Whew!

What a rush.

My wife came home early, with the intent of going to ski with us. Our daughter, however, said a firm .. NO! She is growing, and her boot were getting a bit small so they were hurting the last time. Now she's convinced she doesn't like skiing. We let her know we'll take her in and get a larger pair, and then she'll enjoy it more.

So, I asked if I could go. "Sure," said my wife ... after deftly placing a "honey do" list in my hand - I could go on the condition that I did some last minute shopping for the birthday party we'll have for Alyssa tomorrow.

I was excited to get to the slope because there is a second lift that opened that is on the novice slope. So, there are fewer cars and shorter lines to contend with. Actually, I forgot this is when most people work, so it was not crowded at all - I literally pulled into the lot, walked up to the chair and hopped up.

I had forgotten how gorgeous the view was from this side of the mountain. I was gazing over the sprawling expanse of the Black Hills, dark but laced with white snow. The prairie was in the distance, a muted brown and white that blended with the bright blue horizon. Bear Butte stood lonely, looking less ominous with the tendrils of white snaking down its sides.

I decided to go with the slope I'm familiar with to warm up on. I went down "Surprise" and merged onto "Stewart" with no problem, and took the lift back up, did the River Run (lots of moguls, lots of fun) and then tackled Surprise full on (without the merge). I was in for a surprise because it was a bit icier than I expected near the top, then there was more powder than I was used to coming down. I took the lift back up and tackled the longest run currently open - Kussy.

Oh, boy.

It had been awhile since I did Kussy. I had forgotten one little detail.

There is a point where you come over a crest and gaze down, and it looks like it is dropping off the face of the map. It's not really THAT steep or THAT long, but for me, having just started back, it certainly looked that way.

I paused for a moment, decided fear was not an option - I wouldn't stand paralyzed on the slope pondering "what if" when I could be screaming down the slope with powder and icy wind on my face, so I took it.

My heart was in my throat the whole way down. I was bending my knees too much, realized my thighs were screaming form the Hindu squats, my fingertips and toes were frozen. I hit the bottom and was going to talk myself out of skiing any more.

I decided instead to step into the lodge and collect my bearings. I had some cheese crackers (hey, better bad choices - could have been the brownie) and a cup of coffee. Was feeling QUITE FINE after that, and went back to the slope.

This time, I was in flow. I felt the slope. I could gaze into the distance and drink in the view as my hips and legs responded to the changing contours rushing beneath my feet. It was a rush. I did a few more runs, until almost closing time.

After that, I went shopping and checked off the honey-do list, then relaxed in the hot for about 30 minutes with my daughter.

It is probably quite a site, seeing me in nothing but bathing suit trunks and ski boots carrying my daughter quickly across the deck so we can jump into the 105 degree hot tub to take refuge from the 13 degree air outside. Once inside, however, sheer fun. My daughter is still small enough that it's like a swimming pool to her. It's quite an experience having our legs hot and faces cold. We like using the squirt gun to make icicles on the edge of the gazebo. I'll have to take a picture of the hot tub in the snow.

Now we are winding down. Time to pack up the tree and ornaments, finish cleaning the house, and get ready for a fun birthday party tomorrow.

Have a fantastic evening, those who are reading this.

Jeremy Likness