February 16, 2006, Ski Acres (Summit Central)

What a difference 30 years makes! <br><br>Back in high school, my buddies and I skied and instructed at Ski Acres every weekend, rain or shine. I've hardly been back since.<br><br>I went up to the summit last night to get some exercise and scope out a few things for the Patrol Race tour next weekend. I toured (on thin skins) up from the Mountaineers Lodge to the Central-West crossover trail and then skied down and across Bonanza to the opposite side of the ski area. I was blown away by the terrain park. It's by far the biggest I've seen in Washington. Some of my old freestyle friends on TAY (you know who you are) would probably get a real thrill out of the jumps up there. They're designed for some serious air. And it's all sanctioned by the ski area. Very cool!<br><br>I toured up and skied down several times, staying in the shadows on the way up to avoid a ski patrol incident. A fun workout.