Going downhill can be good

It’s the time of year when snow can start falling, and that’s when some people trade the plains of northeast Colorado for the mountains as they fly down the slopes on their snow skis and snowboards.

Garrett Sporhase started snow skiing when he was 8 or 9 years old, and it has become something that he shares with his family every year as an activity they can all do together. He said having a shared interest like skiing connects them as a family and has brought them closer together.

He said his wife, Julie, grew up skiing and skied a lot in college, and they have been teaching their 16-year-old son, Caden, and 12-year-old daughter, Kinley, how to ski for the last five years.  

“Everybody’s a good skier now,” Garrett said. “Every member of the family really likes it.” He added that Caden is getting to the point where he’s challenging Garrett’s skill level.

The continuous challenge to increase a skier’s skill level is one of the things that drew Garrett to the sport. He pointed out that skiing is athletic, challenging and fun, and there’s always another level to get to that makes mastering it very difficult.

That challenge is a big part of what makes skiing fun, Garrett said. “It’s a rush. It can be scary because sometimes you push yourself and can get out of control, and you’re heading downhill with obstacles in the way.”

Garrett said he and his family try to go skiing about five to six days per year, and the season typically runs from around Thanksgiving to March, depending on the snow levels.

They frequent Copper Mountain quite a bit, but they have their favorite restaurants, places to stay and more for each resort they visit. This season, they plan to ski at Steamboat Springs, which is a place they have never skied.

Garrett, who grew up in Holyoke, said he learned how to snowboard by getting pulled behind a snowmobile. He went on skiing trips with his family and church groups as a child. He said he has always liked skiing more than snowboarding, saying it can be easier to fall while snowboarding since both feet are attached to the board.

He noted that he has always liked active vacations that allow him to get out and move as opposed to something stationary, such as sitting on a beach.

Garrett said he skied at many different places with friends when he was younger, and his weekend job in college was at the Powderhorn Mountain Resort near Grand Junction.

“My grades suffered because I liked skiing more than school,” he laughed.

He has seen some changes in the sport over the years. Technology has made the ski lifts much faster, allowing them to get a lot more skiing in during their trips. Better technology has also made their equipment safer and more durable.

“When I first got started, you wouldn’t be caught with a helmet on,” Garrett said, pointing out that wearing a helmet wasn’t seen as popular at that time, but now skiers wear them as a standard part of their equipment.

Being prepared in terms of equipment and clothing is very important when it comes to skiing. Garrett said one of the key points to remember is to get good warm clothes that can reduce the impact of cold temperatures.

“If you don’t have good clothing, you’ll have a miserable time,” he said.

Noting that skiing can be frustrating to learn, Garrett also advised that people who are thinking about skiing for the first time should take lessons and not try to learn on their own.

“When you get tired, go take a break,” Garrett said in words of advice for beginner skiers. “People get hurt when they’re tired.”

Garrett also touched briefly on some of the skiing and snowboarding lingo, like pow for fresh powder snow. One of his favorites is yelling “Yard sale!” good-naturedly when someone wipes out on the slope. When people fall, they often drop their skis, ski poles and other items on the snow, and their possessions are gathered around them like they would be at a yard sale.

With snow skiing’s many athletic challenges and its own lingo and culture, it’s clear that there are many reasons to like the sport. Another reason, of course, is the beauty of being outdoors in the mountains.

“There’s something special about riding a lift to the top,” Garrett said. “It’s glorious and beautiful.”

Sharing that moment with his family each time they go skiing is something that they can always remember as they continue to hit the slopes in the future.