Don't ski 

Sometimes, when someone learns that I ski, they ask my advice on getting started. They are surprised when I say it is too expensive, too dangerous, too cold, too far away, and inaccessible without a car. My advice: Don't ski, unless you have to.

We must ski. 

Perhaps it is because of family, friendships, or to transcend the hostility of winter. We are compelled to be in the middle of a mountain forest for seven hours at a stretch as a way of pushing back against the endless hours with eyes locked on a flickering screen. We ski to reclaim joy in our lives. I am thrilled to spend a day skiing when I would otherwise spend those hours to an already bloated schedule of sitting. I ski for the thrill of being intensely physical. The rest of the week, the stabbing pain in my legs each time I rise out of my chair at the computer screen recalls this magical feeling of falling down a snowy mountain. For some of us, there is no going back. I feel compelled to ski as I am compelled to bicycle. It feels right. It feels directly related to my brain function and who I am. 

I am, therefore I think: Our mind-bodies, our selves

Feeling is first (E.E. Cummings). Consciousness, in fact, begins in our bodies with feelings (Michael Pollan). Thoughts, ideas, experiences, memories, and anticipations of the world converge into feelings (Stephen Colbert). Every experience we have in this life alters the structure of our brains. I am who I am because of the ritual renewal of these physical-mental struggles.

"What then must we do?"

In the face of the conflict between the joys and the impacts of skiing, I am grateful for the opportunity to forge a connection: If ski we must, how can skiing drive social justice? Specifically, how can the successes of Vermont's ski economy translate into thriving Vermont communities?

This is the logic underlying the Stratton Community Foundation and the annual Stratton24 fundraising competition held each March. Since 2013, the Foundation has raised over three million dollars to provide everything from college scholarships to food, clothing, and shelter. Up and down the valleys of Southern Vermont, the Foundation's Angel Outreach Network of middle and high school kids, churches, and small businesses is directly connected with their neighbors, where they are able to respond whenever and wherever there is an opportunity to help. Among other things, the Foundation supports meaningful improvements to the public schools and extends access to life-altering physical and mental healthcare services.

If ski we must, let it promote thriving communities.

Please support me as I join hundreds of athletes to help children in need. Your generosity will help fight hunger, provide basic necessities, sustain critical health services, and build innovative educational programs for communities in Southern Vermont. Thank you!