12/6 - If snowed, go skiing!

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When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade.

Or so they say.

So when on a cycling vacation, and the largest weather system in recent history moves into your area,

'Surfer and I headed up to Durango Mountain Resort today and spent all day up on the mountain finding entertainment in Bear remembering how to operate sticks with wax on the bottom.

Surprisingly enough, I survived, and only wiped out like four times. Really got the money's worth out of the loaner skiing pants.

The mountain had about 30% of the trails open (just the front quad-chair and a couple of auxillary).

We basically had the mountain to ourselves, being mid-week and early-season there's just not that many people out there. I think most of the population came out of Fort Lewis College.

Getting back on skis actually gave me a moment of trepidation, the last time I was on skis was for two days at Ski Apache and I had spent most of that week sick as a dog with food poisoning. I had not been on the boards since then, we do not after all get much snow in Austin Texas.

But, it went really well. The only times I fell was on the hill, not getting on or off the lift, so embarrasment was at a minimum. Sliding on snow was sure a lot easier on the contusions than falling on limestone.

It sure was fun, I gotta say. It's amazing how much I forget how much I enjoy something when I don't get to do it often.

TrailSurfer sure has a good gig up here, I gotta say.

Of course, the fact that he gets to ride with Ned Overend, Tom Danielson, and others, doesn't hurt either.

We passed the train heading up the hill, or our way to Purgatory

Welcome to Purgatory, er, Durango Mountain Resort

View of the hill, promising, promising ...

Trailsurfer seems like snow agrees with him

Trailsurfer is ready to go!

Sliding down the hill...

Bear is liking it too.

And for the faithful, services are available on top the hill.

Nice view of the resort from the hill

And a nice postcard shot, just for the heck of it.

Tomorrow?

Heh.

Going skiing again.

I can still walk, so obviously I need to burn out some more quadricept tissue... then we'll get back on the road and go find some trail to ride.

Things may, just may, be looking up for St. George.

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