Despite conditions that have deteriorated since my last outing, I went skiing today, mostly because I needed some exercise and thought it would be helpful to retain some muscle memory for when the season really gets going. It was a somewhat dismal experience. I knew when I saw so much grass exposed in the village that it wasn’t going to be great.

 
I started my ski day doing terrain that wasn’t open the last time I was out there: a beginner run down to the new lift that went in this past summer, a high speed detachable quad that replaced a fixed grip double. It was an exercise in picking a path to avoid dirt and branches and rocky patches and wet spots that dotted the run. I was rather surprised it was in as bad a shape as it was (and they’ve since announced it will be closed starting tomorrow until snow conditions improve). The new bridge across a creek to access the relocated loading area was in decent shape, though a bit wet.

 
No way was I going to venture back down that same slope, so I next rode the lift to the top that hadn’t been opened for the season yet when I last went out. The snow up there (on the runs which were open) was pretty decent. Still the occasional patches of branches sticking up to ski around but not really a problem, especially since the snow was creamy and grippy so control wasn’t an issue. About two-thirds down the mountain, Mr. Karen and I had to take a cat track back toward the lift, and that got rather wet and sticky in spots (and because it’s a cat track, it didn’t have much vertical drop to help us keep up speed to plow through). Not ideal. It was sad to see how little snow cover there was on the runs above it. I stopped to rest my feet and snapped this bummer of a view:

 

While the skiing was not great today, there were some bright spots, like the fact it didn’t rain at any point, and the snow monster some lifties made:

 

Just look at this fine work with branches to make the eye and teeth:

 

Also, the vistas continue to enchant me.

 

 

I am not sure when I’ll ski next. The weather forecast doesn’t look very promising; though we might get a few inches of snow this weekend, the overnight lows early next week aren’t as low as they need to be for the resort to make some of their own. I’m also not sure whether the Christmas week crowds will show up. If they do, and conditions don’t improve drastically, it might be 2024 before I’m back out on the slopes.

*****
On this date in 2022: No journal entry
2021: Light
2020: Not a Bluebird Day
2019: Sometimes Things Work Out
2018: Living in a Winter Wonderland
2017: Fall Road Trip, Part the Third and Throwback Thursday: 1978-ish
2016: Why the Waffles?
2015: It’s Beginning to Look a Little Like Christmas
2014: Hair Clippings
2013: WDW Day 5: Magic Kingdom and the Studios
2012: On Being An Hourglass
2011: On Being a Negative Force
2010: With Attribution
2009: Better to Light a Candle
2008: Procrastination
2007: My Most Memorable Day & One Picnicker, All Alone
2006: Four Days in Utah
2005: Winter Count—August
2004: Back When It Was Warm
2003: Not According to Plan
2002: Missing