Once upon a time I saw a t-rex dinosaur. The t-rex was eating
trees. The dinosaur looked at me and it looked like he was going
to eat me! I had better get skiing fast! That t-rex was on his
way toward me! I skied far and fast until I was away from the
t-rex completely.
I turned the corner and there was an armadillo. I jumped over
that armadillo on my skis. The armadillo looked surprised. I
don’t know very much about armadillos so I decided not
to stay around.
As I skied along the trail I then ran into a spaceship that
had just landed. I saw four aliens come out of the spaceship.
They saw me but did not bother me. I asked them if they wanted
to be my friend. They said “No!” We started to fight!
But I had my skis on and jabbed their spiny skin with the back
of my skis. The jabbing made the aliens giggle. While they were
rolling on the ground laughing, I skied away.
Then I woke up. What a dream!
Maddy Pfieffer
J-5 Andover Outing Club
Being in Yellowstone
Being outside on a cold wintry day, enjoying the scenic views
in New England, and being able to glide down and up the hills.
This is real x-country skiing, something my family has been
enjoying for a long time. I have skied many years, and at many
different places. Only one of those places stands out in my
mind.
That was four years ago, when my family and I went to Lone Mountain
Ranch, a x-country skiing resort set in the quiet hills of Big
Sky, Montana. It was a fun and exciting trip, and considering
I was only 8 years old, I was exposed to a whole new world outside
of my home in Williston, Vermont. I will never forget the wildlife,
the spectacular views of Lone Mountain, the trip into Yellowstone,
and the wonderful ski trails.
In Yellowstone, my family and I saw amazing wildlife, and beautiful
views. It might have been the Elk hiding behind a riverbank,
or the Bighorn Sheep we saw on the rocky cliffs, but somehow
I knew that I was one of the luckiest 8 year olds on the planet.
Skiing through the vast, open fields of snow was like skiing
through paradise. The snow was perfect for wax-less skis, and
the weather couldn’t have been better. I was with my family,
and that was all I needed for a good time. Seeing the abundance
of wildlife and the snow-capped mountains around me was beyond
belief, and being in Yellowstone is something I will never forget.
Phoebe Erdman
J-3 Sleepy Hollow BKL
The Race
On December 30—right after Christmas I was testing out
my new skis in my backyard. As I was going I saw—what was
it? It looked like an elf running in my direction. It couldn’t
be an elf. It was. He was right in front of me like a little
man.
“I must be dreaming,” I muttered to myself.
“Greetings Mr. Giant!” said the elf, “My name
is Smog and I’m an elf.”
“I can see that and call me Will,” I said.
“Alright, alright, but we must stop chattering or we’ll
miss the race!” said Smog taking my pole and walking towards
the woods.
“Race, what race?” I asked.
“Why, the most important race in all of Shmockland don’t
you know!” said the elf, “And I said stop the chatter,
we must get a move on.”
We didn’t talk much after that. Until we got to a little
hole in the snow, this was (I didn’t know yet) the opening
of a great adventure.
Smog said, “Just jump into the hole and it’ll take
you right there.”
“Where?” I asked.
“No time for questions,” exclaimed Smog as he pushed
me in.
I fell and amazingly got sucked right into the hole. It was
the greatest sensation I had ever felt (except for skiing).
Finally, after about two minutes I landed with a thud. I looked
around—snow was surrounding me. A large crowd was huddled
together in front of a man who was talking through a microphone,
“It’s now time for the race!”
I raced. I came in first out of 999 and from that day on I went
to the hole on December 30, so I could race again.
A Birthday at Koly’s
“Come on!” Kate called as she packed her skies into
the car. “I want to be able to ski longer than an hour
this time.” The front door opened, and out came Mr. and
Mrs. Ashby, holding her three-year-old twin sisters Aggie and
Laura followed by Joe, who was eight. At ten thirty they reached
the cross-country ski resort, with the big blue sign in front
reading,
KOLY’S CROSS-COUNTRY SKI RESORT
with a background of skiers in the mountains. Being the oldest,
Kate of course wanted to do harder trails than the younger ones
could manage, so by lunchtime she was getting pretty bored of
the easy trails. “Couldn’t I go out with you or dad?”
she asked her mom. “Sorry but Aggie and Laura are getting
tired, and I think Joe is too,” said her mother. On the
way home Mrs. Ashby said, “Kate your birthday is tomorrow,
what do you want?” “A new pair of combi racing skis,”
said Kate. “That sounds like a good present,” said
Mr. Ashby, smiling.
The next morning Kate woke up feeling excited. It was a moment
before she realized it was January eleventh, her thirteenth
birthday! Quickly she got dressed and went downstairs. “Happy
Birthday Kate!” Joe called running over to her. “Look
what I made for you!” He held out a rolled up piece of
paper. Kate smiled at him and unrolled it, inside was a picture
of her on her skis. “Thanks Joe,” she said. Joe beamed.
But it was the birthday card that her mother handed her that
was the best present of all. Inside the card it said,
Dear Kate,
Happy 13th Birthday. For your birthday we are going to take
you to Bob’s Ski Rack to get new skis, and tomorrow we
will buy you and 2 of your friends all day ski passes to Koly’s.
Have fun!
Love Mom & Dad
That afternoon Kate and her parents (the twins and Joe were
at home with grandma) went to Bob’s to get her new skis.
Kate got a pair of blue and red combi skis, along with a pair
of adjustable poles. “Do you like them?” Mrs. Ashby
asked. “I love them Mom, thank you so much.”
The next morning by eight thirty Kate and her best friends Emily
and Molly were ready to go. They reached Koly’s at nine
o’clock, bought passes and were on their way.
Kate thought it was the best day ever. They went on all the
hard trails, and to the lodge for hot chocolate. They skied
for seven hours taking stops for breaks at the little shelters
along the way. By the time the day was over Kate decided it
had been the best day ever. When Mrs. Ashby picked them up at
seven thirty she asked, “How was your day girls?”
“It was great mom.” Emily and Molly agreed.
Sophie Abrahams-Dematte
J-3 Souhegan Valley BKL
The Moonlight Ski
When the moon is full, we can expect a call from Mrs. Miller,
one of our BKL coaches. She loves to ski when there’s a
full moon, maybe she’s part werewolf! One ski I’ll
never forget is the Moonlight Mist Monster ski last March.
Mrs. Miller, her sons, Owen and Denny, my mom, my sister, Keely,
and I met at Mountain Meadows. It was a bright moon, with no
clouds in the sky. We started skiing on the pond and suddenly
noticed some mist coming toward us from seemingly nowhere. Owen
and I started making up a story about a Mist Monster. At first,
it was funny, but then the mist started to catch up with us.
The mist was so thick that the moon was but a hidden glow in
the sky.
Our laughter was silenced by a groan under the ice. Our group
as at the farthest edge from the shop now, so we started to
sprint across the middle of the pond, fearing that we might
disappear into the teeth of the Mist Monster. We tired easily,
trying to break trail through a thick, wet, March snow, but
didn’t want to stop. I started getting worried about getting
lost in the mist, when happily, I saw the hill that led to the
shop and yelled, “We’re almost there!” Everyone’s
spirits lifted, and with them, the mist did, too. I wonder if
the Mist Monster will return this March?
Jimmy Levins
J-3 Mountain Meadows BKL
The Ski Race
Amy stopped short. She had to go down the big hill? By herself?
Now way!
All week Amy thought of nothing except the big hill at the start
of the ski race. The thoughts stood horribly in Amy’s mind.
When the day came she acted slowly so she would miss some of
it. But her plans were ruined by her mother, who was always
rushing.
Amy got there on time. She worried when she went inside to talk
about the race. She worried when she and her teammates went
outside. She worried when she put her skis on. She worried when
the racers set in position. She worried when…
“Go!”
Amy skied. As she went, her long, curly hair flapped on her
face. The sight was wonderful. Amy had the best time of her
life.
Amy didn’t win. Did she care? Not at all!
That night, this is what Amy wrote in her diary:
Today I learned a lesson. A lesson that I will teach to my children,
and they will teach to theirs. I learned that you should not
worry about the future; sometimes things are not as hard as
they seem. Here is an example…