And no – this has nothing to do with the beard I am currently sporting.
I’m talking about skiing. Specifically skiing on one of those days when it is cold and clear, and fresh powder is a distant memory. The super groomer day. The day you go and find those few fast runs that don’t get a lot of attention, and are covered with beautiful corduroy.
Today was one of those days. I’m at Apex; they haven’t had new snow in a couple of weeks; the sun was shining and the snow was fast. Even though it was only my third day of skiing this season, I still found myself going faster and faster as the day passed and the runs racked up. There is nothing quite like that feeling of zipping down a smooth, groomed run with your edges digging deep into the snow. It’s as close to flying as you can come with both feet planted firmly on the ground.
While I can admit that skiing on snow is an activity at (or at least, very near) the pinnacle of useless hedonistic pastimes, I’m not going to stop enjoying myself anytime soon.
The reason I am at Apex. The young man in the air is in the middle of a 720 – he’s probably all of 12 years old. The group of people standing next to the jump are judges. Freestyle skiing won’t bring world peace, but it is still inspiring to watch the discipline and enthusiasm of the athletes and all the hard work of the volunteers who make events happen for BC Freestyle Skiing!