For Ira Riklis, his first skiing experience started in a less-than—enjoyable way. When he was around 10, his parents packed up their three children and made the 2.5 hour drive to Hunter Mountain, the closest major ski resort to New York City. It was to be a new experience for the children. They were equipped with the latest gear, but that wasn’t saying much at the time.
Ira Riklis points out that, even though skiing dates back several thousand years, it originated as an offshoot of snowshoeing. The goal back then was to make traveling through the mountains in winter a little bit easier. Ski boots were basically hiking boots and binding were a way of strapping the boots to rudimentary skis. On his first trip, Ira’s bindings consisted of two sets of laces that had to be tied super tight. Not only was this very painful, it meant he had to spend a long, uncomfortable hour just to get strapped in.
Today the goal is recreation and fun – which is much preferred.