Page 118 - Flathead Living // Spring 2015

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FLATHEAD LIVING | SPRING 2015
BY THE TIME SUNLIGHT HAD CRAWLED UP THE WHITE SLOPES OF THE SURROUNDING PEAKS, THE STUDENT-ATHLETES AT RIDGE MOUNTAIN ACADEMY WERE ALREADY PREPARING FOR THE DAY’S ADVENTURE.
It began with a healthy
breakfast in the main kitchen
of the 16-acre campus where
the students from around the
country live and study during
the winter semester from January through May. Each student, utilizing the nutritional advice they receive throughout their time here, cooked up hearty meals and eased into the morn- ing. Some days begin with a yoga session or early workout.
But on this day it was time to gear up — donning top- notch equipment and apparel that would fit appropriately on a professional athlete — before departing for a rather unique classroom: the vast slopes of Whitefish Mountain Resort.
Under the tutelage of Billy O’Donnell, a professional skier, and a crew of highly trained coaches, the five students spent the day honing their technical skills on skis and snowboards. Each individual weaved downhill, working on pivot slips and fluid turns while their mentors watched each and every turn, pitching individual feedback to the young men.
Front and center was O’Donnell, the academy’s energetic and visionary founder. He described skiing the same way a painter discusses artwork, praising the transcendent qualities of the sport and the creativity that should drive it.
“I don’t want you to ski like a robot. Be creative. Be dynamic on the snow,” he said before diving downhill with a
ABOVE Tom Danley, a ski coach at RIDGE Mountain Academy, leads stretching at Whitefish Mountain Resort.