Skiing Steamboat

Friday night we packed up and drove 3 hours northwest to Steamboat Springs to go skiing with another wonderful friend (we are so lucky to have so many visitors!), and his super cute little girl.

Saturday was Steamboat’s 50th anniversary and so there were lots of events- bands, fireworks and the like. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful and although we were disappointed that Winter Storm Gandolf didn’t leave us buried in snow, we were excited to hit some new runs. (Side note: There are actually warnings throughout the resort about suffocation risk from powder. My kind of place!) I started off with a black that was a bit over my head which resulted in a wreck or two. It was freezing cold (maybe -20 at the peak) so we did a few runs then warmed up with some hot coco. After thawing we hit the back of the mountain which was pretty small but had the best snow I’ve ever skied. The Boy and our friend took me through some tree runs and even just writing about them now I get so happy, I am not sure I’m exaggerating when I say they changed my life. Floating through the trees, being in nature, and the technical challenge of the navigating a glade was the best experience I’ve had on skis and just brought me so much joy. I totally get why people chase powder and become ski bums- it is idyllic! Plus, it’s right up my alley, combining the use of my body and my mind in nature. Absolute perfection.

We hopped all over the mountain for the rest of the day hitting blues and blacks (I skied more blacks at Steamboat then I may have ever skied cumulatively before) then headed over to our friend’s condo to watch some football.

When we lived in Pittsburgh we used to watch Steelers games with this friend all the time and so it was a feeling of home away from home watching the Broncos and the Ravens (I aso lived in Baltimore, and although I’m not a Ravens fan it was fun to watch a former home-town team play a current home-town team). We drank some cider, played some games, and promptly passed out at …. 7:45. Seriously, I feel so old, but spending the day crushing runs in -20 degrees takes it out of a girl! And really, I’m good at sleeping. One of my favorite moments was when our friend’s daughter asked if I would be her assistant in sleep and football. That little girl has my number!