October 26, 2010, Stevens Pass; Demise of a Streak

It is with a heavy heart that I report the untimely end to a noble streak€”the longest and most glorious of my decade as a backcountry skier.  Yes, it€™s true: I broke down and went skiing the other day, ending a solid 15 months during which I refrained from making a single turn on skis.

I€™ll keep this report brief, there being surprisingly little to say.  I drove up to Stevens Pass Tuesday following an early meeting, carrying four (4) sets of freshly-waxed skis and one (1) pair of freshly-deodorized T-2€™s.  It€™s been so long since last I skied that I found I€™d forgotten a few salient points. Most impressive: telemark skiing is very hard work!  I€™m a bit out of shape, and I€™ve never heard such huffing and puffing and grunting and groaning€¦.and that was just from bending over to clip into my bindings! 

I took a single 1200 v.f. run within the ski area.  The snow was soggy and dense, and trailbreaking was arduous both uphill and down.  I suffered some interesting pre-releases in the muck, which resulted in some splendid falls.  Finally, bowing to the inevitable, I dialed my DIN up to the maximum, following which I managed a scant few turns.  Fortunately, there was almost no one around to see me.

Returning to the ski area base I was able to gather a few shreds of remnant dignity and trudge back to the car.  There, I opened my lunch but found a sleeve of what were once perfectly-formed Fig Newtons which had gotten so thoroughly pummeled by my repeated falls that they had melded into an undifferentiated, gluey mass of a consistency rather similar to that of the snow itself.  I found this disheartening€”so disheartening that I had no choice but to lay waste to the stash of Reese€™s Peanut Butter Cups I had just purchased for Halloween distribution.  All the best laid plans€¦..

Snow was 6-8 inches deep at 4100 feet, 16-18 inches at 5300 feet, warming and compacting noticeably during my brief excursion.  Snow snakes and related forms of vermin were plentiful.  It€™s good to be back.