Thursday, September 20, 2012

Skiing brain already?

Without fail, as soon as the first 'cold' night/day/hour/second arrives in the Autumn, friends and winter lovers start to talk..well, murmer about the upcoming ski season. Being only Sept, this thought pattern has an air of craziness about it and seeing that the summer season is still long in the tooth and the promise of many sunny good days with chalk covered hands or on a bike are ahead of us, the donning of the 'ski brain' is doubly considered odd by some.

A few years ago I would be looking for skiing in Sept or Oct, tracking strong SW flows through the US, keeping an eye on temperatures at different elevations and guesstimating snow falls in the high country while rain falls in the valleys. A few good days were had with rock skis and an open mind on glaciers and high meadows.

Lately though, as a love for late season skiing (April on) has grown - I can sit comfortably sipping a glass of scotch or a favorite micro brew, knowing that if I can wait till at lease mid November, the gas will be there for the 10th 3 am start in a row come May to tap into the amazing bounty while most have switched to summer mode.

For now, storm skiing is on the mind. With the recent move to the coast, I am excited about the potential of new zones and new ski partners. This should be a good season and I am waiting a couple more months before dragging the planks out.