A Very Special Man

Teaching a Blind Man to Ski

by Mary Swaim

We have a unique man living in our neck of the woods. His name is Ron. He walks up to 30 miles a day. One day he showed up on our mountain. He wanted ski lessons. Well over six feet tall and weighing 190 lbs., he also carried one of those collapsible white canes. Ron is blind.

Now, I wasn't born yesterday, okay. I've heard of Winter Park, Colorado. I know blind people can learn to ski. I just didn't know how. I began to slink around to the back of our line-up. I wondered who would get to teach this blind man. Then I thought of Julie! Julie has worked with special people on our hill for years! Julie could teach him. I looked around but I didn't see Julie-Anywhere. By now I was squatting down behind the other instructors, who would get the luck of the draw?

Art Hathaway was assigned to Ron. I breathed a huge sigh of relief-not because I didn't get ron but because Ron got Art. Art can do anything! He can do anything from dancing on the beams in our bar to teaching a blind man to ski. Art could probably walk on water. It wouldn't surprise me. He and his wife, Teresa, are tow of the nicest and most talented instructors on our mountain.

While I was still trying to figure out how Ron could walk for miles without getting hit by a car, Art was teaching Ron to ski. He taught Ron the feel his way down the mountain. Art used his hands to touch Ron's feet or knees to teach balance, edge, rotary, pressure. When Art first took Ron up the hill he skied backwards in front of Ron. Gently easing him down the hill. Soon he was skiing behind Ron, explaining the terrain, telling him when to make short, medium or long radius turns. Did Ron enjoy skiing? I'm assuming he did because he came back again and again and again and if he wasn't skiing, you could generally find him hanging out with us in the lodge.