​By Christine Holmberg, Executive Director
​
​2020 is quickly coming to an end and for many it could not come soon enough.  To say the last nine months have been challenging is an understatement.  There is no need for me to rehash how life as we knew it has been turned upside down.  And how there is a faint glow beginning to appear at the end of the proverbial tunnel.  We all hope 2021 is drastically different from 2020 but only if it is better than what we just went through.  I am a glass half full kinda gal and I choose to remain hopeful that calmer waters are ahead.  Just how far ahead remains to be seen but we will get there… eventually. 
Thanksgiving has come and gone and despite feeling like there is not much to be thankful for this year there are a few reasons to say “thanks.” 

• Vail and Beaver Creek Ski Resorts are both open, operating, and bustling.  Skiers and snowboarders are out enjoying some Colorado bluebird days and even a bit of fresh powder here and there.  The ski season is off to a good start and all are hopeful the lifts will remain running ALL season long. 
• Foresight Ski Guides was given the green light to operate this season, with a few obvious conditions, and reservations from our visually impaired participants (VIPs) are coming in. 
• Most of our volunteer guides are excited to return and are ready to follow the necessary protocols to allow for a safe escape to the great outdoors for our VIPs (and themselves)!

Christmas and Hanukkah are fast approaching.  All around us homes are decorated in the spirit of the season and trees are draped in brightly colored lights reminding us to have hope that better times are just around the corner.
There are plenty of reasons to “LET the door hit 2020 in the *bleep*” on its way out.  I am as ready as anyone to ‘get back to normal.’  My heart goes out to anyone who has been negatively affected by the pandemic.  We have all been touched by it in one way or another.  But despite all the heartaches and headaches and inconveniences this last year has brought there are a few things I am grateful for.
I am grateful for my family and the strength, sacrifice, and commitment they have shown in the past year.  I am grateful for my Foresight family – all the guides, shadows, and board members that support me and this incredible organization.  I am grateful for all the teachers, chaperones, family members and friends who bring our VIPs to Vail and Beaver Creek each year so they can feel the thrill, excitement, and freedom of skiing.  And I am grateful for all our blind and visually impaired participants.  Their grit, determination and perseverance inspire me beyond words.
2021… Welcome.  It’s nice to meet you.
Happy holidays and best wishes for good health for you and those you love.

​By Christine Holmberg, Executive Director

​Foresight began as the passion project of founder Mark G. Davis back in 2001 after he literally awoke one morning and discovered he had lost his functional vision due to complications of multiple sclerosis.  Mark quickly learned the adverse physical, mental, and social impacts that many blind and visually impaired individuals experience.  Having been a skier all his life Mark felt inspired to try guided skiing, a three-person system that includes the blind or visually impaired individual, a guide, and a shadow.  The guide uses verbal instruction to direct the blind or visually impaired person down the ski slope and the shadow follows to watch out for the group’s safety. Guided skiing was so empowering for Mark that he founded Foresight Ski Guides so that others with visual impairment could access that same transformative experience.  Our very founder’s story is a lesson in overcoming adversity, and we will all overcome it too and likely be better for it!

Mark retired last summer providing me with the incredible opportunity to lead this amazing organization.  But “Who is she?”, I imagine most of you are asking.  I’m Christine Holmberg, 15-year resident of the Vail Valley, mother of two teenage sons.  My passions are dancing, skiing, musical theatre, hiking, biking, laughing and goofing around with the aforementioned teenage sons and spending as much time as possible with friends and family, which isn’t enough these days!  My work history includes 7+ years as a television producer in San Francisco and Northern Nevada, 6-years in hospitality sales in the Vail Valley, 3 ½ years as a corporate event planner for a destination management company and 19 months with Foresight, first as Program Director and now as Executive Director.  Every job has been unique and challenging in its own way and though there were bumps, bruises, and yes tears along the way each taught me things about life and myself that I will forever cherish.  So, bring it on COVID-19.  If you think I’m going to let a global pandemic get in the way of the great work we do at Foresight I’ve got a message for you – No Way! 

We have some exciting things right around the corner for Foresight so stay tuned.  You might want to pull out and dust off those dancing shoes… just saying. 

Visualizing the Possibilities…