LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk | Up & Comer all my school clothes. I frantically called Dad for help. He brought my clothes in, but first period had already started. I had to sit through it in purple ski bibs. Mr. K was laughing. These early morning Dawn Patrol Adventures with Mr. K before school happened a few more times, minus forgetting my school clothes. Each time we got a little higher up the mountain than before. One night I stayed over with my friend, Mike Katz, and we had a later start. We all woke up at 10:00 that day and after much debate on where to ski, we finally hopped in cars and drove toward Wilmington. Mike, Jen Kazmierczak, our friend Ari, and I started skinning up the Whiteface Toll Road to do our "up and over trip." Along the way we laughed and consumed two bags of gummy bears, eventually reaching the bottom of the second slide on the road, "Slide 8." Even though the slide looked icy and crusty, we thought it would Brian Mohr / Ember Photography be a shortcut. We tied our skis onto our packs and strapped on crampons. With ice axes in hand we climbed the slide. Near the top, as I was traversing the 50' headwall, I realized my crampons weren't going to work so well because the bill of my boot stuck out past the front points of the crampon. After kicking as many as four times for a good foothold, I made it past the headwall to the castle. It was fun and my first winter slide climb. Unbearable winds forced us to cut short the lunch break at the summit before heading down. When we reached the top of Chair Six, we had a nice break at the picnic table by the Ski Patrol building. The ski area was closed, so we were able to make long, low tele turns down The Follies and Excelsior without seeing any people. It was amazing to have such a wide open trail to ourselves. I realized what skiing was really about. I felt free and totally alive.

• Cover