One day Dan Mayer and I were sitting around our cabin. Dan said:

"I think we should start skiing!"

I believe it was around 1973

I had only tried on skis once in my life. When I was a kid living in California, it was summer and my father took all of us to Mount Baldy. There was a ski resort there and it was summer. They had put straw down and people were actually skiing on it!

We rented some skis and gave it a try.

After a few lessons, they gave me a pin that I remember to this day. It was about the size of a ice cream stick and the end was curled up to look like a ski. They painted it green and it had the words " 1 Ski Baldy " imprinted on it.

I was really proud of this pin and wore it all the time. I think I must have been about 10 years old. I remember the equipment was the old leather shoe and spring binding type and the skis were made of wood.

10 years old, that must have been about 1962.

So, anyway, there was a ski area near our cabin in Lost Valley, Virginia called Massanutten. It was not much of a ski area, but they occasionally got snow and it was typically cold enough to make snow.

Dan and I went to the sporting goods store one day and bought everything we needed. Dan already knew how to ski, and I figured I could learn.

So, each weekend, we would go to Massanutten. First we would drive Friday night to the cabin in the Van, then in the morning, after breakfast, we would drive to Massanutten. We would spend the day, then come back to the cabin. Sometimes the next morning, Sunday, we would go back again for a half day of skiing then drive straight back to College Park. I had this job singing at the National Shrine so I usually had to come home Sunday morning. I could leave the cabin by 8:00 AM and easily make the 12:00 Mass.

The thing I really didn't like about skiing in Massanutten was could not take my dog Rusty with me. Usually we would leave him in College Park or actually he didn't mind hanging around the cabin for the day. Mostly all he did was sleep anyway.

Much later, and I mean MUCH LATER. I think it must have been around 1987. Video Image was going strong. We were located at 4121 Redwood Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90066. We had about 8 employees. One of them, D.J., started talking about going skiing.

Rhonda, I believe, was afraid I would get hurt. She insisted that I buy the best equipment and only when I had the best equipment, I could go skiing.

This was fine with as I loved to buy expensive toys.

D.J. and I went to the Ski Show at the Los Angeles Sports Arena and bought an entire outfit. Here was the rub with the ski show. We walked around the Sports Arena all night looking at all sorts of new ski equipment. The stuff that both D.J. and I liked came from the Sport Chalet. The Sport Chalet was located about two blocks from the Video Image Redwood location. We bought the stuff, lugged it around the arena all night, stuffed ourselves and the equipment in a tiny car to ride home and took it to the Sport Chalet the next day to get the bindings mounted and fit to our new boots. Once in the store, we noticed that they had the same equipment there, same price, everything. So, we could have just walked down the street and for the same price not had the hassle of all the Sports Arena. Oh well, never again.

Then a bunch of us, piled in the car and went to Mammoth Mountain. We rented a condo right near the slopes. As best I can remember, there was Larry Weiss, D.J., some others, Rhonda and me.

I had a great time. I hadn't skied in almost 12 years, and "my butt never touched snow". I loved it !

Since then, I ski every chance I get.

VIFX / VIDEO IMAGE SKI PARTIES

Now, in the 90's, I usually get two good ski trips in per year. All the employees at VIFX / Video Image take at least one trip per year. Click on this to see the 1996 VIFX / Video Image Ski Trip. Other ski trips with the gang are also listed at http://www.gregssandbox.com/ski/ski.htm.

SKIING IN ASPEN COLORADO

BUT - THEN - Each Christmas, Rhonda and I go to Aspen Mountain for about 9 days of intense skiing, snowmobiling, partying, dog sledding, ice skating and generally just goofing off. I started documenting my Aspen Adventures in 1996. I will keep adding stuff each time I go and trying to remember past trips to add for the past.