Alta, Utah

On Monday I drove to Park City. On Tuesday I skied Alta with Mark and Kristi. Since it was my only ski day for 2007/2008, Mark thought we should warm up with a short hike to Gunsight. It was cloudy, the wind was blowing, and the light was flat. I couldn't see what I was skiing so I mostly skidded down on my edges. It wasn't really skiing, but, hey, there is no shame in a traverse. After that, we took a few runs on the Albion side. That helped me gain some confidence, especially after Mark let me ski the Rabbit. We went back over and took a couple of laps on Wildcat. The light was really flat and Kristi was having trouble seeing, so we took a break and sent Mark back to the truck for a couple of beers. He reached into the case, pulled out two bottles, and carried them back to us across the parking lot. One of them was empty. Kristi got a good laugh; Mark was really depressed; and I insisted on drinking at least six ounces out of the full bottle. Later, Kristi took a break in the lodge and Mark and I skied a bunch of laps off the High Traverse, including Alf's from the top. It was really fun, but my legs were done by about 3:30. After I fell on my face in front of some beginners side-stepping down Corkscrew (they were side-stepping, I was trying to ski), I told Mark that we'd better call it a day before someone got hurt. We headed for tacos at the Lone Star and, by Friday, my legs had stopped hurting. I truly enjoyed my 2008 ski day and I can't wait to do it again in 2009.

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