Killington

Day 85: Killington

Self-motivation has never been a major issue for me, but having friends that share your passion sure does help with that. I told myself I HAD to go to Killington this weekend. What kind of ski bum am I to have missed last week? So I called my friends Nichelle and Bobby to see if they were heading over too. Turns out we motivated each other to get out there.

My passion for skiing has never made sense in NYC, but through @mappy_hour and the friends I’ve made through hiking and ski groups, I’ve come to recognize that a passion for the outdoors is not mutually exclusive with living in NYC, and when things return to normal, I’ll have people in the city and the country to share my love of the outdoors with.

I initially put on my best Hawaiian shirt for today because that means spring skiing to me. However, when I arrived at Killington, I was pretty cold and thought I had misjudged the weather. Turns out it’s not me, it’s shoulder season. Within a couple hours of arriving I was warm, and the snow was perfect soft bumps. There are some rocks trying to peek through the headwall, but nothing that’s going to destroy your bases yet.

The snow is soft, but not too slow. I was telling Bobby how every year I spend my time @huntermountain skiing these hard, large, gnarly bumps with deep irregular troughs. I always wonder how I manage Superstar in the spring and then I remember that Superstar’s bumps in May are far friendlier than anything created mid-winter.

I know it gets old, but I can’t believe a virtual community turned into real life bonds. I guess I’m still trying to process this, but I’m so excited to find people that get something so significant out of the outdoors that the word “hobby” will never capture the significance.