Belleayre: Racking Up Miles

One more year as a flatland road warrior, and I’m going to have to rally. I admit it, working full time, having a family, and chasing snow from 200 miles away is tough. This could be my last season balancing all three. Then again, without logistics, who am I? What do I write about? I guess we will see.

early morning drive
Smoothing and soothing Miles

This weekend it actually worked out pretty well. Over the holiday I had three full nights sleep, rising without an alarm. I can’t remember the last time that happened. Then, for Sunday morning, I set my regular Belleayre alarm for 4am. I take an hour to make coffee and hit the road. If I leave for Belle at 5, I’ll arrive at 8, an hour before first chair. With my alarms, I can usually handle one delay, gas or food, and stay on schedule.

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Belleayre with a Few Friends

In the offseason, when I think about spring skiing, I recall sunny days, skiing soft snow, all day long. I remind myself that spring is wonderful and it’s also generally reliable. The snow has to melt sometime, and you know the skiing is going to be good at the end of the season.

Right? It’s not as simple as it sounds. When it’s actually spring, I find I’m juggling things nearly as much as I do to chase powder.

Will the weekend include a sunny day with temperatures above freezing? Can I get a weekday off? Is the mountain I want to ski still spinning midweek?

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Catskill Double: Birthday Surprise

Each year I find a way to make my birthday fun. I get a few days off work and drive north to the mountains looking for adventure. When I pull it off, for the moment, I can forget I’m a year older. There’s really only one rule for the trek: it has to include skiing Plattekill.

driving at night
Required element

For me, being born in early January was a blessing.

When I was a kid, it stunk having a birthday right after Christmas. Nobody was the mood to party. But now, there’s something I really want, that I can give myself, every year without fail. My present to myself is a solution to a problem: how can I avoid pondering the relentless march of time on the annual reminder of my birth? It’s simple, go skiing.

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