Ellie Reddington | Reader Athlete March 2011
Ellie Reddington
Age: 77
Residence: South Burlington
Family: Timber (dog) and Minnie Mouse, Taiga Marie, and Joseph (cats)
Occupation: Retired, volunteer Mountain Host at Stowe and Flynn Spirit
Primary sports: Nordic and Alpine skiing, road biking
VS: How did you become a Mountain Host at Stowe?
ER: Honestly, I think it’s because there was an opening for someone who could fit into a size small jacket. I was teaching downhill skiing for two school programs when I ran into some friends who were working as hosts. They dragged me over and I was hired that day. That was 23 years ago. About eight years later, John Higgins, the cross-country manager, recruited me and I’ve been at the cross-country center ever since.
VS: What do you do there?
ER: I arrive before the center opens and check with Jeff, the head groomer to see what trails I should look at. I check those out and get a general sense of the conditions. Once the guests arrive, I help them pick out a route and tell them what’s groomed and where the skiing is good. Sometimes I give them a mini lesson. Then I go back out and ski the trails so I can help folks who might need directions and answer any questions they might have.
VS: Sounds like you spend a good deal of time out on skis. Do you know how much you ski on a typical day?
ER: I ski every trail at least once so I think do roughly 30 miles a day. I’m usually out there for five and a half hours.
VS: What do you like best about working at the touring center?
ER: It’s really great to be able to help people learn how to use the equipment and to point them to trails that they’ll enjoy. It’s nice when they come back at the end of the day and tell me what a good time they had. There are people who come year after year and I think they’re happy to see that I’m still there.
VS: Do you prefer classic or skate skiing?
ER: I definitely prefer classic because if you have the right skis and the right technique it’s totally effortless. Skate skiing requires a great motor or a great dog if you’re skijoring. Unfortunately, Timber is about to turn 13, so we don’t do that anymore.
VS: Do you still find time to ski on your own outside your work days?
ER: I get out two to three days a week for either Nordic or Alpine depending on the conditions. Sometimes I’ll start the day on my Alpine skis and then head down to cross country when the snow on the mountain gets skied off.
VS: I understand you also snowboard. Is there anything kind of snow sport you don’t do?
ER: I really don’t snowboard very much or very well. I think I was 64 when I decided to try it because it looked like fun. It was something new to learn.
VS: When did you move to Vermont?
ER: I moved here in 1968. I grew up in Massachusetts but my father’s family was from Vermont and upstate New York. The first time we drove through here when I was a child I vowed I would live here someday.
VS: Have you always been an athlete?
ER: I was considered a very weird child because I wasn’t a proper little girl. I wanted to be outside and play sports, although there weren’t many options at the time. I started playing softball when I was eight and a neighbor gave me my first bat. By eating my lunch in seven minutes flat, I could play twice a day; at recess as well as gym class. By the time I was in college I was playing Class A ball. I also played field hockey and basketball and hiked a lot and swam. In college I actually taught senior lifesaving for gym credit because the instructor they had didn’t have the qualifications. I started skiing when I was a child on a hill near my house and I was hooked.
VS: In the summer you’re out on your bike a lot. Do you mountain bike as well as road bike?
ER: I haven’t mountain biked as much lately because I don’t have as many people to ride with. When my great nephew comes to visit, we go out on the trails together. I spend more time on my road bike, about 1,600 miles a year, because there are more people to go out with.
VS: What else do you do in the summer?
ER: Recently I’ve taken up kayaking. My goal for this summer is to learn to roll. I took a boat-making class a few years ago and I want to get that vessel out on the water more often.
VS: It seems as though with all those sports you would have competed in triathlons.
ER: I started doing summer triathlons when I was 50 and there were fun, local, friendly races. I haven’t done one in awhile. I was a competitive speed-skater, so I also did a number of winter triathlons, but there aren’t that many around here anymore. The best one I did was up in Ottawa along the canals.
VS: What’s the secret to still being an athlete at 77?
ER: Keep doing what you love to do. It helps to have friends who like to do the same things.