First Family's Ski Escape Celebrates Chelsea's 18th Birthday

PARK CITY, Utah (AllPolitics, Feb. 27) -- President Bill Clinton joined his wife and daughter at the Deer Valley Resort for a private weekend celebration of Chelsea Clinton's 18th birthday.

The first family changed plans last week to indulge Chelsea's birthday wish for a ski retreat. But don't expect the president to hit the slopes. "I'm going to stay in the cabin and read," Clinton told reporters.

Utah's self-proclaimed "greatest snow on Earth" won't be wasted on all the Clintons, as first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea have already taken advantage of four feet of fresh power. "My girls can ski," the president said.

Mother and daughter arrived at the exclusive resort, about 25 miles east of Salt Lake City, Monday night and have enjoyed multiple runs down the mountain together, with skiing Secret Service agents in tow. The president arrived Thursday night from California where he surveyed El Nin˜o-related storm damage.

Deer Valley boasts 14 chairlifts and 68 ski runs and will host the slalom and freestyle competitions during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. During his stay Clinton plans to announce roughly $60 million in transportation grants to help with preparations for those games, administration officials tell CNN.

Despite the ideal ski conditions, the president plans to relax indoors. Though an avid golfer and jogger, the president says he learned the hard way that skiing is not his sport. And having recovered from an injury to the right knee last year, the president is not risking it again.

Clinton told reporters of his one-and-only attempt at skiing 14 years ago in Sun Valley, Idaho, ended with torn ligaments in his left knee. His ski instructor was "a 20-year-old blonde Adonis," Clinton recalled. "I hated that guy."

At the end of a day of repeated tumbles, the ski instructor asked Clinton what he did for a living and was surprised to learn he was the governor of Arkansas. "I thought you were a steel worker," the instructor told him.

The Clintons originally planned to spend this time at Stanford University, where Chelsea is a freshman, for parent's weekend. The last-minute itinerary change forced White House aides to scramble to arrange the necessary communications and security that always accompanies the president.

"They just wanted to make her birthday special. This is what Chelsea wanted to do," said Marsha Berry, a spokeswoman for Mrs. Clinton.

The family is staying at the home of Hollywood executive Jeffrey Katzenberg. The gated multimillion-dollar "cabin" has several intermediate ski runs just off the backyard.

Katzenberg, co-partner with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen in DreamWorks SKG, is a big donor to Clinton and other Democrats, and has stayed at the White House on several occasions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Friday Feb. 27, 1998

• Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Line-Item Veto Case
• Gingrich Takes Steps Toward A Presidential Bid
• Southern Republicans Gather For A Straw Poll
• Sources: White House Aide Blumenthal Refused To Answer Questions
• Clinton To Call For National DUI Standard
• First Family's Ski Escape Celebrates Chelsea's 18th Birthday
• Clinton Announces Salt Lake City Olympics Grants
• Gore Urges Congress To Pass Tobacco Legislation
• Pentagon Bosses Let Tripp Work At Home
• Clinton Will Urge FEC To Limit 'Soft Money'