Well! Hiatus is over! For the past year I have been focused on completing the dissertation for an educational leadership degree. With that project on information literacy completed just in time for ski season, I am energized to do a little “blogging.”
Two recent expeditions, one to Mt Washington at Thanksgiving time, and another to the Traveler Restaurant yesterday, brought thoughts of “skiing literacy” to mind. In the recently renovated Mt Washington Hotel, now an Omni resort, the long wide hallways on the lower level provide a suitable gallery for poster-sized framed photos of early skiers -- on the slopes and in nostalgic après ski settings. In the restaurant, tables are arranged around long shelves filled with books and customers are invited to take up to three for free with the purchase of a meal. The skiing books displayed were written by such superstars as Billy Kidd and Jean-Claude Killy, next to Picabo Street’s autobiography Nothing to Hide.
The photos and the books are evidence that everything about the sport has changed and yet the essence is the same! Solid wood skis have morphed into today’s combinations of wood, foam, fiberglass, metals and composites; leather boots have been replaced by plastic ones; ski poles of bamboo are transformed by carbon fiber and graphite. Even the clothing—in one picture ski instructors are posing in their Nordic wool sweaters and knit stretch pants—can now be considered chic and warm without a natural fiber woven into the cloth. And where did the pompom adorned hats go? Are they tucked under high impact proof helmets? Being able to make comparisons—either because of knowledge that comes from experience or understanding that comes from inquiry—between what was and what is, is an element of any literacy.
Modern alpine recreational skiing developed in earnest after WWII, which means that many of the pioneers of the day are still walking (and skiing) among us. Their artifacts adorn any self-respecting ski lodge, mountain home or ski-town tavern since their “discovery” has none of the drama of an archeological dig-- they just have to be brought up from the basement or down from the attic and dusted off. Familiarizing oneself with the heritage of this wonderful sport by reading, taking time to look at pictures, and learning what to call the sticks hanging on the wall, are ways to become ski-literate, and will only enhance the exhilarating ride down the mountain.
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