skiing in vermont, part 1.

last weekend i embarked on my first vermont downhill skiing adventure in about six years-- maybe seven winters... since that last ski at sugarbush, i've skied well over one hundred days in colorado. my expectations for the snow quality were low, though it was a perfect bluebird day (hey wait, i thought we only had those in colorado?)...
so my dad and i embarked on a little drive through the mad river valley over to sugarbush to visit my old stomping grounds & meet jen and her dad for an afternoon on the slopes. the snow was a mix between corn snow and slabs of ice, and i feared for my ability to turn (and therefore, my wellbeing) multiples times throughout the day.

but here's the thing. i. had. fun.

vermonters are an interesting bunch of people. they don't care largely about appearance, or new gear. if it works, and they can play on it, they are good to go. and rather than judging them, as so often happens in steamboat, i enjoyed them. i loved that people were out and about in their ancient skis, duct taped gear, rear-entry boots, etc. many outfits resembled what steamboat would consider to be "awesome gaper costumes." and here, those were people's real ski outfits because there seems to be a strong "if it's not broke, why fix it?" mentality.

it's refreshing. people in steamboat, myself & my friends included, spend a lot of time obsessing over the latest ski gear, drooling over ski clothes with giant price tags, buying new goggles to look less like a 'gaper.' i spent two full seasons feeling self-conscious of how i looked on the slopes, searching all the stores for some snazzy new pants. i finally have pants that i absolutely love, but with them came a ridiculous price tag. was it worth it? sure, because i will be wearing them for many years to come, probably far enough into the future that will be looking like an awesome costume....

i also loved being out as part of a father-daughter double date. jenna & i grew up skiing at sugarbush, heading up on weekends and alternately skiing thoroughly, drinking hot cocoa in allyn's lodge, or taking the lengthy chairlift from the southern mountain to the northern mountain. my memories of our ski days are fairly clear, but riding each trail this time was a strange combination of experiencing it for the first time & traveling back in time (oh no, wait, that was just when 'stairway to heaven' was playing at the base and i was transported back to the late 1990's skiing the day after a school dance!). when jenna and alex came to visit us in steamboat, brett couldn't get over what twins jen & i looked like cruising down the slopes after all of our years taking lessons and spending weekends together. even now, as i've spent the past five years downhilling all the time, while jen has spent her mountain time on cross country trails, i still felt like we were skiing along in unison.

so, while i love steamboat & it's fresh powder, fancy skis, and high speed lifts... for now you can find me slipping and sliding on the ice (and hopefully finding some nice corn snow to celebrate spring), riding the wooden chairlifts, and appreciating the good ol' gettups. all in good company.

*i know i called the vermonters "they" and "them" and i'm well aware... i've only been back here for 3 weeks! did you think i'd transform that quickly? :)

**i will say--i do think vermonters could stand to wear helmets while they ski, and i really do believe in the rocker technology that is in skis coming out this year.