A few weeks ago, we had a series of storms that dumped epic powder. And my dear friends Florida Keys Girl and Florida Keys Guy were in town. Florida Keys Guy and I make excellent ski buddies. We once managed to pound out 22 runs before lunch. Of course, we had lunch at 2:30, but we still count it among our most impressive ski days ever.

This conversation came up as we were riding a lift into questionable visibility and heavy crosswinds. “Some days, days like this, I am ok with taking one run and calling it good,” I ventured, testing his mettle. I didn’t say that I only do that on days I’m skiing solo. I desperately wanted to make the most of the fresh stuff with my pal.”So…”

“No,” said Florida Keys Guy. “Remember, I have to fit all of my skiing for the year into five days, so it’s game on.” That was the very sentiment that made me return to New York after my first (and only) Park City vacation for just long enough to pack up and make a life-altering U-Turn back here.

Big Guy was on the hill with us that day. You’ll see here, it was one of those days we left not a single spec of skin uncovered.

I was sporting my Nan[ook] of the North look, to be sure.

Big Guy took a big spill on the bottom of Blue Bell—the powder and crud and bumps were deep enough to overwhelm his slight four-foot-tall, 45 lb frame. So he and I cut the morning short, and left Florida Keys Guy to slam in a few more runs before we were to meet Florida Keys Girl for lunch.

Florida Keys girl had out-skied her bum knee, and sensing Big Guy’s desire to quit for the day, and knowing Florida Keys Guy and I would happily slam out more runs, she declared that she and Big Guy would find a quiet corner of the lodge and some cookies and enjoy the afternoon from the warm, dry confines of Snow Park’s upstairs lounge.

After lunch, Florida Keys Guy and I headed for the lift, and we were even more stunned by the wind and mediocre visibility.

“This is great,” I said, as we prepared for another lap on our favorite lower-mountain circuit (Solid Muldoon to Dew Drop to Little Kate). “Fresh snow and one of my favorite ski buddies!”

“You really have a positive attitude about everything, don’t you?” he said, as if he had not known me for twenty years, and thus known this about me for 19 years and 364 days. “Your own son doesn’t want to ski in this, and you think it’s awesome…”

Well, yeah.
I do.