The right kind of snow

When the alarm rang this morning, I knew it was time for me to head downstairs to make our lunch and pack our snowboarding gear. A glance out my bedroom window revealed a fresh layer of snow on the pine trees, which meant ski conditions would be terrific. But still it was difficult to leave the warmth of the down quilt.

I'd already had a busy weekend. Saturday morning, I'd gone with my parents for a short hike through pine trees. And we'd watched the premier of an underwater film about Pretty Colour Lake, a fascinating glimpse at the reefs underneath that clear water. I'd gone to get my hair cut, a momentous event that happens only once or twice a year. I'd gone on a romantic date with my husband, an afternoon that included popcorn, lemonade, and a movie about a pregnant teenager who talks and acts EXACTLY like sixteen-year-old Drama Niece. (Especially her mannerisms. It was a bit creepy.) And I'd gone to a "I'm tired of winter" party at Quilt Artist's home, a party that included candlelight, conversation, and several kinds of hot soup.

So when I woke up this morning, my first thought was that it would be a great day to stay home by the fire and eat the party leftovers that Quilt Artist had sent home with me. Luckily, the thought was fleeting. And we arrived at the ski slopes just as the chair lifts were beginning to operate.

The slopes were covered with new snow. And weather was warm enough that I could take 4 or 5 runs in a row without my feet feeling painful, and yet cold enough that the snow stayed as snow and not slush or ice. It was a day even Goldilocks would have found "just right."

Our confidence buoyed by the great conditions, my daughter and I left the more gentle slopes and hit the black diamond trails. Snowboarding, it turns out, is actually easier when you are moving faster. The hills weren't crowded because the terrain park was open for the first time all season, which meant that all those super fast snowboarders were over in the park hitting jumps and doing rails, and we had some of the best slopes all to ourselves. I'd felt tired that morning, but I carved down hill after steep hill, gaining just enough speed to keep the adrenaline flowing through my bloodstream, I felt wide awake.

Photo taken from the chairlift.