Exercise #2: Lunges

Lunge forwards onto one leg, flexing the knee through 45 degrees. Make sure your knee stays in line with the middle two toes of your foot. Push back upright and lunge forwards onto the other leg.

Skier Profile: Lisa Herrington

Ms. Lisa Herrington will be coming in from Charlestown, Massachusetts, where she lives with her lovely husband John Sutich and golden retriever Cassie. Lisa completed her law degree at Boston University and her undergraduate at Georgetown. Lisa specializes in creditors’ rights, bankruptcy and general corporate for Choate, Hall & Stewart in Boston. She is making up for lost skiing time with this trip.

Skier Profile: John Mizhir

Mr. John "Spyder" Mizhir was a late addition to this motley bunch. John will be joining us from San Diego, where he practices intellectual property law for Fish & Richardson. Prior to F&R John was a solo practitioner under a self-titled Mizhir & Associates. John is also part of the St Mike’s contingent – some of us have not seen hide nor hair of him since living the Knight Life in Vermont. When John is not practicing law, he is building spec homes in the Victor, Idaho/Jackson Hole area and competing in Ironman triathlons.

Boarder Profile: Denise Abdoo

Ms. Denise Abdoo will be joining us from Denver, Colorado, where she works as a pediatric nurse practitioner with the Kempe Child Protection Team, part of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine and The Children's Hospital. Denise owns a Vizsla mix, which by the way was used in development of other breeds including the Weimaraner and German Shorthair Pointer (thanks Wikipedia). Denise is a flexitarian which means she only eats flexi, a breakfast cereal foodstuff made from seeds of flax.

Boarder Profile: Elliot Reed

Mr. Elliot Reed was the driving force behind the amazing Les 3 Vallées France ski trip in March 2006. Elliot was born in Amersfoort, Netherlands, and currently hails from Cleveland, Ohio. He recently competed his JD/MBA at Case Western Reserve University and is a member of Toastmasters International. Elliot currently serves as the general manager of VasoLux MicroSystems, a start-up medical imaging company. Fun fact: Elliot was a pineapple picker in Maui during the 1993 season. E noho iho i ke opu weuweu, mai ho`oki`eki`e - Remain among the clumps of grass and do not elevate yourself.

Boarder Profile: Katy Downey

Ms. Kathryn "Katy" Downey is yet another one from the St. Mike’s network. Katy is Massachusetts state trooper with absolutely no authority or jurisdiction in Verbier Switzerland. Katy is completing her Masters Degree in Criminal Justice at UMass Lowell. When Katy is not fighting crime or getting a degree, she is completing Habitiat for Humanity projects in Hawaii and performing Christmas shows in Disney World. Katy is one of the few snowboarders on this trip.

Skier Profile: Marc Oettinger

Mr. Marc Oettinger is the salesman for this ski tour. Marc is a Scorpio who enjoys fine dining, dancing, art history, sunsets, water polo, equestrian polo, Ralph Lauren’s polo, and delightful conversation. Marc has drawn upon the good and the bad in planning this ski adventure. He hopes this will be the best ski trip ever.

Skier Profile: Liza Ashburn

Ms. Liza Ashburn is a good friend of Ms. Christy Fisher. Liza is a Cancer from North Carolina, works for the airlines and herself as a real estate entrepreneur. She has traveled all over the world for pleasure, not business. Liza loves crossword puzzles and sudoku. She lives in Park City, Utah, and attended college in Chapel Hill. “I can't wait to hit the slopes in Switzerland.”

Skier Profile: Terry Jennings

Mr. Terry "T-Bone" Jennings is the first non-St. Mike’s grad to be profiled here. Terry is a true Coloradian – born and raised in Parker, completed his undergraduate degree at Colorado State, and attended graduate school at Colorado School of Mines. Convinced his PhD program at Mines was not delivering the right reward, Terry emigrated from his Colorado homeland to Nuevo Mexico as a consultant for Apogen Technologies in Los Alamos. Terry has never made tele-turns outside of the lower 48.

Skier Profile: Christy Fisher

CANCELED. VERBIER IS TOO EXTREME. Ms. Christy "Chrystal" Fisher is a Boston transplant living in New York City. Originally from Marblehead, Massachusetts, Christy is an Aquarius who knows saltwater, sailing, and stiff spirits (Maddie's). Christy works in transaction advisory services for Ernst & Young, which means she loves to talk divestitures, CAPM, WACC, Herfindahl index, etc. Don’t get her started. Ms. Fisher is also a St. Mike’s alumnus. The color pink is often featured in her ski wardrobe.

Skier Profile: John Sutich

Mr. John Sutich will be joining us from Charlestown, Massachusetts, where currently resides with his wife Lisa and golden retriever Cassie. John studied political science and communications at St. Michael’s and Emerson, and currently works in government relations at Comcast. Being from Connecticut, John believed the world was flat for most of his early skiing career. When he’s not communicating politically or having government relations, John enjoys sailing, Boston Whalering, golfing, air guitaring to Rush, and baseball.

Exercise #1: Jumps to Left and Right

Try to cover a reasonable distance with each jump.

Trip Prep

Budget the following: (SFr = CHF = Swiss franc)

• Roundtrip train from Geneva to Verbier: CHF 118 (US $95)
• 6-day (all four valleys) ski pass: CHF 324 (US $260)
• Hotel 7 nights: CHF 900 (US $720)

Things to be thinking about:

1. Passport. Make sure it's current. Make a photocopy and bring along in case of loss.

2. Luggage. Generally you are allowed ONE checked bag and ONE ski bag. You can only take ONE pair of skis in a bag. Checked bags are limited to 50 pounds without fee. Think light.

3. Credit Card(s). Many companies are charging extra 3% foreign purchase transaction fee. This is applied to every transaction. Some cards like Capital One waive this fee .. so may be time to pick up a new card.