JACKIE ACEVEDO, left, 15, a visually impaired freshman from New London, not only had never skied before her visit to Ski Sundown Monday, but had never made a snowball. So her instructors, Nancy Leva, right, of Reading, Pa., and Moe Fallon, of Simsbury, filled her in on the basics of snowball fights - and became targets for their efforts. Jackie and other students went to the slopes in New Hartford for the first state-sponsored downhill ski group outing for blind youths. (photo not shown here)

NEW HARTFORD - - It was an ordinary winter morning on Ski Sundown's slopes Monday until 11 blind high school students clicked on ski boots and made state history.

They were on the first state-sponsored downhill ski group outing for blind youths, organized by the State Board of Education and Services for the Blind and STRIDE Adaptive Sports, a New York group that helps individuals with disabilities enjoy sports.

"I am very excited to be here because it has been one of my dreams to ski," said Kevin Burgos, 17, a Hartford Public High School junior.

Each student wore a bright orange vest labeled "Visually Impaired" or "Blind Skier" and was escorted by guides from Sundown and STRIDE programs at Catamount in New York and Jiminy Peak in Massachusetts.

"This is a very special event whether one is a skier or an instructor," said New Hartford Selectwoman Phyllis A. Webb, a Ski Sundown guest volunteer who assisted Burgos.

Before they occupied the slopes, students learned the basics, such as walking in ski boots, doing the herringbone and gliding on skis, maintaining balance, and fully relying on their guides.

"You have to become someone's eyes and maintain constant communication, "said Clark Hussey, a Jiminy Peak instructor and STRIDE's chief executive officer. "We teach students 'left, right, hold, and down in case of an emergency'. Constantly talking is so important. In fact, we tell them to stop if they don't hear us, because maybe we've fallen."

Travis Marrero, 17, the first blind student at Waterbury Arts Magnet School, did fall on the slopes. But the excitement never left his face. That enthusiasm was shared by his parents, who came to watch.

"We lost our breath when we got here," said his mother, Darcy Marrero. "It's amazing to just let go and watch him do this."

Marrero's parents nicknamed him "The Explorer" when he was an infant because his blindness never limited him.

"It never stopped him from trying new things," Darcy Marrero said. "He goes bowling, he swims with the Special Olympics, he reads Braille. He's overcome many fears because he'll try anything once."

William Ridley, one of Marrero's teachers, said the event allowed students to gain confidence.

"For blind students, their world is based on what they feel, so this experience opens up their other senses," Ridley said. "If they can do this, what else can they do?"

"I never thought I could do this alone," Burgos said after gliding down a gentle slope without assistance.

Rocio Pauta, 14, of Danbury, wanted to prove that she could do it. Originally from Ecuador, Rocio could not get enough of the thrill of powdered snow under her skis. As soon as she would reach the bottom of the slope, she'd usher her instructors toward the ski lift. Her trust in the two men holding her arms was obvious.

"They trust the instructors right away because they trust the people who brought them here," said Marc Katz, a teacher for the visually impaired in Hartford schools.

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