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When it comes to Nordic, skiing is really the best way to learn how to ski – just getting out there and doing it. explore and get to know the Valley in a different way. The Nordic system lets you explore every nook and cranny. It’s pretty amazing how quickly you can get out into the woods and how quiet it can be there, even on a busy weekend. I definitely value alone time in the woods. The sound of the ski on the snow is always different from day to day. And for me it changes how the day feels. My perfect snow day is when there’s a packed powder base, with a dusting of fresh snow from the night before. We call that “ego snow.” You feel like you can do anything. IAN CULLISON WATERVILLE.COM �� #WVRESORT Igrew up in northwest Ohio, which is some of the flattest terrain in the country. I didn’t have an appreciation for winter until I lived somewhere where people actually like winter and aren’t just annoyed by having to shovel the driveway again. I did a summer internship with the Squam Lakes Association doing environmental work, then decided I wanted to stay through the winter. I started out working in the rental shop and doing some patrol work at the Adventure Center. Growing up, skiing for me was getting downhill rental skis at a ski area that wasn’t too far away, wasn’t too big. It was more a novelty than anything else. When I started at the Nordic Center, I did a lot of Nordic skiing on my own, figuring out the balance. I had a little intro lesson where I got a few tips and went at it on my own from there. When it comes to Nordic, skiing is really the best way to learn how to ski – just getting out there and doing it. I consider myself a pretty adventurous person. I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail two summers ago – four months and 2,600 miles. But getting outside in winter was a bit of an acquired taste at first. I would not go out on negative-25-degree days. Everyone in my family bought me winter clothes for two years. When you’re skiing, though, it doesn’t really matter how cold it is. You’re going to be warm when you’re moving. Once I got a little better at it, I started to really enjoy the hills and figuring out how to get around corners. It’s a beautiful trail system at Waterville. It’s a really great place to A FLATLANDER FINDS A WINTER PASSION HE NEVER SAW COMING ABOUT IAN Always an adventurous type, Cullison, 27, nevertheless thought of winter as the season to get through, not embrace, when growing up in the flatlands of Ohio. Now as the resort’s Adventure Center operations manager, he has found plenty to enjoy among the 75 kilometers of quiet, tranquil trails at the Nordic Center.


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