Greetings one and all,
WELCOME! to the virtual headquarters of the American Ski-
My history in the sport has been relatively brief. I rode for the first time in
February 2001, and my winters will never be the same! My story is one that I'm sure
many people will be able to relate to. I have been skiing on and off for 30 years.
In recent times I found myself feeling kind of bored with the whole thing. A major
contributing factor to this state of mind is being stuck in the “intermediate rut”,
to which I am seemingly unable to remove myself without herculean effort, for which
I lack sufficient motivation. Other factors include creaky knees and leg endurance
that isn’t quite what it used to be. It’s hard to admit to, but I might be getting
older! No, forget that, it couldn’t happen to me. But I couldn’t imagine winter without
skiing, I mean, what else is there to do? So I set out to find new inspiration. First,
I bought a monoski. A unique and interesting ride, but it never quite clicked for
me. I never felt really comfortable on it. It’s a major balancing act having your
feet hitched that close together all the time. Next came skiboards. You know, those
little 90cm shorties. Great fun! Very quick and agile. Of course, not too good at
speed. They’re fun on tight woods trails and jumps and playing on the halfpipe. A
nice toy, but limited. Not something you would normally spend all day on. I suppose
I should have tried a snowboard, but after observing the torturous struggles of beginning
boarders, I wussed out on that one. Besides, it’s another major (sideways) balancing
act. I think you can see a pattern emerging here, I was searching. Then I saw a newspaper
article on Ski-
jumps in the terrain park. I felt something that I hadn’t felt skiing in a long time, PASSION! This Is it! I’ve found it! Nirvana on snow!
I come from a motorcycle background and it felt so natural and intuitive having those handlebars in my hands. I was in line at 4:00 to get that last run in and I could have kept going for hours. Hmm, I guess I must have enjoyed myself.. I immediately went out and bought a bike. Met other bikers. Rode several more times. I feel that I am now at or beyond
my skill level on skis. Which means that in the coming season I should be comfortably running the terrain of my dreams. There is nothing more addicting than success!
So now, here I am starting an organization, I feel strangely compelled. I believe the time has come, there is interest, the sport is growing. We face the same challenges that snowboarding did a decade ago. Ski area access is #1, it’s all fear of the unknown. It won’t happen overnight, it will require a patient, grass roots effort. One day at a time, the power of networking. That’s what the ASA is all about. The power of the many is stronger than the power of the few. I’m just getting the ball rolling, tossing the hat into the ring. This is your association, it has to be a group effort. The ASA can be a resource, a central cooperative. This is the beginning, there is much to learn, it will evolve over time. We need your idea’s and contributions of time and effort...
But, enough of all this. Check out the list of Ski-
Happy Trails...
Rod Ratzlaff
Director
ASA
Introduction...
Oct. 06: My new license plates, seriously cool...
