Passing An Unexpected Passion for Skiing to My Twins

I am a runner. I am also a twin mom, wife, sister, freelance writer, world-class competitive duathlete and nationally recognized triathlete. But, when people ask what I do athletically, I don’t hesitate to respond with “I run.” You may notice that “skier” did not make the list, yet that is the sport my kids have attacked with passion and excitement. I started skiing as a kid in the northeast because that’s what kids in Connecticut do. I switched to snowboarding when I began dating a University of Vermont guy (who happened to be taking a “snowboarding” class) in the winter of ’94. I instantly fell in love and remember the day I bought my very first Burton snowboard straight from the factory in Burlington, Vermont. I continued my love of the sport when I moved out west and back home again. But, when I had surprise twins in 2009, free time was nonexistent and, I mentioned the running, right? By the time the boys were three I decided they needed to get on skis. It was also a great excuse for mom to get back on her board! We traveled to Vermont and hit the slopes. Well, I hit the slopes and the boys cried their way through ski school. It wasn’t pretty. They spent most of the time playing in the “Bigloo,” but they had gotten a taste for the mountain and basic ski skills. Despite the lackluster beginning, back to Vermont we went the following year. It was slightly better but they still were not fully engaged in ski school and instead preferred to run up and down the massive snow piles in their ski boots. Something changed last year when the twins turned five. Instead of sending them to ski school, we let them start running the bunny hill with their cousins. It was magical. It was as if the two previous years of lessons clicked and away they went! The magic carpet carried them up, and they would come barreling down. They repeated this for hours. Hours! This meant more snowboarding for mom and a growing passion for the boys. This year they started asking to go skiing in July. They cannot wait to go and I cannot wait to take them. We’re planning on many more weekend trips this year and although I admit I would love to see this kind of excitement from them when we go to the track, I’m just happy they found something they love to do outside. I’m sure they will take up running during the summer months…