Something that stood out in its grandeur above every other run Ive taken.
I dont know, I used to imagine a lot of things.
And then two weeks ago I woke up to my wifes alarm beeping gently.
We geared up, and walked the block to the shuttle stop in our boots.
The only other people on the bus were resort employees.
Making good time uphill next to my favorite person.
Wave to the mountain ops guy as he comes down on the sled.
The cat track is gravely, its early season and were skinning on rocks.
We top out with 15 minutes to spare before the lifts start spinning.
Another beacon check, scan the avy report one more time as we leave the gate.
Not much snow on the ground, and the snow that is there seems stuck down pretty well.
Skin along the rope line for a moment before were at the entrance.
Someone else has already poached the main gut, ducking the rope and skiing poorly.
Judging by the tracks, they sideslipped the sections that they didnt tomahawk.
No real turns to be seen anywhere throughout.
Thats ok though, the tighter right entrance is still prime.
Transition, run through the plan one more time, fist bump, drop.
The snow is firm and inconsistent and I venture to straightline across it to a pocket of untouched pow.
Instead Im upside down, bouncing into one of the holes made by previous tomahawks.
Stand up, wiggle pow down the apron, giggling.
My partner skis it clean, doesnt go down, arcs perfect turns down to the plateau.
Then were skinning back around, bootpacking for a brief moment, and were back through the gate.
Increasingly I find myself drawn to the mundane.
After years of fantasizing about exotic and dangerous ski objectives, that fire burns a little less bright.
Its still there, Im sure Ill be out on a wild goose chase soon enough.
But that purest run, that lap that sums up everything that makes me love skiing the most?
That one starts at the bus stop in ski boots.
It involves taking the time to appreciate places that have shaped me as a skier and a person.
It includes recreating with the person I love the most.
Its simple, pedestrian, and theres very little real risk or traditional skiing reward.
But its perfect for me, where I am right now.
It fills every need that skiing fuels with very little of the baggage that sours the whole experience.
Instead its the one that makes me feel the most at peace with my existence as a skier.
