Making Tracks on New Years' Day

Perhaps there is not as much snow as one might wish, living here in Ski Country. But let us hasten to add, there IS snow. 

Brian groomed a loop for skiers circling our big back Pioneer fields -- not a very long loop, but you could just keep going, getting into stride, warming up legs and reflexes, climbing gentle hills and zooming down others.

We had several guests head out onto that. And three who decided to Boldly Go...

They tackled the trails through the woods - including Hill and Gully, which is one of our hillier (hence the name!) trails.

And the verdict?  "Just fine. We'll be back."

Now they did confess that it was a little bit of heavy sledding for the lead skier -- who had the job of breaking the thin crust which impeded the ability to turn.  This is an over-rated capacity anyway, said she, who can only turn reliably in one direction on her alpine skis.

Once that first track was made, however, it was smooth sailing.  We are still waiting for more snow to enable Brian to get out there with the heavy equipment, the groomer that will pack and set track does demand just a few more inches of fluffy white stuff before it works well.

The colours of January have been monochrome so far. We've had a little dust of snow every day, keeping skies gray.  When I walked in the later afternoon, everything was in a palette of grays and blues, and the darkest of dark greens in the evergreens.  The only spot of colour was the beech leaves that remain valiantly throughout the winter season.

So be of good cheer, as the new year arrives. So do the seasons. You can still get out there and play!

Some of our guests spent the week at Hidden Valley, there two youngsters enrolled in the Christmas Ski School, and they have had a fantastic time. We've had others at Rock Ridge, enjoying tubing. Several on our own toboggan and tubing hill, which just gets faster as they pack it in.  As for a rink? Well, we're optimistic, and are going out this week to see if there is some smooth shore ice of sufficient depth.

Happy New Year. Be sure that one of your Resolutions for this coming trip around the sun is to get outside, a little bit every single day. To get back in touch with Nature and all the beauty that is our Big Backyard. To take a few moments to breathe air that is full of the scent of pine trees, not auto exhausts.  Be well...