Ski Date

Patrick and I have been long over due for a date together and today we did a ski date. Some of our most wonderful memories together are outdoor adventures-hikes and skis in the backcountry. Before kids, doing outdoor adventures was a no-brainer. We did skis together quite frequently. Since kids, however, it takes more strategic planning-time of day, babysitters, etc. We make it happen, its just a bit more planning.

The day was gorgeous one- and once Hannah arrived to be with the kids, we took off to Pyramid. The conditions were 50 degrees, clear, sunny and slight breeze to keep us cool as we hiked up. Occasional breaks for water, chatting and rest on the way up were welcomed. (I don't go up Pyramid nearly as often as Patrick and need more frequent rest stops.)

The ski down was a good workout for my legs. The snow up high was quite easy to ski but as we got lower it transitioned into deep slush. Killer quad workout!! Lots of snow plowing for me! Patrick's words were, "point your skis down the mountain, let loose and don't snow plow." He would look back to check on me and find me snowplowing. I couldn't quite "let go" like he wanted me to in the slush.

We came across a couple of snowmachining-snowboarders (I didn't even know snowboarders went through such lengths to go up the mountain. Seems like so much more work to haul a snowmachine all the way out there)- who had snowmachined half the way up Pyramid and were snowboarding from there. The tracks that a snow machine leaves is quite large, and when it freezes is hard to ski over. Snow machiners typically stick to the ski chalet area, across the valley. Their presence today was a bit disappointing, to say the least. Patrick asked them about staying on the other side of the valley and they got a bit defensive saying "This is our mountain, too." There is SO MUCH wild open space for snow machiners to go, that it seemed silly for them to be going up and down Pyramid which is the high ski traffic area. Nonetheless, the interaction with the snow machiners made for good discussion for Patrick and I on the ride home. I was so proud of Patrick for saying something to the snow machiners, because I knew it would bother him if he didn't. The conversation with them went as well as it possibly could have and they left saying that they would continue to try to stick to their one snow machine track as they went up and down because they understand how hard it is to ski on snow machine tracks.

What a fun ski date with my husband. Patrick is my ski guru, trip photographer, husband....how I enjoy a couple of hours with my best friend.

Zoya