20081226 Full Day

After yesterday's adventures in snow removal, I wanted.  So I got up at 5:15am, dressed in the kitchen while I brewed up six shots of espresso, and ran around gathering my gear.  The first time of any season takes more time, as last minute things are added or subtracted.  I was finally dressed, fed, caffeinated and skinning right off the deck and up the hill behind my cabin in Homewood.  With no clients or friends to be considerate for, I set the heel lifters to the highest post, pointed the tips up the hill, and plowed as steep a skin track as I could through the knee deep powder.  40 minutes later had me only 600 feet higher, but I enjoyed every minute.  I wasted no time stripping the skins, locking the heals, and tightening the boots.  For a first run on the ridge, it was fantastic.  A series of open tree-cut glades were walled in by tightly standing groves, and I made a few wrong turns and missed a couple of good shots.  No worries, there's always tomorrow!

 

Mid-way down my own private Dawn Patrol.

After a mad rush to change clothes and clean up Patsy, Montana and I piled into the car and drove to work.  Chris Lange took Casey, Randal and I on a 9:00am morning tour of Roundhouse Chair, Sympathy Face, Yellow Trail, Scott Chair, Scott Chute, Scott Chair, and Promised Land in 30 minutes flat.  Waist deep powder the entire time - not bad for a morning session.

I taught a beginner adult class all day - something I don't mind right now because I'm learning too.  After years of working with intermediate skiers in the backcountry, I'm suddenly introducing the sport with complete novices on the groomed.  Kinda cool.  After class ended I caught up with Rob, Andrew, and Matt, and Chris gave us an "assignment tour" (my name).  We skied/boarded Roundhouse Chair, Sympathy Face, Fall Line, Yellow Trail, Scott Chair, down one of the Lakeview runs, Sherwood Chair, Sherwood Cliffs, Hot Wheels Gully, Yellow Chair, Ladies Slalom to Gunners' to the base.  A lot of packed, a fair bit of tracked, and a final bit of untracked as we finished the day at 4:00pm.

Skate back to the locker room to stack the gear, change, and meet Patsy out at the Lodge for the slow drive back to the cabin.  I'm ready to hit "repeat" for tomorrow!