Thursday, January 20. They've spent the morning in registration and equipment lines, stretching and gearing up, laughing and greeting old friends.
Some athletes wear bright orange jerseys reading 'blind skier' in bold black print.
Many are accompanied by a volunteer in a purple NSCD jacket. After a few moments' wait, these athletes start down the three slopes, forming a single-file line that snakes across the mountainside. They're skiing together in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the National Sports Center for the Disabled. Half the people in Denver and Boulder don't know what the Center's all about. Maybe they've heard that people who are crippled can go up to Winter Park and learn to ski, but they have no idea of the quality of the instruction.