Skiing On My Mind

Most skiers that I know are very passionate toward their sport. During the Winter, everything revolves around the skiing. During a recent visit back to Alta, I was reminded of the lifestyle that surrounds the pursuit of powder, and big mountain skiing. I am continually intrigued by the aggressive way that “skibums,” live life. It is really awesome. Ski hard, work hard, party hard. Repeat. You gotta love this sport.

Just recalling my first snow storm in Alta. This was a storm I will never forget.
It was early November. My friend Nick and I headed out to the Peruvian Lodge, for my first season out West, as soon as they would take us. There was not much work to do yet at the lodge, but we were anxious for the season.
1 week passed. Then 2 weeks…..then 3. NO SNOW. Nothing. By this time most of the employees had arrived at the lodge for the season, but there was no real work to do as the mountain had not opened yet.
By this time we were going a bit stir crazy. We were about out of money, and our friends back East kept calling to tell us how good the skiing was at Killington. I was really getting nervous that Utah was not going to get any snow that Winter.
Turned out there was no reason for me to be worried. I still remember the morning that I woke up and looked out the window, only to see car antenna’s. This was because all of the cars were buried in snow. Deep, White, Fluffy, Goodness!! This storm, my first Utah snowstorm dumped 100 inches in 100 hours!!!! Unbelievable. From that day on, I never doubted the snowfall in Alta again. Alta delivers.
What a start to one of the most memorable ski seasons of my life. It doesn’t get much better then that. Needles to say our friends back East, skiing Killington got a call that night. They moved to Alta the following Winter.

I am always fascinated by what people do in order to ski. Unfortunately this great sport seems to only be affordable if you immerse yourself in it. I mean, how can anyone afford a $70-80 day lift ticket, which doesn’t even include the $100′s spent on equipment.
So what is there to do? I guess the answer is: You must immerse yourself in IT. IT, meaning skiing, the culture, and the lifestyle.
This can be a big commitment. In my case it started by sleeping in a small dorm room with 3 other dudes, and driving a shuttle van. This happened to be 1 of the best ski season’s of my life, and just the beginning of what I hope to be a life of immersion.
Everyone’s case is different, but it will generally be a pretty big commitment, and always be well worth it.  Especially when you are the first one down Eagle’s Nest on a chest deep day, “immersed” in powder.  Happy ski bumming!