My loving parents bought me skis when in 8th grade.  The brand name was Torino and couldn’t wait to try them out on the new snow at the side of our modest duplex on the Sahali hill in Kamloops.  Just to feel gravity work on this new equipment was thrill in itself never mind the absence of a lift or adequate stopping distance before traffic.  It was silly but fun on the most moderate of gradient amidst the ambience of a new winter, low cloud cover and dusk which had Christmas lights starting to glimmer in the background.

It was this memory that I’ve taken an “embrace winter” attitude coming into this ski season.  Throughout the fall, I’ve schemed about purchasing X Country skis, acquiring waxing tips on youtube while gradually acquiring the necessary tools via educational shopping trips to the local mountaineering shop to ensure that the glide and grip match snow conditions.  Tonight it really all came together on my third venture out to my back yard.  Yes….my back yard similar to my venture as a budding teen.  My current back yard has a school ground and very large uninhabited park where nobody goes – not even dogs.  When the snows not great, I can head over to the rink and skate which the city already at this early stage in winter has flooded.  The timing for the “embrace winter” attitude could not have come at a better time with snowfall really outperforming accumulations of past years.  Laying down the tracks simply requires some patience and voila the path is set.  Bring a friend and put on the head lamp for some night time cardio on your home made trails in the fresh air and limit those pesky germs in gyms.