October 23, 2004, White Sands,NM

Jill and I are at the tail end of a 2 month road trip thru the Canadian Maritimes and the Northeast.  We were traveling north from El Paso when I learned of the winter storms battering the mountains of the west.  We dug thru the campervan and only located the mountain bikes. Someone forgot the skis. Hmm.

Decided to head NE to White Sands National Monument for some untracked.  The other visitors were oblivious to what surrounded them.  The early morning conditions were ideal-70 degrees, sunny, no wind and a stable sand pack.  We headed for the largest dunes and parked at the base of a forty footer.  We put on our shorts and took off the sandals.  I decided to break trail ad started toe skinning up the dune.  The sand was cool, stable and ideal for climbing.  We averaged 10vf per minute.  We topped out within 5 minutes.

I took a 30 degree line to test the conditions before Jill . What a guy.  I laided down perfect slalom turns with my petite size 13 feet.  No need for wax . Toe jam provided the necessary glide.  The untracked billowed over the toes up my shin and provided the density to prevent sliding too fast.  I finally reached the base and looked back at my tracks in the white glistening sand.  The conditions were stale so Jill took a more aggressive line.  She laid down beautiful GS turns in the untraced dune.  I was overwhelmed by the exhilaration of the first run and decided to return for one more run.  My second run was good but the sand seemed to be getting a bit heavy.  We dusted off the sand between our toes and packed up.  It was a great day for 80 VF in untracked white sand with sunshine and stable conditions.

We are on our way to Durango,CO to visit a friend.  I only wish someone had packed the skis.

Zap