What started out as a lone trip up to Nakiska for skiing took an interesting turn mid day. You see – I met this skier – let’s call her Jo. I have never met someone as passionate for the sport. Although now well into middle age, she’s discovered skiing by moving through what she thought was a hurdle of not knowing anybody with whom to ski. She started talking to people around the sport and agreed to head up with an acquaintance. One new friend led to another and soon she found herself in the company of advanced skiers looking to take her to the double diamonds.
On this day, she was determined to practice some drills solo with the purpose of keeping up with her new ski network. I was delighted to have her shimmy up by my side at the lift station for the ride to the top of Nakiska Gold at which time I exclaimed “it’s a hard life”. With her giggle, I became suspect that we may just share some adventure tales, and perhaps the late sun softened snow together.
Jo works two jobs but still projects around 80 ski days this season. We pondered the fate of those facing the drudgery of work or the boredom of channel surfing when we were breathing the fresh mountain air and peeling off a sporty fifteen run day. Her willingness to learn select advanced level tips was practiced in tandem as we carved symmetrically together down the slope. She glowed at my suggestion that she was on the precipice of expert form at which time we targeted weight transfer and angle of attack. Having apparently corroborated her friend’s notion that the deliverance of more mindful aggression would translate into spontaneous turning opportunities on the steeper pitch, her excitement for possibility shone bright.
After last run, Jo and I headed in for some left over lunch and après ski beverages. We were literally the last guests to leave the lodge on this memorable day.
In the instance of one early afternoon lift ride to the top of Nakiska Mountain Resort in early January 2015, my easy going quest for some solo outdoor exercise turned into an exhilarating ski experience in which the finesse of the sport was revisited and my passion for winter fun was rekindled in good time for a promising upcoming season.