Oriah is a sweet 6-year-old girl with a bright smile and a contagious laugh despite her difficulty hearing. She loves the new Disney movie “Moana” as much as she loves cheetahs. She started out this year skiing at Ignite with the help of tethers and what she affectionately calls a “thing-a-majig,” a modified bungee cord that keeps the tips of her skis together. On her second day, however, she wanted to challenge herself.
At the top of the first slope, she chose to go without tethers, and soon after she was taking the lead, could turn and stop without the “thing-a-majig,” and improved her balance technique when her instructors told her to imagine carrying a tray with cups of ginger ale down the mountain. She was excited for adventure, and wanted to tackle challenges like Fun Gulley and the rollers at the Tenderfoot Terrain Park.
When asked about her favorite parts about skiing, she said “exercise,” “stopping,” or simply “skiing.” Next time she’s at Ignite, she wants to work on “the ski lift!” because “it’s fun, and you get to take a ride.”
As rapidly as Oriah is progressing, she only wants the same for others. Her advice to any kids like her thinking about skiing with Ignite is to “be listening” and “be polite to trainers so that they help you … so they’ll take you skiing. And you want to go skiing, I bet.”