Thoughts, incl. Skiing

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is one where I am normally traveling, but due to covid it is an unexpected down day at home. Late last night I had the bright idea to go skiing today, but I don't have my gear. I am planning to get some new ski gear soon so I can go back to my northeast kid degen roots banging out some quiet dawn interstate to make some turns, get ripped off for a chicken sandwich, and go home tuckered out and happy.

My parents exposed me to skiing when I was but a tottering tot, and the gift of comfort on the mountain is something I remain appreciative of as an adult. I skied from as young as I remember through about 10, at which point I moved over to snowboarding. Over the last few years I find myself gravitating back to the sticks for the greater flexibility in navigating terrain, as well as it being easier to cruise slow to hang with a beginner or just to take it easy. The strapping in and out and boarders on their bum just off the lift are overblown contrarian arguments against boarding and are mostly spurious. I have skied with many, many skiers who take longer to get their act together at the top.

Growing up I skied the East - PA, NJ, NY, MA, VT, NH, ME, I've done them all. Later in life I headed out West, where it is true that the skiing is better. However, it's also true that the best skiing is the skiing you can get to. At the end of the day I don't envision myself making multiple annual flights out to the Rockies - my foundations will remain here in the East, though of course I'll head back to the land of powder and bluebird days gladly. In the meantime though I'm excited to get my new skis, get back to my roots, and get some turns on the patchwork of snow, ice, grass, and the generally increased human density of the Eastern seaboard, Muir be damned!