Remembering Andrea Mead Lawrence

"Cary...Andrea Lawrence is going to stay here during Skiing Heritage Week ". Being old friends, Merrill Ford had offered her hospitality to the great lady, and two time gold medal winner in Alpine skiing. Aspen was the site for the event in winter 2008.

But as time rolled by Mrs. Ford had to leave and couldn't be the hostess and friend, at that time, that she wanted to be.

When I saw Andrea's daughter, Didi Lawrence, at Highlands and realized that her mother would have to stay out of town, I reinvited her mother for Merrill. There would be plenty of room, and Didi's mother would be closer to the events of which she was honoree.

Virginia Ford welcomed Andrea for her mother, and came by to talk about shared memories when she could.

Over the next week we got to spend time together on a few occasions. I told her about Ride In Harmony and she was very open, even suggesting that maybe she was an Osprey (a rapter) when she skied, as “What Animal Are You?” TM is a question that I ask many skiers.

Andrea would say that she wasn't a celebrity, but didn't mind being a hero to inspire and show a path to others. She never thought there was anything that you couldn't do, from her childhood in a castle-like home alongside Pico Peak ski area, to effecting harmonious growth in the face of developement that threatened to upset the balance of Mammoth Lakes.

She was always in the present, and had the gift of great people to make you feel that you were the only one on the planet when talking with you.

Andrea, and Allison Pobrislo, who has been a friend and biographer of Andreas' story. The painting that Andrea is admiring, is from the Tonoussi Brothers of Essaouira, Morocco; Ride In Harmony TM artist-athletes.

Andrea took to Manou, renamed Ester, the late Ferenc Bercos cat, rescued from an animal shelter, by Merrill.

We seemed to bond over many things. I am a talker sometimes, and like some other great people, Andrea had the ability to make you feel as though you were the only person on the planet at the moment. I had already planned to make the NSAA convention in San Francisco and then go to Mammoth, but events conspired to keep me from making the trip.

Plan B was a trip to Mammoth, and to meet Cathy Copeland of whom Andrea thought highly. Somehow Mammoth, and Mammoth Lakes had already been on my radar screen, and it has a nice feel. In June I was able to go for a few days, and she arranged room with a friend who was out of town.

Andrea and I went to dinner my second night there, and the conversation roamed about to George Mason and Andrea's visit to Gunston Hall in Virginia, his home. George Mason, a founding father, had written the Virginia Declaration of Rights that was the template for our national Bill of Rights penned by Thomas Jefferson.

In formative fashion, he and Andrea had both lost their fathers in boating accidents at age 10. Andrea had been determined not to shed a tear. That was a shared event that influenced them both, as history will move in responce to a stimulus.

After returning, I received a package from Andrea, her book, A Practice of Mountains, so intelligently written with Sara Barnaby. I saved it until after working on a series of patent applications, then read what was a litany of the seminal themes I'd encountered since moving back to the mountains myself, in April 1980. What those themes are, you may guess by reading her book. They speak to all of us.

She thought that maybe she could still cross country ski a little, and she enjoyed a full moon hike among wild flowers with friends, but Andreas physical abilities faded. She regretted, that she didn't have more energy to pursue the projects of the Andrea Lawrence Institute for Mountains and Rivers, her ALIMAR. High on the list, was computer modeling that would enable visualization of developement effects, in advance of approvals.

There is more to say, much more. But many of the concepts of Andreas', that have mirrored my life since returning to the mountains in 1980, can be found in her book, A Practice of Mountains. I think that more than, or as a continuation of, winning two gold medals in the '52 Olympics, this was a lady, unafraid to live a life of substance and intelligence.

During one recent winter I had a commercial binding come apart while skiing, and dislocated my shoulder. Oh well, worst things have happened. But I wrote my friend Olivia Thompson, who's had over a thousand ski dives about it, and she sent back this story about her mother.

Oh wow! Hope you feel better soon. Just about two weeks ago, my mom,
Rosalyn and I were skydiving in DeLand, FL. My mom had a malfunction on
her main canopy, cut it away, and pulled her reserve. We jumped upwind
from the dropzone because of the high winds that day, so she was forced
to land off the airport. She crossed a main road, flew over a major
fence and power line area and landed in a parking lot. She ended up
boucing against a car and hit it with her full face helmet. She walked
away, injury free, at the same time to $1300 worth of damage to car with
her body impact. Pretty wild. She did a good job and made wise
decisions. The winds were high... and messy. Lesson learned. She
could've had a broken colar bone or anything... We're thankful.

Hope you rcover quickly!!! Olivia

> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: RE: Hello...
> From: cary thompson
> Date: Wed, March 19, 2008 12:53 am
> To: Olivia Thompson
> Hi Olivia,
> Speaking of which, I relocated my shoulder two weeks ago, but am back teaching as well as rehabing. It's maybe the only injury that the prognosis impoves for after 40. I'm over 40 thank goodness.

After two months of physical therapy and gym work, and challenged to keep up with a female friend who did 3 sets of 12 chin ups, I got back to the 16- 20 chin up range. Did I say back? When did that ever happen before.

Visit us at Colorado's Sunlight Mountain Resort. Ride In Harmony (TM) is an independent brand of instruction, and though not a product of Ski Sunlight, we'd like to thank the management for making this opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of Ride In Harmony(TM) to the public.

Iconic Hall of Fame Skier, and Native Voices Co-Founder, Suzy "Chapstick" Chaffee, and Cary Thompson, Ride In Harmony TM founder, have agreed to promote ski club activities jointly. Suzy will be available for a limited number of club programs, building interest in club activities, traveling to and skiing with the group, and participating in club events, during the week.

In a two page article for the Four Seasons Magazine, the in-house magazine of the luxury hotel chain.Christina Oxenberg of royal European lineage, and Aspenite and New Yorker, talked about her life and favorites here.

She was kind enough to recognize the Ride In Harmony TM method, and yours truly, for excellence in ski instruction. "I think the best ski instructor in Aspen is Cary Thompson, and his personal method of instruction is Ride In Harmony," says Christina.

The first threelessons of a Ride The Snow In Harmony ® playbook, teach the student to move the crucial hand and arm uphill and forward inside the arc of the turn. These are two.

The first example above is from "Pole Tilting", and the second from "Pointing". The second picture shows a skier entering the bottom third of the turn, beginning a pole swing to unwind and begin a new turn, but the leading relationship of the turnside sm hand is clear.

Play it safe. Build the foundation of your instruction upon the Fundamental Movement of Athletics sm, from RIDE IN HARMONY TM. Book a clinic for your ski and snowboard school. Or take a lesson from, Cary. (970) 274-0365.

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