Sweet 16
Stop your summer dreaming. It’s still ski season. T minus 16. Sixteen sweet days to go. In two weeks you’ll be complaining that ski season is over and pining for opening day 2017/18. Enjoy this while it lasts. Live for the moment.
There is a little bit of everything up there for you. (Okay, not everything…but with 16 days to go, a sneaky powder day wouldn’t be unheard of in April!) And the experience is completely different depending on what time you decide to ride.
Slide over the fast crispy terrain in the morning. Sink into the slower slush in the afternoon. It’s late season and your thighs are strong. You’re ready to embrace it all. Follow the groom.
Speaking of which, skiers and riders should sponsor a “hug a groomer” day. Steamboat’s Team Snow Cat is keeping conditions fun and safe up on the mountain — mining snow to make sure the main thoroughfares ride smoothly. We’re happily skiing top to bottom with daytime temperatures that persist in the 40s. And for leisurely lunches outside on the Rendezvous or Four Points decks…well, the weather couldn’t be more perfect.
With the warm weather, the ear flaps on my helmet are now off (which is probably guaranteed to bring back Peak Winter). I’m all about embracing nature’s silence — or better yet, it’s emerging sounds. I never ski with ear buds. I like to hear the rush of Burgess Creek opening as I ride up Four Points, a snowboard breaking the frozen corduroy, the watery swish of a pair of Alpine skis riding through the slush. Silence…there’s less and less of it. It’s a precious part of nature, and it’s part of what I love so much about this sport. It opens my eyes to the intensity of the blue and the fluffiness of the clouds, the feel of the snow under foot. Sorry Beyoncé, but I prefer bird music when I’m skiing.
Flow Tribe is taking the Gondola Square stage in honor of April Fool’s Day tomorrow. Their “second line brass and Cuban-Caribbean rhythms melts with R&B, soul, rock and hip-hop” sounds perfect for a sunny Saturday après ski.
Welcome to April in Steamboat! We call it Springalicious!
Jennie Lay, Telemark skier
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