If you're going to learn how to ski, there is a certain attitude you need. Because of past skiing experience, she was greatly lacking this attitude, but she was willing to try , at first.

Since she had taken ski lessons at Blue Hills, she felt fairly comfortable with a slow "snow plow" on an almost flat surface. So, she and her parents had a group lesson, which started on a very small slope next to the ski school building. This slope was actually meant to give skiers a little extra help on their way to the lift lines.

After mastering this slope, they moved on to the bunny hill known as "Little Sister," which was comparable in size to Mount Everest to her beginner's eyes. To ascend this mountain, you couldn't walk. The only alternative was to ride the CHAIR LIFT.

It was agreed that she would ride with her dad while her mother would go with someone else. It was not comforting to know that the person she looked to for guidance was as clueless as she was. Getting on the lift was not a problem. The problem came when they were 3000 feet in the air (or so it seemed) and the lift stopped and began to sway in the wind. She sat very still and begged her dad to do the same. She had noticed some debris under the lift: a glove and a ski pole. The sight was a bit unnerving since she was convinced she would soon be joining them.

Then it was time to get off. She attempted to stand, but did this too late and was consequently pushed onto her face in the snow , right in front of the lift. Her father (at six feet, three inches and weighing roughly 265 pounds) tripped over her and also landed on his face. The lift operator had not seen them crash and kept the lift moving. After floundering around in the snow, and with the aid of two benevolent bystanders, they managed to free themselves from their snowy trap.

Then it was time to ski. Traversing the top of the mountain in a line (with her at the back of the pack), she managed to get her foot stuck in three feet of unpacked snow at the edge of the trail. After the instructor fished her out, he sent them across again. He led and she, of course, brought up the rear.

Looking down the 90 degree angle of the mountain, she saw her life flash before her eyes. She got halfway down when "Bridget," a 22-year-old model, with whom the instructor had been flirting, fell. As Bridget was not too far away from her, she couldn't ski any farther without hitting her. The instructor, in his haste to rescue the fallen model, just missed mowing down a small child, lost his balance, and fell face down on Bridget. How convenient! The instructor and Bridget (who was extremely red-faced) got up and resumed skiing.

She decided that if she tried to ski, she would end up cascading down the mountain, so she did the only logical thing, she fell. She continued falling until she reached the bottom of the hill. Then their instructor said that they were going to do it again. She laughed out loud because she honestly believed he was kidding. He wasn't. She and her dad decided to try. Their second exodus from the lift was successful, but their trip down "Little Sister" was not.

If nothing else was accomplished that day, she at least learned to fall and get up quickly. n