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VIDEO: BD athlete Zack Giffin skiing with friends in Washington
Black Diamond athlete Zack Giffin put together this great video of some sweet snow he got into during Christmas 2010. The accompanying essay helps explain the tough choices he has to make when an epic day of skiing cuts into his family’s holiday time.
Every year around Christmas everyone in my family makes time for skiing with each other. It is partly because it’s the time of year, partly because most of us spend any spare time we have in the winter on snow, but mostly because it is the place we can all connect without making it feel like anyone is sacrificing to be there. This can be the one time of the year that I forget my never-ending quest to get gnarly, chill on my game plan and make the point of the day to meet my mom at the bottom. The time I spend riding the lifts with my mother is sacred to me. She has a style that is all her own. With her early 90’s former rental equipment (that she still think of as brand new), LL Bean book bag with lunch for 12 and broken zippers, and fogged prescription sun glasses in a boeri helmet with one ear flap broken so the padding sticks out like a hound dogs ear. She’ll ride next to me and when I point out my lines from previous runs she will groan and make disbelieving noises while looking at the wrong line. When I point out the real one, she will say something like “I wish you could just let me think you were doing reasonable things”. After she has decided that I must want to ski on my own, she will relocate herself to the tap room to participate in her next favorite ski hill activity: talking to young people at the bar so she can later tell me that she met my friends.
For my family skiing together is as much of a tradition as seeing the nutcracker, or singing carols is to some. That is why I feel so bad that this year the snow happened to be so good, and then the sun came out, and it was stable. What I’m really trying to say is, I’m really sorry, mom. I know you understand that I just needed to ski with my friends and make this movie but I promise we can rip together soon.
— Zack
United States / English 
14 Mar 2011, 7:00PM
Timmy,
My parents and my whole family nearly quit skiing after my younger brother Sam was buried in an avalanche in '07. So, for us to all be back out on the slopes together again is fantastic.
Recently my mom demo-ed a pair of those fat skis. I think she got a little over confident and started charging a bit too hard. She ended up tearing her rotator-cuff and now is rehabbing the injury. It may be a while before the family is back out in full force, but I'm sure come Christmas next year it will happen.
Thanks again,
Zack
10 Feb 2011, 9:45AM
Zack,
Coming from an east coast ski racing family that spent every single weekend on the hill together from the time I was 2 until college racing was done, I too share in the "sacred" xmas sesh with my family. Stratton will never be Alta for the holidays, but those groomers with my 70 yr old parents that still RIP make me grateful for a family that tossed me on skis at 2 and the many years of runs we have shared all over the world. Working in the industry, I am slowly getting mom and dad kitted out in the latest and greatest. We took them heli skiing last year and they killled it....
Thanks for the post....it makes me realize how fortunate we are that we can all still do this as a family.
Cheers,
Timmy