Quit Your B*#@%ing

Do you think I undersold the skiing conditions this week?

Because apparently I’m bitter and I need to “lighten up” and “get over” having a torn ACL. I’m not going to print here what I said to that guy. But I am going to plead my case.

You see: of course I’m bitter! The skiing in Jan/Feb was so awesome and all I wanted to do was put on some skis and go try Fox, maybe Vixen. And then the light fluffy snow stopped and it warmed and it froze again. Conditions were back to what we’re used to: firm, loud skiing that makes one feel like an out of control bobble-head doll tearing down the hill – also frequently known as “good” conditions. But this season, we were too spoiled too soon and the lack of recent fresh stuff made those who did go skiing come down with reports of “mediocre” and “porcelain” and “where’s the bar?”

So my selfish side was inclined to believe the nay-sayers. Even though after 30+ years at this mountain, I know damn well that the skiing is nowhere near as bad as people reported, I secretly wanted it to suck so I could feel mildly better about missing it. But you see, hearing people complain about the skiing actually made me more bitter because the truth is: if I could ski, I would – no matter what the conditions. Even when it’s truly lousy, I get a couple friends and go wandering in the woods, try skiing without poles or making backwards tele turns. Sometimes the point is to get freshies and the rest of the time the point is to have fun.

I know that our current conditions are not only not lousy but are in fact quite good. There’s no ice. There’s a great base. There are no mandatory stretches of grass skiing or water bars to maneuver past. And even if the skiing isn’t quite worth rushing for first chair over – there are really very few excuses for people to not be skiing. And now that there are pretty red letters at the top of the weather forecast that read “Winter Storm Warning,” the list of acceptable reasons to not be skiing this weekend is rapidly growing smaller.

We’re expecting a thick 9-15 inch blanket of snow so whether I undersold conditions this week or not, this weekend promises to be a great time to be up here! Get a glimpse of the future best skiers in the world at the Jr Mogul Challenge and then rock with the grift in the pub on Saturday. Sunday, check out the All About Bears Snowshoe Hike and see all sorts of cool signs of bears all over our mountain. Cap off your awesome weekend with one last only-available-locally beer like a Lawson’s or a Bobcat and a well earned plate of nachos. Clearly, no matter how you slice it, this weekend is gonna be great!

So can your excuses, pack up the car with your gear and your entourage and get up here for what will most certainly be a weekend of fresh snow and fun events! And maybe if we’re lucky, I will have undersold it again!

See you in the bar…

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The Word of the Day for Wednesday February 23 was STILETTO. Call the Snow Phone each Wednesday for your chance to win free small fries in the pub. 496-3551, x150.