As I loaded my skis onto the roof rack, a neighbor on his way to work stopped and looked at me, clearly perplexed. “Where are you going with those? There’s no snow!” I hear this line every November when there are still leaves on the trees. Like the ringing of the bell to open the stock exchange, it marks the beginning of my ski season.
I’m a big fan of early-season skiing. Sure the conditions are variable and often mediocre, the days are short, trail counts are limited and the dreaded “r-word” is often in the forecast. But the long, warm months of summer and fall are behind us and I can relish six months of skiing in my immediate future.
