CLINTON -- A Clinton couple recently found a way to combine Yankee ingenuity with their passion for skiing and love for their newborn baby.

Rob and Liz Wilbur have turned their backyard into a ski terrain park complete with ski and snowboard jumps, a rope tow powered by a motorcycle, and a homemade groomer.

"I just let my imagination go wild," Rob Wilbur said with pride as he looked out the kitchen window of his home at 77 Pleasant St. "We call it 'The 77.' It's getting bigger and better with every snowstorm."

The ski park came about because the couple wanted to enjoy the sport without having to leave home with a newborn baby in tow or spending lots of money.

Most of the materials were on hand or created, according to Rob Wilbur, a registered nurse. He said he spent $60 -- roughly the cost of a lift ticket -- for rope and wheels.

Liz Wilbur skis, too, but said she recently has spent more time with the baby than flying through the air.

"I've only skied once this year," she said.

As much as the couple enjoyed talking about their ski park, they were even happier to demonstrate it. Turning on a two-way radio monitor to listen in on her sleeping son, Liz Wilbur headed out to the Buell motorcycle while her husband grabbed his skis.

The motorcycle, mounted on a frame, powers the rope tow. The motorcycle's rear tire comes in contact with and rotates a smaller wheel. The rope is wound around the small tire and attaches to another small tire at the opposite end. With the motorcycle in gear, the rope spins at about 15 mph, propelling the skier toward a 6-foot jump.

Standing on a small hill of snow, Liz Wilbur puts the motorcycle in gear as her husband skis down to it. After clutching the moving rope, Rob Wilbur quickly shoots across the lawn, then up and over the jump. Launched into the air, he sails safely past trees before landing in snow 20 feet below the top of the jump.

After the run, he took off his skis, climbed back up to the rope tow and grabbed the rope for the return trip, ready to do it all over again. Liz Wilbur straddled the motorcycle, revving the engine at a slower speed to get her husband back to the starting hill.

The couple say the backyard ski slope gives them the chance to be a family and have fun at the same time. "The park is excellent," Wilbur said. "I can be a father and a skier."

David Leaming -- 861-9255

dleaming@centralmaine.com