Favorite winter mountain moments — everyone has them.
Over the years I have asked skiers and boarders, as we ride chairlifts together, what they remember the most. Often it’s not the big stuff — going fast or getting big air — but instead it’s the unexpected experiences that bring out a smile and a sense of exhilaration. Here’s a list of those moments that can last a lifetime.
Face Shots – You’re waist-deep in powder and snow flies all around. Suddenly you’re blinded, but you know open bowls lie ahead, so you keep up your speed and savor the face shot.
Stash Caches – It hasn’t snowed for days and the entire mountain has been skied out. Then from the lift you spot a glade that’s untracked. You head for it and find yourself in planet powder ... all yours for the rest of the day. You’re tempted to tell your friends about it. But then, you don’t.
Going Alone – After a miserable rainy morning on the slopes, your friends tell you at lunch that they’re calling it a day. But you decide to take one more run. As you get to the top of the chair, suddenly blue sky appears, the sun comes out, and the snow glistens with a beckoning luster. The slopes are yours.
First Tracks – You can experience untouched powder or corduroy-perfect groomed runs before anyone else is on the mountain when you sign up for First Tracks at many mountain resorts. And if you stay in front of your early-morning group, you get first choice of any line you want.
Sudden Breakthroughs – We think we know our limits and we avoid them. But one day, we decide to try something that’s a bit over our head. Never felt tempted to try a double-diamond run before, but then one day … and we make it.
New Areas – It’s fun to feel confused and confounded in a new ski area because then we get to explore it. The joys of discovery lie in figuring out where a trail goes, or how to get to that distant chair.
Last Chair – The lifts close at four, and you’re high on the mountain with only five minutes to go. You straight-line for the terminal. Just as the lift is about to close the line, you zip through, catching the last chair. Now you take a long, lingering run from the peak to the base village … you’re the last one off the mountain.
Views – Stand at the top of the mountain and take in a deep breath as you gaze across the distant snow-capped peaks. Is there any recreation with greater beauty?
Après Ski – You’ve had a good workout, you’re with friends or family and you’ve played all day in sunny snowfields. Now you all head to your favorite hangout, order a draft beer and a plate of nachos as you trade stories about the ski day.
Temperature Inversions – It’s cold and gray at the base area. Against your better judgment, you decide to go out in the sub-freezing temperatures. As you ride the lift, suddenly you break through the clouds into a sunny warm day. And the mountain is practically yours.
A Seattle-based freelance writer, photographer and lifelong skier, Peter Schroeder has written for 15 years on ski and snow topics for the Western Snow Sports Guide’s parent publication, Outdoors NW. An expert skier, Schroeder also writes for many of the U.S. skiing and outdoor adventure magazines – but this magazine ranks among his favorite.
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