The Ski New Zealand Dream

Posted by Mitch Kaplan Aug 23, 2006

This is a dream come true.

As this is posted, I'll be landing in Queenstown, New Zealand, beginning two weeks of skiing and travel.

It's been a long time coming.

I first met my friend John more than 30 years ago. A native New Zealander, he'd come to New Jersey to teach chemistry at one of the local high schools while earning as Masters' degree.

Some friends of mine were sharing a house, and looking for a roommate. They chose John because he said, "I ski a bit."

We were relatively novice skiers back then. Turns out John wasn't. He was much better at it than we.

He joined a group of us who were taking shares in a Vermont ski house, and for four years we skied together as he regaled us with stories about New Zealand.

Then he went home.

A few years later, he came back. This time to do post-doctoral work at the University of New Hampshire. And, he brought a wife with him-Diana. Another skier. They were happily welcomed back to the ski house.

Two more years, and they moved to Montreal from whence they would, about two times a month, meet me at the Vermont house and help me make skiers out of my then quite young children. Since our family's mom didn't ski (and still doesn't), I have been forever grateful for their willingness to play skiing aunt and uncle.

Then they went home.

Permanently.

Since then, they've returned for some visits, and we met once in Banff for a ski week. But, it's been a dream to go to their part of the world, to ski the hills I'd heard so much about from them and to see what everyone says is a most remarkable country.

This destination has been on my A-list for so long, I find it hard to believe I'm actually going. But, if you're reading this, I'm already there.

Well, alright!

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