the skis the limit...

Last night I experienced a ski slope in the winter for the first time. I don't know how to ski, I'm a sledder. Pat (from Quota) and I went to watch the Cool Cats ski. Once we finally guessed at which slope they were on, we had to wait for them to ski down and even then we weren't sure which helmet-covered, ski goggle-wearing, bundled up figures they were. They spotted us first (I'm sure our lack of ski equipment distinguished us from all the other people standing around outside in the less then 18 degree weather). So there we were, at the bottom of a ski slope on a clear, crisp mid-winter night. The lights on the slope were bright, but the half moon and stars were still visible. The snow crunched under our boots and the the sounds of skis and snow boards were only broken by the occasional cheer from the high school ski races nearby. It was serene and peaceful. It made me want to learn to ski.

The last time (and first time) I was on a ski slope was in July 2008 when Heather and I went to see the Big Ticket Festival in Gaylord (click here). I don't mention the ski slope in that post; we stayed at Boyne Mountain and our room was in one of the older lodges (I don't remember the name, Chateau something or other) it was almost cheesy, but it worked for us. Right outside our door was the chair lift. We decided to take a ride to the top of the hill to check out the view. It was amazing. It was also very high off the ground. Without any snow below we could see the deep crevices formed from the melting snow in the spring and the poles that measure the snow fall stuck out like lost candy canes in a globally warmed north pole.

The only skiing I've ever "experienced" has been on a Wii. I know, that hardly counts. Hardly, I say, because you do get quite a workout and I'm sure that in actual downhill skiing your body responds better than the electronic pad whose batteries were old the minute you stepped on and the kind voice said, "oh!". I would hope that you have more control in actual downhill skiing. And if you don't, then it's not for me.

I've always loved the Winter Olympics. It's much different on tv then in real life. Somehow the tv cameras don't capture the beauty of winter. If I ever do make it to a ski lodge and strap on a pair of skis, you can be sure I'll blog about it. Until then, I'll sit in front of a fire, drink wine and pretend that I'm in a beautiful ski lodge.