Liberation at Liberty - February 27, 2010
By Connie Lawn and Charles Sneiderman
Liberty Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania continues to live up to its reputation as one of the most fun and innovative resorts close to home. It also hosts some important events, such as this three day Wounded Warrior Weekend. And, to cap off events on Saturday, Liberty celebrated the close of the Olympics with a Torchlight Ski Down from Blue Streak at 8 pm. Skiers and snowboarders weaved down, carrying red, white, and blue glow sticks.
Liberty attracts an amazing range of visitors, from around the world. Some are very important and powerful - you know who you are. But, we are all equal on the slopes and enjoy a sense of companionship.
Snow conditions were good at Liberty, listed as groomed frozen granular and packed powder. Most trails and lifts were open, and the average base was 36 to 48 inches. Liberty got about 3 inches of natural snow Friday, but did not have as much as other resorts in our region. On the other hand, the roads were cleared by mid morning Saturday, and driving was not a problem.
The Wounded Warrior Weekends are always meaningful, and we try to cover as many as we can. They are organized by dedicated groups of volunteer workers and instructors. Liberty and local businesses, hotels, and restaurants donate their services, and a lavish banquet is held at the Gettysburg Hotel. On the slopes, skiing, boarding, tubing, lessons, and equipment are provided to the warriors and their guests. This weekend at Liberty there were 13 warriors, 11 guests, and 6 support staff volunteers. The soldiers were from Ft. Belvoir and Ft. Meade. Two of the wounded are women. All of these young men and women appear fit (despite their major injuries), and have a can do attitude. Even the soldiers who have lost limbs are terrific in their sports. All have carved new lives for themselves, in the military, or in civilian jobs that utilize their knowledge and expertise. What a price they paid. We are glad they make it to the slopes as often as possible. In addition to Liberty, there were Wounded Warrior and Special Olympics events in many other resorts around the country. They will go on as long as the snow lasts, and then a large range of summer events begin.
But, we should have at least a solid month of skiing left in our local areas. Then, think Spring Fling, and great skiing in the West. So friends, continue to think snow, at least on the slopes!
Queen Winn-Lovelace Vanessa Guevara Darrin Ingraham Tubing John Abbey and Meredith Peace, WWW organizers Leslie White, Director Blue Ridge Adaptive Snow Sports thanks Eric Flynn, CEO Ski Liberty
