We lost a revered ski friend this week who passed with his skis on. I worked with Dan in Ministars over two decades ago. Since the BF and I left the Ramshead team, we’ve bumped into Dan in the woods more times than we can count, especially since all those years together at Rams gave us the same core woods knowledge. We’ve bumped into him at Cooper’s for a quick stop, at Tuckerman Ravine hiking up to go rip the bowl, and at his treasured Vermont home. Dan wanted everyone to love skiing and the outdoors as much as he did.
The same day we lost Dan, Mikaela Shiffrin won her 100th World Cup victory. If that doesn’t showcase the highs and lows of this wonderful sport, then I don’t know what does. I spent the morning ecstatic about her accomplishment, getting to witness her greatness right here in Killington and celebrating my home mountain being a part of her story (ix of her World Cup victories took place at Killington) and then crumpling in the kitchen at Baja as I found out about Dan. My brain is still swirling from the dichotomy of the day, and I still cannot process how an accomplished yet extremely smart skier succumbed to what seems to be a simple snow snake. Just like Mikaela on Superstar just a few short months ago.
As we float down the mountain, the consequences of our actions often seem to float into the sky. We ski for fun, choosing trails that make us happy and turns that bring us joy. That is all skiing and snowboarding should be. As Bob Gibson wrote, “Our skis are the things that give me my wings and make me an eagle on high …” Skiing is supposed to be the escape from the harsh realities of life, where we can soar for just a few moments. To forget the crisis of the world and simply be for a run or two.
But like both the First and Second Amendments, these things come with great responsibility. One cannot shout “Fire!” or shoot a gun in a crowded space without endangering the lives of all around, even though we technically have a right to do both. Skiing and snowboarding are not without danger – the liability waiver we sign annually reminds us, but not too many actually read what we’re signing anymore. We make fun of the Responsibility Code and many don’t even know what it is. We need a program like the Snow Angel Foundation to remind us that our actions can affect others and ourselves.
This is my 250th column writing for the Mountain Times, and I had so wanted it to be a celebration of Killington life over the past five years. How far we have come as a community, how much we have grown since November of 2019, when I started this column with an article about U.S. Paralympic Ski Team member & Pittsfield resident Spencer Wood.
And we have grown so much. We came through the pandemic together as one Killington and are now independent of the corporations whose goal seems to be the destruction of the sport. Instead, we are leading by example, our community and resort working together to create something even greater than has been. It’s a resort dedicated to serving the community and its guests, a place that Spencer’s beloved mom, Barb, could be proud of. A place that Dan, Ray, my dad, and all our Killington Angels could be proud of. A place that Mikaela Shiffrin is proud of. A place that Team PomPom can grow up to be proud of.
A place that we can all call home. Because really, that’s what Killington is for so many of us. The place where a few stray flakes have come together to build a family. Our chosen family. Because we really have grown so much in the past five years. It’s been an honor to write this column as the realities of life have punctured the bubble of our little ski world. So much has changed, yet we continue to lean on our ski families, the resort, and the mountain to bring us through.
If I have brought any of you peace or distraction over my past 250 columns, then I have succeeded. If I have reminded you of the innate beauty of this sacred place, then these have been words not wasted. Writing this column of gratitude every week has been an honor and privilege, and I look forward to the next 250. Thank you all so much for reading and being part of my Killington family.
Merisa Sherman is a long-time Killington resident, global real estate advisor, town official, Coach PomPom and a self-proclaimed female ski bum. She is the Managing Broker of the Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty office in Killington and can be reached at [email protected].
Killington Resort rises in the distance, its peaks visible from the surrounding woods.
