Well here it is May 13. We’re still skiing after 7 months. Around here in the Canadian Rockies a good ski year is a 7 month ski season. 2 weeks ago myself and a couple other guys skied into the Little Yoho Valley and stayed 2 nights at the Stanley Mitchell hut. There was great skiing as we checked out both Emerald pass and President’s pass. On the way down the warm weather turned the snow iso under our feet....my really sore feet- due to some bad news blisters. I told myself as the skiing gave way to hiking, that I’d be at peace putting the skis away.
But that was 2 weeks ago, and it turned cold again! Last week I was up early (sunrise is around 5:00 a.m. now) and reasoned that if I got going I could get a ski in around Sunshine Village and be back in the office a little after 9. So I went up the ski out, then took a right up to Wawa ridge. It was cool topping out long before the lifts even got cranked up. The snow was fresh pow over a firm base....unreal for May! I resolved to come back on the weekend.
Saturday, top ranked Canadian xc skier Ian Murray and myself returned up to that Wawa ridge and yo-yo ‘d 4 runs off the steepest, longest run we could find. Bright sun and great snow really amped us up!
Then....Monday I returned yet again and skied at the Sunshine Village ski area downhill area. Yup, I took the lifts this time, even dropping into Delirium Dive 3 times. I was kinda tired and in the a.m. mostly unmotivated....pre-Delirium, and was contemplating an early departure (something the ski nut and cheapo in me would never do!). However, the Dive and the warming sun combined to give some amazing ski conditions. I squeezed out the day to the last lift going for the day. Mentally I was relieved as this is normal behavior, vs. that wimp out early departure stuff.
Am I done? Probably not. But it is getting warm this week. Maybe I finally should get those bikes going.
