I get an early enough start that the first turn above the switchbacks (known as the "S" turn) still has ice where the water runs across the road during the day's warmth.
I hadn't planned to go skiing today; however, two good friends told me they would be on the mountain with their kids and hoped we could catch a run or two together. Pizza is always the best part of the day with these two guys.
The lifts have been running for about 10 minutes as I pull into the overflow lot near the base of chair one (Wildflower). Recently, a bathroom has been added, and the small parking lot makes for a short walk to the lift—perfect for my aging knees and hips. You must arrive early, as it fills up quickly, mostly with older skiers like myself, and slowly dwindles as the day progresses. Only a handful of cars occupy the lot as I pull in and park.
The expected daytime temperature will be in the mid-50s today, and I doubt I'm the only one singing along to White Christmas' introductory verse:
"The sun is shining, the grass is green The orange and palm trees sway. There's never been such a day In Beverly Hills, L.A. But it's December the twenty-fourth And I am longing to be up North..."[1]
It has been at least two weeks since the last snow. Linda (my wife and ski instructor) says their ski school reservations are low, even this close to the Christmas holiday. She speculates that people are watching the forecast before committing to skiing on rocks.
She's not wrong. As I take a couple of warm-up runs, I note that the hazard flags mark all but the man-made snow trails. I wave at Linda. She is working with a half-dozen new instructors, gauging their level of ability to slot them within the correct classes as teachers, and I make my way toward chair 5 (Roulette).
Chair 5 is by far my favorite lift. I enjoy the lift generally due to decreased crowds as the older lift plugs along at a snail's pace compared to the high-speed Giant Steps Express quad. The quad is fantastic; however, people overrun its capacity, and the managers at Brian Head, in their 60 years of existence, have yet to figure out a way to feed the lift line for maximum efficiency, resulting in frustration, skipped lines, and according to Linda last week a fist fight. Chair 2 (Giant Steps Express) is the bomb, and I'll use it when I can ski down and ski on.
I ski chair 5, texting and just missing Brent and his daughter, when we finally decide to meet for pizza at 12:30. I call it quits for the day at about 11:45 and take the cat track back across to the overflow lot. I only hit about six runs today and far less than my 2 hours, but it was enough to keep my muscle memory alive and fired up. Snow is forecast, and a nice refresh of 8 inches or more would be exciting. Snow in the "feet" range generally doesn't occur until February and March, so anything at this point will suffice.
The pizza is terrific, and the conversations are lively. We horde around one of the large tables, eating and laughing. The kids are itching to get back out and carve up the snow, but the older crowd enjoys the comradery as much as the mountain.
Thanks for Reading!
Written December 21, 2024
Grammarly provided editorial assistance.
Footnotes
[1] Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" was first publicly performed by Bing Crosby on Christmas Day, 1941. (Copilot, December 21, 2024).