, finally emerging
at my side. “But I like Quackers too. He’s the duck. I
just got him for Valentine’s Day.”
And so the ice was broken. Soon, they took off up the
South Ridge Quad from Okemo’s main base area and
headed to the summit.
“We’re going down Sunburst so I can see where
you’re at,” Chris told her at the top. “It’s an easy
trail, so don’t worry.”
And off they went, Samantha sitting back, hands
at her sides, steering her turns with her tails. After
a few turns, they stopped and Chris asked, “What
would you do with a $100 bill?”
“Buy a bunch of Webkinz,” Samantha immediately
announced.
“OK,” he nodded. “Pretend you put a $100 bill in
the front of your ski boot.” He demonstrated placing
something between his shin and the tongue of his ski boot.
“Now what happens if you lean back?” he asked,
demonstrating the move and pointing to the wide
gap at the front of his boot. “You lose your $100 bill
and can’t buy any Webkinz.”
Samantha made a face.
As they took off for more turns down Sunburst, she
leaned forward, determined to keep the make-believe
cash. At the bottom of the run, Chris asked, “Do you
still have your $100 bill?”
She smiled, no doubt hoping he might actually
reward her with a C-note for her newfound form.
Next up was a gladed run. Okemo has plenty of gentle
kid-friendly glades, and the ski school provides maps
showing their locations. Samantha and Chris headed
into the trees off a beginner trail called Sachem.
Suddenly, without Chris saying a word, Sam was again
leaning forward, this time making quick turns.
Courtesy of Sandy Macys
Camp Sugarbush
keeping kids happy isn’t all about soft stuff
like swimming pools and food. Using its steep
and wild terrain, Sugarbush offers the Kids
Winter Adventure Camp. it’s not for the faint of
heart or for kids who would rather play Mario
kart on their Wii than ski. in this rugged camp,
legendary freeskier John Egan and his coaches
guide kids in the steeps, bumps, trees, and (yes)
air, teaching safety as well as skills.
They also take kids into the Slidebrook Basin
backcountry and teach them how to pick a
line through the trees and assess the snow
and environmental conditions, while working
on group management and decision-making.
Backcountry survival and rescue techniques are
also part of the agenda.
The Kids Adventure Camp is open to
intermediate and advanced skiers and riders
from 7 to 17 years old. The program runs during
the December holiday week and February
President’s Week.
For those who prefer terrain parks to the
backcountry, Sugarbush holds a freestyle
camp for kids during President’s Day week.
The freestyle camp, for ages 9-17, focuses on
switch riding, carving, basic rails and straight
airs before progressing onto grabs, spins, big
airs and linking maneuvers. After the park
and pipe, freestylers can then learn how to
integrate their new skills into an all-mountain
freeride style. Throughout the camp, freestyle
coaches focus on safety, etiquette, appropriate
equipment, and decision-making.
Sugarbush’s Egan, who gained fame skiing
way off piste in Warren Miller movies, says the
camps take kids where they naturally want to
go anyway and teaches them what they need to
know. “Understanding that kids crave exploring
off-piste and want to hit all the big airs in and
out of the park, we wanted to teach them safety,
proper etiquette and build their skills at every
level,” he says. —P.S.
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