Miles on the Mountain

Miles on the Mountain tells the story of Charlie’s four-year journey learning to ski in Colorado’s beautiful Rocky Mountains.  This book is a simple and honest narrative that describes the ups and downs, and successes and failures of an older guy learning to ski later in life.

In 1992 Charlie moved his family from Michigan to Colorado and has never regretted that decision.  But raising six children did not leave much time or money to take up an expensive sport like skiing.  However, things changed in December 2013 when his daughter asked him if he wanted to try it just once.

From that first day on the bunny hill at the age of sixty, to skiing blue and black diamond runs in some of Colorado’s most popular ski resorts, this book is more than just a chronicle of events.  Miles on the Mountain engages you in many friendly, conversational, and sometimes humorous stories as Charlie learned to ski as a senior citizen, as well as the back story of why he waited so long to start his skiing career.

Having started skiing much later than most people do, Charlie brings a very unique perspective to the fine art of learning to ski.

Miles on the Mountain invites you to look beyond your limitations to pursue your dreams regardless of your age.

Charlie earned his Business degree from the University of South Carolina in 1986, and later earned his Master’s degree from Regis University, in Denver, Colorado.  He spent over three decades as a computer programmer in the automotive diagnostic, telecom billing, and healthcare financial industries.

In 1992, after working seven years on a GM account with Electronic Data Systems, he moved his family from Michigan to Colorado and never looked back.

But in 1995 his wife was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and so he took on the tremendous responsibility of being her caregiver.  This, as well as the challenges of raising six children, did not leave much time or money to take up an expensive sport like skiing.  But after eighteen years, at the age of sixty, that changed when his daughter asked him if he wanted to try it just once. 

From his first day on the slopes, Charlie’s love for skiing in Colorado skyrocketed, and now his only regret is that he was not able to begin earlier.