On his first family skiing trip as a child, Ira Riklis remembers his father trying to teach him how to use the herringbone method to move around on the slopes. But for a young boy wearing a pair of skis that were two feet longer than he was tall, it was a near impossibility for him to even begin to move his ski tips together in the herringbone pose.
After trying and trying—without success—for more than an hour, Ira Riklis remembers plopping himself down in the snow and starting to cry. In spite of his efforts, he’d traveled all of about three feet. It was then that his sister, who had been skiing before, stepped in and took pity on him by showing him how to sidestep. In doing so, she gave him the first skill that eventually led to a life-long love of the sport. Now, nearly forty-five years later, he’s yet to see anyone use the herringbone for simple movements around the slopes.