Face shots, kickers and a couple of core shots fill our morning as we laugh and high five; forgetting the phones in the truck and thinking of only the next turn and the next run. We take a tailgate lunch of salami and cheese while the snow continues to fall. Free refills!

This is when things get interesting…

Jamie, my mom’s partner, surprises our crew of eight with a truck bed full of mono skis and we have no other option than to abide. Beginner’s nerves set in and the old double lift that I grew up riding in Sun Valley (which is now at Discovery) looks awfully intimidating. We are all first-timers. Loading the chairlift is a breeze, offloading leads to a bit of carnage. Humbling.

“Visualize having one giant leg” Jamie yells as he expertly mono-carves away down the slope. Confused about how to handle only having two edges instead of four, I rely on my poles to keep my balance as I navigate the off kilter groomed run. My brother commits to his usual cruising speed and high sides immediately, I do the opposite and high side from moving too slowly. We are putting on quite the show. Consumed by hilarity, we are determined to master the art of having ‘one giant leg’.

By the third or fourth run, we are moving efficiently. Although still in the beginner stage, we are gliding from edge to edge, ducking off piste (momentarily) and even going for the small jumps on the side of the run. Remembering how much fun it can be to be a beginner again, we mono for the rest of the day. It’s incredible how much power you can get out of a turn when you have one giant leg.

We talk "mono" over beers at the local tavern and it’s obvious that we have all been hooked. Grateful for Jamie’s introduction to a new way of sliding downhill on snow, we commit to the permanent inclusion of a mono ski into each of our quivers. We spend the following day mostly mono skiing green circles. Even though there is 6” of fresh snow and having two skis would allow us access to the steeper terrain, we would rather be cruising mellow groomers and falling on our sides.

If a family that skis together, stays together; than a family that "monos" together, stays together with the doubled strength of ‘one giant leg’.

Am I right?