Yesterday I received from my employer an auto-generated email congratulating me on my third work anniversary. Since I took up skiing the last time I was between jobs, that means it’s been just over three years since I started learning. This trip down memory lane is relevant because right now I’m in Snowbird, Utah looking down slopes both longer and steeper than I’m used to and reminding myself that I do this for fun.
It’s absolutely stunning up here in the Wasatch Mountains! So far I’ve had blue skies and lots of sunshine, though earlier in the winter heavy snows and spontaneous avalanches have kept the road up Little Cottonwood Canyon closed for days. Driving up canyon it’s still easy to pick out the avalanche runout, broken trees, and bent road signs from the last slides.
The alpenglow at sunset brings the contours of the mountain and one of its many mogul fields into sharp relief. They look even sharper from the top of the slope.
I live at sea level, and I really notice the thin air at elevation, especially when mixed with a combination of exhilaration and terror.
With all apologies to John Muir, the lifts are turning, and I must go.