Winter wonderland

The main problem with skiing in Vermont is driving into the sun all the way out, and driving into the sun all the way back. But in between, it’s magnificent. Went to Mount Snow, a longer drive than usual because I got stuck behind the Sysco truck headed for, of course, Mount Snow. But I wasn’t in a hurry and the place was pretty much empty. 14 degrees when I arrived, but the sun was out and there was no wind, the conditions were fantastic and there was virtually no one on the slopes. Ice on the trees was crackling and falling, the air was clear and sweet, and on the first run I remembered where all those muscles were and how to use them. Paradise. One of the most peaceful places in the world for me is on a chairlift, all by myself, breathing it all in. It’s church, outside where it always belonged. Mount Snow is great, lots of interesting intermediate trails, though I do find the naming conventions could be a little more informative. Got in over my head just a little on a couple of trails — tried the bumps and fell in so deep I had to dig out the tail of my ski; ended up staring at a part of Committed for about 3 minutes before deciding I didn’t like any of the lines available from where I stood, so I walked up and across the trail to improve my drop-in, and then everything was fine. I skied hard and got in a little over 3 hours on the slopes, but then my quads were screaming and my feet weren’t turning exactly when I told them to, so I had to invoke the No Injuries Policy and get out of there before I took a fall. Great fun though, and a couple of good conversations with some older guys on the lifts. Went hard and went home.Still a bunch of signs up in the area honoring Kelly Clark, last year’s snowboarding gold medalist, and that for some reason fills me with that aw-shucks-ain’t-this-country-great sort of feeling, the same sort of feeling that Jim Shea has pouring from him. Very cool to see a town support its local athletes, and very cool to see the definitions of athletics constantly being pushed to encompass more and more human endeavor. More tonight.