Now my ski experiences have mostly been at the Whitetail resort in Mercersburg Pennsylvania, which definitely is not the most advanced or expansive of resorts, but one thing I can always rely on is that I will be able to make it up the mountain safely via a chair lift. The first thing I noticed when we approached the slopes was the contraption the skiers were using to get up the mountain. It wasn't my trusty chair lift, but instead it looked like a metal ball attached to a metal pole. Katherine had gone skiing once with her host family already, so she was ready to go, but I stood on the side for a few minutes trying to figure out how exactly to use this successfully. After watching a few people gracefully hop onto the ball/pole contraption I figured that I would just have to try it and see what happened. I cautiously edged up to the front of the line and when it was my turn I grabbed a pole, placed it between my legs and leaned back. What I wasn't expecting was for the pole to jerk into place without warning and carry me up the mountain whether I was ready or not. Apparently I wasn't ready, because after about one minute of awkwardly trying to keep the metal pole in place I lost control and fell off to the side. Luckily I could see part of the downhill slope, so I took off my skis and went on a little hike through the woods to get to the slope. I had about a 60-40 success fail rate by the end of the day, so I figure that's not too shabby for a skier trained in the mountains of Mercersburg Pennsylvania. 3.14.2011
Whitetail to the Jura
Although my skiing background is far from extensive, I was determined to try my skills out while in Switzerland since I refused to leave a country where skiing is the national sport without at least trying it out. Every weekend the trains are filled with individuals, couples and families all making their way out to either the nearby Jura mountains or to the more well-known Alps. Since I am what you would consider a skier in training I decided that the Jura might be a more logical choice for my skill level, so my friend Katherine and I decided to take a day trip to La Dole which is part of the Jura mountain range, and sits on the border of France and Switzerland. The journey to the slopes only took us about 45 minutes, and after renting my gear for the day we were ready to go.
Now my ski experiences have mostly been at the Whitetail resort in Mercersburg Pennsylvania, which definitely is not the most advanced or expansive of resorts, but one thing I can always rely on is that I will be able to make it up the mountain safely via a chair lift. The first thing I noticed when we approached the slopes was the contraption the skiers were using to get up the mountain. It wasn't my trusty chair lift, but instead it looked like a metal ball attached to a metal pole. Katherine had gone skiing once with her host family already, so she was ready to go, but I stood on the side for a few minutes trying to figure out how exactly to use this successfully. After watching a few people gracefully hop onto the ball/pole contraption I figured that I would just have to try it and see what happened. I cautiously edged up to the front of the line and when it was my turn I grabbed a pole, placed it between my legs and leaned back. What I wasn't expecting was for the pole to jerk into place without warning and carry me up the mountain whether I was ready or not. Apparently I wasn't ready, because after about one minute of awkwardly trying to keep the metal pole in place I lost control and fell off to the side. Luckily I could see part of the downhill slope, so I took off my skis and went on a little hike through the woods to get to the slope. I had about a 60-40 success fail rate by the end of the day, so I figure that's not too shabby for a skier trained in the mountains of Mercersburg Pennsylvania.
Now my ski experiences have mostly been at the Whitetail resort in Mercersburg Pennsylvania, which definitely is not the most advanced or expansive of resorts, but one thing I can always rely on is that I will be able to make it up the mountain safely via a chair lift. The first thing I noticed when we approached the slopes was the contraption the skiers were using to get up the mountain. It wasn't my trusty chair lift, but instead it looked like a metal ball attached to a metal pole. Katherine had gone skiing once with her host family already, so she was ready to go, but I stood on the side for a few minutes trying to figure out how exactly to use this successfully. After watching a few people gracefully hop onto the ball/pole contraption I figured that I would just have to try it and see what happened. I cautiously edged up to the front of the line and when it was my turn I grabbed a pole, placed it between my legs and leaned back. What I wasn't expecting was for the pole to jerk into place without warning and carry me up the mountain whether I was ready or not. Apparently I wasn't ready, because after about one minute of awkwardly trying to keep the metal pole in place I lost control and fell off to the side. Luckily I could see part of the downhill slope, so I took off my skis and went on a little hike through the woods to get to the slope. I had about a 60-40 success fail rate by the end of the day, so I figure that's not too shabby for a skier trained in the mountains of Mercersburg Pennsylvania. 
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It is called a J-Bar! That is all they had in the "olden days."
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