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FRIDAY February 13, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels January 22, 2004 Beginners get a lift Quick Tips program helps people get back on their feet By Tim Bousquet Tidings Correspondent It doesn't get any better on Mt. Ashland. Heavy storms earlier in the season had left a 4-foot base of snow, but on Saturday the sun broke through and the temperature soared into the 70s. Photo by Denise Baratta Ski instructor Matt Dybala (left) teaches a beginning skier the basics Tuesday on Mount Ashland's Sonnet run, also known as the "bunny hill." With such enticement, thousands of people took to the slopes, some skiing in T-shirts. Most were experienced skiers flying seemingly effortlessly down the steep runs that start at the very summit of the mountain. But on the backside of the lodge about a hundred beginners were stumbling through the motions of learning how to ski on "Sonnet," the park's "baby" slope. At any given time a couple of dozen bodies lay scattered about the run, victims of gravity and inexperience. Rick Saul came to their rescue. Saul, who manages Mt. Ashland's ski instructors, skied repeatedly down the hill, and caught up with people who were having a particularly difficult time. He gave them five-minute lessons and a card on which he had written suggestions for improving their skills. Slowly, his students found their snow legs, and more than a few graduated up to the higher slopes. Free Quick Tips Saul's lessons were part of the ski park's free "Quick Tips" program, which targets skiers who are returning to the sport after years of inactivity. "People who have never skied before usually get the full beginners' package, which includes an hour and a half lesson and the equipment rental," explained Saul. "But Quick Tips is for a different group. They skied a few times when they were growing up, but then life interrupted their skiing. They got a job, or they went to college, or they started a family, and found they didn't have the time for skiing. But after a few years they've settled down a bit, they find they'd like to ski again." A similar lesson plan was once priced at $12, but the resort began offering them for free in 1999, partly in response to heavy usage of the slope. "Our number one concern is safety," said Saul. "We want people to be in control, to be able to stop and avoid collisions. So we identify people who have not quite so fine control of their speed or their direction of travel, and we work with them on the width of their wedge and the shape of their turn." At least one instructor is always on Sonnet to provide the Quick Tips lessons. The card given to skiers contains the National Skiers Responsibility Code, which all are to follow regardless of their ability. The instructors also give a coupon for reduced private lessons, although Saul is quick to note that "it's not a hard sell, it's just an offer." Backward lessons "He totally helped!" said Melissa Strusz of Medford, after Saul led her down the slope. "And I'm going to need all the help I can get." Strusz had snowboarded but had never taken to skis before Saturday. "Rick caught me on my first run down the hill," she explained. "I guess he saw me trying to get the hang of it in the corral area before I caught the chair up. He held the tips of my skis and went all the way down the hill with me backwards, explaining how I should shift my weight and point my skis. It saved me a lot of time, and it's really worth it." After a few solo runs down the slope, Strusz took a smoke break and contemplated her progress. "I'm going to be hurting tonight. I'm going to take a long, hot bath." But egged on by family members, she put out her cigarette and headed back up the hill for another run. Dave LaPena and his fianc�e, Gwen Garrison, had traveled up to Ashland from Eureka on Saturday. "She has skied for a long time," said LaPena. "I felt like I was holding her back." LaPena skied for the first time last week at Mt. Shasta. "I took lessons there, but they were all wrong. They didn't really explain things to me right." Garrison went to ski the higher slopes and LaPena was to stay behind in the lodge to wait for her, but instead he surreptitiously took to Sonnet to hone his skills. "I fell down, and as I was getting back up Rick came up and asked if I minded if he skied with me for a bit. He skied backwards down the hill with me, just in front of me holding the tips of my poles. He told me why what they had told me at Shasta was incorrect. Now, in a physical sense I understand why that was wrong, and I've been able to figure out how to do it right. I'm comfortable with my stance and turning." LaPena wasn't put off by the unsolicited advice. "I'm a stubborn man, but he mad it all very free and relaxed. He was so good about it." "Oh, oh," he said as Garrison beckoned for him from the lodge deck. "Now I'm going to find out how much trouble I'm in. I wonder how long she's been looking for me." "But now I think I can ski the intermediate slope with her," he said, skiing off. Capable instructors Mt. Ashland employs 45 instructors, each of whom has gone through an extensive training program. "They have to take full two days of training before the season begins, where they learn how to interact with different kinds of students," said Saul. "They complete nine levels of training, and before they teach their first class they've shadowed another instructor two or three times. And, every day we have a 45-minute clinic with the instructors before the slopes open." The instructors tend to be college students or others that can work seasonal jobs, and about half of them return each year. Some have been working at Mt. Ashland for over 10 years. Many of them now specialize in snowboarding, as that sport has overtaken skiing in popularity. "Our surveys show that about 60 percent of the people on the mountain are snowboarding," said Saul. "For the younger users, it's more like five to one." He added that snowboarding has brought a more relaxed look to the beginning slope. "Skiers don't sit in the snow. But snowboarders will fall down, sit and chat for a while, get up again, fall down again and sit and chat." Saul was replaced on his Quick Tips duty by Kenny, a long-time park instructor, who was immediately met with a teenage snowboarder frustrated to the point of tears. "What do you say you go get a cup of hot chocolate," Kenny said to her reassuringly. "It's always hard the first day. Come on back after you warm up and I'll go down the slope with you a few times." "We'll make this fun for you." 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