On July 29th of this year, in the throes of a summer heatwave, Laurie Bruyère, a teacher at Williamstown Public School, posted to her Facebook page: “To be back skiing again…sigh.” She’ll readily admit that she lives for winter because “it’s the most magical time of the year.”
“When I was in high school, I worked at Big Ben ski hill. I’d run the little canteen inside and work the tow rope. Back then, I didn’t have a crazy love for skiing and was busy with other sports. My dad took us kids to Titus once or twice a year, but that was the extent of my winter excursions.
My passion for winter and skiing came on when I had my kids. Now, every Saturday during the winter months, I bring Owen, 11, and Olivia, 8, to the ski hill no matter what. We leave the house at about quarter to seven in the morning and we’re gone until eight o’clock at night.
It might be mild and pouring rain, or -40 degrees Celcius with the windchill. Doesn’t matter. We are at Titus. And we are there to ski. We rarely head into the chalet, except to eat our packed lunch.
I absolutely love the days when I get to watch my kids zip down the mountain, but more than that I love that I get to ski with them. They don’t really need me anymore, but they still choose to hang out with me. I feel pretty great about that.”
Illustration: Kyle Beaudette
