She loves to spend her time making memories in a setting filled with pale, powdery terrain, but it is not the setting you would expect for a resident of Bradley Beach.  No, senior Rachel Wolson does not plant herself on the beach. She sticks to the ski slopes.

“I was probably 2 or 3 [years-old] when I first started the baby lessons,” Wolson said. “My mom was a skier her entire life, and she has a ski condo in Vermont. She got me started as young as possible.”

Not only has she skied for a long time, it also takes a long time for Wolson to travel to where she has grown up skiing: Mount Snow, Vermont. A typical drive to the mountain takes nearly 5 hours, but this does not deter Wolson, who takes the trek just about every weekend from Thanksgiving until the end of March.

It is during these lengthy rides that Wolson catches up with her mother about life, completes any written homework and jams out with her mother to music by, as she says, “the OLD Taylor Swift!”

Due to the frequency in which Wolson skis, by her freshman year at CHS, she had gained enough knowledge and skills to become a ski instructor.

“My first two years [of instructing] I was an assistant. I helped out with the lessons but wasn’t really leading the lessons. Once you turn 16 you become a pro, and [those instructors] lead the lessons, so now I do that.”

“Leading the lessons” entails teaching different skiing techniques and methods to children from ages 4 to 6 to improve their performance and ability.

“There are seven different colors based on difficulties. I teach red and yellow. I would say yellow is probably the most difficult level because you’re teaching the kids to turn. You have to come up with many different analogies to teach the kids how to turn, but it’s really rewarding to help the kids.”

Even though she does not ski competitively, Wolson constantly feels rewarded by being a skier. Wolson says she feels lucky to be able to stay fit while doing something she enjoys. She has even gained such an affinity for Vermont, that her top college is the University of Vermont.

“My favorite part about skiing is probably being outside in the fresh air because I’m getting exercise and staying healthy while doing something I love.”