Confession of a Ski Bum

Confessions of a Ski Bum

There are some events, experiences, actions you take to the grave, however with this new means of communication I doubt if my kids, wife and priest will ever find out that I shared with you a family secret on this site. So I am sharing a “skiing experiance” rarely told and I am sure it will never be repeated since this is a family secret and you are now part of the family.

I never told anyone that I was (not sure if I should use past tense) a ski bum! Never liked the image given to this “animal” but I must after all these years accept that I fit the profile. Ski bums are like lone wolves who rarely, if ever share their “secret ways” that is,,,,, how to ski for free. This is a rare glimpse into this world of skiing for free!

Even when married with 4 kids, two jobs, a “serious title”, respectable appearance,,I would “disappear” for weeks. Some go to religious retreats, some go to Nepal and others find solice in Ashrams. I just disappeared when the snow got too high and I came back a new man!

This is one of my adventures.

I love to find those quiet, hidden undiscovered ski resorts. The diamonds in the rough. In one of my discovery expeditions I found myself in a small village. A special village where a “miracle happened” many years ago and now a huge cathederal was erected with hotels, inns and restaurants for the “faithful” who came every year hoping that miracle will occur again to their crippled child, sick sister, mother or lost father. Thousands would converge on this place for a brief few weeks. Then in the winter it was a ghost village.

By sheer chance a few miles away was a ski resort. No,,,, a great ski resort that was not yet discovered so only the “in skiers” knew about this place.

After a day of great skiing with no lifts lines, few skiers on all the runs, I looked for a place to stay. Most, if not all skiers would drive 30 km but I was too tired to drive back to the big city and the big hotels. I looked for a hotel in this deserted village. All were closed.

Finally in desperation I asked a policemen for any clean small inn, after some thought he suggested a restaurant that had some rooms above. Have you every seen the program, “Twilight Zone”? I am sure you have not, but let me set the stage. Deserted streets, closed shops, Silence. At the end of a deserted street was a small light with a flickering neon sign, “Ouvert”! I nearly turned around and drove to the big city like all the rest of the skiers!

I have this ski bum addiction, so I took a deep breath, walked in and saw a 40 year old plump mama straight from an Italian movie!

Soon I was eating the best home cooked meal I ever had in a restaurant. Soon I knew all about her son who was a priest in that huge Catheral and the 5 others gone far away to Africa, Asia as missionaries. I also found out that this warm, wonderful kind hearted women had 5 hotels along the road leading to the ski hill! All closed during the winter.
I was the first skier who had eaten at her resto and I was going to be the first skier sleeping upstairs. She was doing me a favor as a good Christian since she only accepted pilgrims! After 2 hours of ecclesiatic discussion she saw that I was no danger and although not a “believer” I knew something about her religion.

Since I got up too early for her, she gave me the key to her resto, showed me how to open propane stoves, make my coffee and breakfast and close the front door!

I had a glorious 10 days of skiing and at the end of my stay,, I surprised her and her husband by preparing one of my very best Russian meals! This meal ended at 1 AM. I convinced her during our ‘religious discussions” ( she had never met someone who did not believe in miracles) that her 5 hotels had potentential for future business in the winter. Initially she refused my point, since she did not know skiers. “Were they not all drinkers, wild, and “womenizers” she asked? I replied, “well not all, look at me, quiet, respectful, reponsible and I do make my own bed”!!! That convinced her to try opening one hotel as a test!

I tried to explain to her that skiers are a little different than the pilgrims coming to this “holy” place for a miracle, but yet they are also like the pilgrims. They want miracles, they pray to a higher being and they sleep and eat like all others! Most important they pay like those summer guests!

We agreed that she would open up one hotel in three weeks and I would come and organize a “Fondue Party”! Since this a was new “activity” and she had no idea what a fondue was, I would organize it. It was to stop the flow of tired skiers from driving 30 miles to the big city after a day of skiing!
I made posters and placed them all over the ski chalet, bathrooms, cars etc,,, “Free cheesse fondou at Hotel Bellevue”! I had all the cheese ready and soon skiers were coming in! After 30 minutes I put some music on, and the dancing began, by 10 PM all the rooms were full and the bar total (yes there was a bar,,,,silly,,,, pilgrims drink also) was better for that one night than 1 week in the summer months ( they do not drink as much as skiers however).
Seems skier eat a little more, dance a little more and drink a little more than pilgrims!

I cleaned up the bar at 1 AM and dragged myself to my room since I had skied all day also. In the morning I found a short note on my door. A request for a meeting that afternoon! “Oh no”, I thought they did not like the skiers. They made too much noise.

I was going to get the boot!

I did not ski very well that day. Could not concentrate, always thinking what would happen later on at the hotel.
At 5 PM I entered the hotel. There was the owner sipping her coffee. Serious,,,to serious. Bad sign!
When I got to her table, she gets up and hugs me and gives me a big kiss. You know the kind Italian mothers give their “bambinos”! Wet and full of love anf hugs!

“Pavel,Pavel” she blurs out! You have free room for the year! You must teach me this fondue thing and this strange music you play, how do you get this” she asked! “These skier,,they are not bad people. I like them” she exclaims between kisses and hugs.

So I found my second mother. She had a room for me ready every Friday. Soon my family was invited since she found out I had a family and “it was not right to leave four children and wife all alone”

In four weeks all her five hotels were opened and the fondue parties were the “skiing event” of the season! Perhaps because it was free. ( the bar receipts justified this) and “mama” as all skiers called her became the “mother host” of all the skiers. Now all skiers were stopping at “mamas”! So for five years my family and I had a free room and free ski lifts. In return my wife would be at the bar. My sons would serve meals , clean floor and make that fondue! That is where one of my girls met her future husband. That is where my network of skier contacts began since many were future skiing marketing directors, future ski racers, skiing coaches etc,,,

But my greatest thrill was when all the skiers invited “mama” to the ski center in the Spring one year, put her on skis (she was 50 and well over 200lbs) and had a huge table all set for her at the top. She was hosted with the finest French meal and she admitted two things at the end of the meal,while her tears flowed.

One, that French meals are as good as Italian meals.

Two that skiers, perhaps more sinful than her summer pilgrims are more fun and “loving”! All she regreted was not having met me earlier in her life!

So if ever you by chance see an old, old picture of some 50 skiers sitting outdoor around a long table, on top of a ski mountain and a huge, proud beaming Italian women at the head of the table, that is mama.

She was the best, warmest non-skier skier in the world!

Yet again Pavel, another heart warming story. Thank You

Great story, Pavel.

G

gdbn,,,
In my excitement to share this story and yes, it was very late,I forgot the very best.

The ending and the reason why I,,,,, to this very day wonder if I still am a ski bum.

You see when mama died, she left all her 'holdings" (seems she was richer than anyone thought) to the church. There was one small condition.

Every year on exactly the same day that I entered , with trepidation her small restaurant with the blinking neon, I get a small card and in it is a thank you note and a season's pass for my family to this now huge mega ski center with condos,pools, slides, discos and all those Disneyworld "attractions"!

I do not have the heart to go to the top and pass by the spot where mama cried. After all she was my second mama!

Great story Pavel.... that restors my faith that there are some real genuine people out there.

nice story and a touching ending

I always have a vivid picture in my mind whilst reading these stories.

the question is - who would play Pavel in a story of his life? Mike, you've met him...?

what can we do to get you to tell us which resort you're talking about, Pavel???

Confessions in "that sacred cell" are sacred.

Mike remember your vows as a ,,,,,, You must never reveal the confessions of a desperate ski bum!

All I can say is that part of my former knee is resting in the front door of this cathederal among all the other braces, canes, back braces etc,,,,,evidence of the "miracles" made !

This village exists, this cathederal is well visited (not so much by skiers but "believers")

This old old picture hangs in a lobby of the ski resort where thousands of skiers pass by,,never knowing the story behind this picture!

But some day,,you will be skiing and something will tell you to look at that skier that looks as good as DaveMac,,,,,maybe just maybe!