Snow Day

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

—PROVERBS 22:6

On a cold February evening at Maple Ski Ridge in Schenectady, N.Y., Captain Bree Barker, an experienced skier and snowboarder, showed Dominick Fogle the proper way to stand after a fall on his board.

“When you start these activities, you are going to fall a lot,” says Barker. “And when you fall in the snow with your skis or snowboard, and all your heavy gear on you, it’s a task just to get back up. It’s never fun to fall, but staying down after falling isn’t much fun either. Perseverance is needed in life and on the slopes.”

Barker teamed up with local winter sports teachers to bring children from several Salvation Army corps in upstate New York to the slopes for lessons that would stay with them long after their snow day. A young person who sees a snow-covered hill or mountain for the first time realizes that there’s so much in the world they’ve yet to experience, Barker says. And despite the fast-paced nature of winter sports, the logistics of traveling up and down the mountain create opportunities to connect.

“There’s a lot of time spent on the ski lift as you’re being taken back up the slope for your next ride down,” says Barker. “Just doing that opens up conversations and one-on-one ministry.”

photo by Kevin Diaz