The slopes are just as much a home to me as my living room. Merely replace the couch with a ski lift and a sandwich in the kitchen with a hot dog on top of Mardi Gras and I’ll feel right at home.
Some of my best childhood memories are at Holiday Valley skiing with fellow shredders that have become lifelong friends. The winter weekends in Ellicottville can’t be beaten!
Holiday Valley truly fostered my love for skiing. I know every hidden trail and good tree run like the back of my hand.
Holiday Valley has perfectly groomed slopes, rugged tree lines, and everything in between, even for 3-year-old me that wanted to ski it all. My parents, Kristen and Peter Kreinheder, put me on skis as soon as I could walk and haven’t stopped since.
From a wobbly toddler on the magic carpet I eventually advanced to Rangers, Eagles, and HV Race Team. Not long after I joined Creekside lodge as a ski instructor and earned my Level 1 Ski Instructing certification.
After a year, I moved homes from Creekside to the bottom of Yodeler at the Holiday Valley Ski Patrol (HVSP) center. I began ski patrol training in fall of 2017. I was amongst many driven individuals who were eager to volunteer their time to the HV Patrol family.
The vetting process was a simple ski exam at the end of the 2017 ski season that picked up in the fall. Starting in September, all the candidates who passed the ski test met at the patrol center on Saturdays to begin the National Ski Patrol Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) training.
Little did I know that year was going to be one of the hardest but most rewarding years as a young adult. Along with HVSP, I was taking High School junior and senior classes simultaneously to graduate early with the plan to go on an international exchange to Germany.
After a few rigorous months of studying, I completed OEC training. Receiving that red jacket was a true feeling of accomplishment.
My grandparents, Skip Yahn and his late wife Barb Yahn, showed their support as I received my certificate of completion.
That winter I began on-hill training that focused on both ski skills and first responder training. The patrollers who trained us volunteered their time and energy every freezing Wednesday night and brisk Sunday morning.
Those orange sleds tucked away in little huts became my worst enemy. Carrying a toboggan through moguls looked a lot easier as repeat passenger than being on the other end at the handlebars.
Slowly, but surely, I became decently skilled in toboggan skiing and ranked in the top 10 in a Young Adult Patroller competition.
At the end of the 2018 ski season, Holiday Valley hosted the Eastern. Division Young Adult Patroller (YAP) Seminar. Thanks to HVSP’s sponsorship, I was able to participate in the annual seminar that gives young ski patrollers aged 15-17 the opportunity to better their skills and compete against fellow patrollers from all over the east coast.
We were judged on our ski skills, OEC training, toboggan handling, and assessment of medical emergencies. I ranked 6 overall out of about 40 patrollers. It was a huge accomplishment and tribute to HVSP.
As a kid I was a loyal customer to the HV ski patrol room, so it was my turn to give back to the organization that kept me in one piece for so many years.
To show your support for the HVSP, you can attend any of the fundraising events they have throughout the year. Keep your calendars open for next weekend’s annual Mardi Gras celebration and the Annual Holiday Valley Ski Patrol Food Drive. The 30-year-old fundraiser is one of the many ways HVSP looks out for those in the community.