To Ski Is To Love

A man walked into Guest Services at a ski hill and asked for a wedding

ring, his wife’s wedding ring…. (This could be the opening line of a joke—but no this actually happened this past Sunday at Plattekill). Heather Davie, who was manning the desk, asked when he’d lost the ring, assuming it was the day before, maybe the week before. But no.

Ten years ago.

“On what trail?” she asked. He wasn’t sure. He wasn’t even skiing. It could have even been the parking lot – and the he in question, David Koehler of Taconic, was mountain biking with his wife. (Now ex wife – they divorced about five years ago as if the loss of the ring presaged a bad omen). They called the next day, the next week, the next month and the next year. No ring. But everytime he’s come skiing and riding at Plattekill he’s asked. Still no ring.

Everyone including owner Laszlo Vajtay said that no wedding rings had ever been turned in. But his wife Danielle (with her wedding ring firmly affixed to her finger) checked the safe. She thought there might be something in it. At the back hidden in a little drawer was an envelope with “wedding ring” written on it. David saw the envelope and started shaking. He said, “I’ll know if it’s it by the inscription.” He took it out, shaking even more as he held it in his palm.

And the inscription? “To ski is to love.” His said: “To love is to ski.” Truer words never spoken (or maybe never inscribed into a slim gold band). He handed it to Heather, and after studying the inscription she asked if he’d noticed the date on the ring? Feb 27, 1999. He found the ring twelve years to the day since David had originally put the ring on his wife’s finger. Of all the days, after all the years of searching for it, he found it on their anniversary. Aptly they were married at a ski resort.

Now he’s called his ex-wife to return the ring, and all we can say is the moral of the story is: They clearly weren’t skiing enough….