April 27, 2009

The ski season officially ended this weekend. It isn’t quite logical since they plan to open again in May for a weekend, but they are ending the year of our season passes. If we want to ski in May, we will have to buy our new season passes or simply buy lift tickets for the days that we ski. We will probably buy our next year’s passes. It will probably be the best financial choice as they offer a discount and when you figure the value of a couple more days of skiing, it far exceeds any interest we might earn on the money.

I skied all three days this weekend. The days were short as the snow was heavy and wet. My legs are fatigued from the skiing. My lower back is aching. Yesterday was the worst. The snow was melting and creating wet spots that grabbed at our skis as we skied into them at speed. The sudden deceleration challenged our balance and our physical strength.

After years of skiing varying conditions, you begin to think you have seen it all and learned to ski it all. You even have names for various conditions like Styrofoam, death cookies, or pina coladas. What I experienced this weekend was totally new and as yet nameless. The volcanic ash put a dark layer in the snow. New white snow fell on top. Then skiers cut through the white stuff exposing some of the dark layer. The lower exposed dark layer absorbed more of the sun’s energy and melted more quickly. The lower dark layer melted even lower and turned darker while the white streaks protected some of the surface. It left a nearly unskiable uneven surface that I think would be called ashpits, if we needed a name for a snow condition that occurs so rarely.

The mountain looked bizarre. The groomed runs had the ash blended smoothly into the snow, making it a consistent shade of gray. The worst snow was the aforementioned mix of white ridges and dark pits. Somewhere in between was a mixed up mess of dark and light that just looked wrong.

I reorganized the garage. Now with six bikes and intentions of riding each of them fairly regularly, we needed to have them reasonably accessible. I had to move my tool cart because it occupied a good location for bike storage. I also had to mount the road bikes on the wall to minimize their footprint. I didn’t hang them high as they have to be accessible. I bought a bike rack for holding the commuter bikes. The garage is looking like a sporting goods warehouse with a couple cars stuffed in it.

I still haven’t ridden my new bike. It is probably coming up on six months old and I have yet to ride it other than a few spins on a trainer. With its short wheelbase and aluminum frame, I am a little concerned that it will be squirrelly and harsh. I have ridden and enjoyed squirrellier before and never really been all that sensitive to harshness. The bike should feel quick and light. I can’t wait to try it. Maybe this week.

I also organized our gear closet. It was a mess and I needed to put more stuff in it. I filled a box with backpacking gear that we use and another with stuff that we rarely use. This cleaned up most of the mess. It is interesting that I get more excited about organizing the garage and a closet than cleaning up the living room.

We went to a Broadway show on Friday. We saw Monte Python’s Spamalot. It was mildly amusing. It was mostly rehashed old Monte Python material, primarily from The Holy Grail, but there were a few new amusing songs and ideas.

The real show for us was the people. We arrived early so we stood in the lobby on the landing of the upper stairway to our cheap balcony seats and watched the people below. We watched as a former governor candidate climbed the stairs, but stopped at the mid level instead of continuing to our nosebleed seating area. We watched the contrast between people who believe that a night on the town means dressing to Lower 48 standards and those who believe a night on the town requires clean jeans and a bit of trimming of the beard, or maybe not. The contrast was amusing.

We watched as one woman struggled to climb the stairs with her long gown and clunky high shoes. We speculated on how fashion ever evolved into such impractical directions. We think women’s fashions may have been designed to hobble women. Of course they can’t compete when they are wearing clothing that hinders movement. We joked about men’s ties, wondering whoever thought those were a good idea. I guess we have more in common with the bearded people who sometimes crawl out of the wilderness in their finest jeans for a night on the town.