A quiet, snowy mountain

Looks good

I finally got up skiing yesterday, first time out this season. I expected crowds, but it was surprisingly quiet. Guess most folks were getting ready for the holiday (I'll be busy doing that today for sure!)

Because Drake doesn't ski I either go up by myself or with my friend Karen. Karen and I are a good match: she started downhill skiing five years ago (at age 50) and I picked it up again last year after a 26-year hiatus. But she wasn't able to make it yesterday so I went up on my own.

It was snowing like crazy in the morning. I didn't even think about driving the pass - I took the shuttle bus from Sultan, about 40 miles from the ski area.

I am still trying to get on to the "modern" way of skiing. The skis are different now, the turning techique is taught differently; I'm doing my best to learn it right and not fall into bad habits. Yesterday, I took a lesson and stayed on easy terrain practicing drills and slow, studied turns. Really, I just enjoy being out on the mountain, riding the lift in gently falling snow, and overall taking a break from the city.

Karen's going up today with her daughter who's back from college and her daughter's boyfriend, who's visiting for the holiday. It looks they will have great conditions today, too.