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Just after New Year, Omar Khadr headed to Banff, rented skis, boots and poles and looked up at the steep, majestic slopes of Sunshine village, a Rocky Mountain ski resort.

This was a long way from the little backyard hill at Edmonton’s Snow Valley where Khadr took his first and only ski lesson this winter.

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“Banff was very beautiful,” he said.

Photo by John Lucas / Edmonton Journal

But mountain skiing would clearly be a big adventure.

“I stayed on the green runs, but some are more intense than others. Once I almost flew off the side of the hill, another time I flailed around and lost my skis.”

Learning to ski requires a delicate balance of being in control and letting go. That’s a particular challenge for him, says Khadr.

“I’m used to having everything under control after years in prison and that’s just not possible in skiing.”

“With a little help, I can see it being entertaining,” he adds, with a smile.

Nine months ago, Khadr, 29, walked out of an Edmonton courtroom into the spring sunshine, ending 14 years in prison, four years in Canada and 10 in the U.S. military prison in Guantánamo. Since then, he has been working hard on his new life, getting to know the city, mapping out a career, adapting.