Some folks call them the flying nuns. But the Reverend Mother Mary Katrina and Sister Marie Francine call themselves the "Our Lady of the Snow Ski Club."
The two Catholic nuns were schussing down the slopes at Schweitzer Mountain Resort recently, and the other skiers wouldn't leave them alone."They want us to pray for them or have their picture taken with us. Lots ask if we are real nuns," said Sister Francine, 27. "It's a good question. You don't see many nuns anymore."
At least not skiing nuns, with only their faces and ski boots poking out of their traditional blue-and-white habits.
"The lifties call us the flying nuns," Mother Katrina said.
The nuns were on a three-day ski holiday from their convent in Colbert, Wash., where they belong to the Mary Immaculate Queen Order.
The two are accustomed to ribbings about their ski attire. Just as they ended one downhill run, a passer-by quipped: "I see you're making a habit out of skiing."
"We don't mind the attention," Mother Katrina said. "We wear this to represent the traditional way of life, and if you can ski in it too, why not?"
Other nuns at the convent made the sisters matching blue and white ski jackets to go with their habits. And a St. Christopher medal hangs from the zipper.
The sisters also wear snow pants underneath to keep them warm.