012409_gk_olderskiers_6 : Sports Yakima

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Debbie Hausmann her ski school classmates watch the instructor as they take part in a class for older skiers at the White Pass ski area on Jan. 24, 2009. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

Debbie and Steve Hausmann ski down the Ptarmigan ski run at the White Pass ski area as they take part in a class for older skiers on Jan. 24, 2009. Steve and Debbie didn't start lift skiing until they were in their 50s. The hardest part about starting later in life, said Steve, is "learning to embrace gravity and throw your body downhill." (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

Ski instructor Tony Fardell evaluates Steve Hausmann's technique as he skis down the Waterfall ski run at the White Pass ski area during a class on Jan. 24, 2009 "Learning to embrace gravity" has been difficult to learn after having taken up lift skiing when he was 52 years old, said Steve. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)