Snow and Cold

Snow and Cold. Those seem to be the two major things going on in southwest Montana right now. Everyone wants to talk about it. I thought I would leave my two cents right here.

Snow: I love it. It makes skiing lots easier. It lends the world a magical glow. That moment when you first look out the window in the morning after it has snowed is always breath taking. At least to me. Everything looks so fresh and calm. It only lasts a second, then you see something moving and my thoughts turn instantly to skiing. I have to say that this has happened often in the last week. The 40 or so inches of snow that have accumulated at the nearby ski resorts made the last week super fun. It seemed like every day, when I dragged myself out of bed, grabbed a cup, and checked the snow report... bang! powder day. Any one who skis or snowboards knows the feeling. A moment of absolute clarity, when you know I'm going up today and it is going to be sick. There is no doubt in your mind, it is going to be a good day. And it is electrifying. Instant chaos. You have a thousand things to do, from finding your long underwear, to calling ski buddies, to hoping the car will start. Everything gets thrown together as fast as possible, and you are out the door. The skis are strapped to the roof, any you are gone. Traffic is delt with. Trecherous roads are navigated. Gear hastily put on in the freezing parking lot.

Its all for that one perfect, powder soaked run. Where everything just falls away, and there is nothing to worry about but the next turn, the next faceshot, the next near miss with a tree. No worries, no cares. Lets just say that I like the snow.

Cold: I like cold weather. It means snow and skiing. Perhaps my very favorite kind of day is a bright sunny cold fall afternoon. When the sun is giving off just enough warmth to keep things comfortable. Just when you feel like you might be getting a little cold a comforting ray of sun shine wraps around you and sends a shuddering warmth through you. Delicious. I would say that is the moment when you know winter fun will be here soon. Cold means snow to me, and snow means skiing- one of my very favorite things in the whole world. But there is cold and there is cold. Something about 30 degrees below zero, is just plain inappropriate... When you walk out the door and it hurts (just a little) to breathe. Less than 30 minutes to frostbite for exposed skin. Remember to bundle up and wear gloves! I could skip that. Don't get me wrong, I love winter. But the extreme cold could go away.