Rocky Mountain High

Hi from the slopes of Snowmass, Colorado.  (And in case you don’t recognize us, that’s my brother Kenny and yours truly).

True, it’s an old picture.  No helmets.  And true, my hair has now turned gray and I have jettisoned my Descent ski suit.  But also true that Kenny has stayed exactly the same and so I’m using it.

We’ve just returned from a whirlwind visit to my adopted home town and it was a blast. We made the most of every glorious winter wonderland moment and I’m still high from the trip.

Cheech and Chong sidebar:  Not literally high, man. I did not avail myself of Colorado’s myriad legal pot shops.  My regular baseline reality is psychedelic enough.

Our brother/sister ski trip has long-standing roots.  It reaches back to the early 90’s when I first had a home in Snowmass.  Our spouses didn’t ski, and so every year we’d leave them behind and hit the chairlift.

We always had fun.  And this year’s outing was no exception.

To begin with, the weather was AWESOME  This is what I woke up to every morning.

It was almost fifty and sunny every minute of every day.  Perfect Spring skiing conditions.

The people were perfect, as well.  It was terrific seeing old friends- and making some new ones.

Our visit kicked off in style. We landed just in time to hit the best après-ski scene at one of my favorite places in Aspen- Chair 9 at The Little Nell.

And then it was on to a fabulous dinner in their dining room.

Check it all out.

The next day it was time to hit the slopes.

Kenny was excited.  He had been skiing there over Christmas and was rarin’ to go.  I hadn’t been skiing in awhile.  I had a few concerns:

A. Would I remember how to ski?

B. Would I have enough muscle memory (and muscle) to pull it off?  After all, my main form of exercise these past few years has been typing.

C.  Would I remember how to work my boots?

D. Would my ski pants still fit?

E.  Would I still love it as much as I used to?

Happily the answers to my questions were:

A.  Yes, it came back pretty quickly.  I still stink.

B.  My muscles passed the memory test.  But they had a note from their tutor asking for extra time.

C.  Nope.   I forgot to push the button on the side that loosened the arch.  Luckily, a handy young guy at Aspen Sports showed me how.  He also marveled at my boots.  He had never seen a pair like them before.  That’s cause they’re probably older than he is.

D.  They were uncomfortably snug in the waist.  Diet starts today, folks.

E.  Yep.  I’m still hooked on the feeling.  For me, nothing beats a day on the slopes.  IMHO it’s the greatest family vacation money can buy.  All around me, I saw toddlers and parents, fathers and sons, husbands and wives and grandmothers and teenagers having a wonderful time together in the great outdoors.

But it’s not all about skiing.  Even if you’re a never-ever, I still encourage you to get out to Colorado any time you can.

Whenever I gaze around at the majestic landscape, I am always awed.  I revel in every pine-scented moment that I’m there.  For me, the Colorado mountains are a very special, spiritual place.  I always feel the presence of Something Bigger every time I’m privileged to be out there.

I’m thankful to be a very small part of it all.

I may not ski gracefully any more but my heart is always filled with grace.

So now a big “Thank You!” must go out to Kevin, Lynn and Courtney, Holly and Mike, Peter, Rod, Keith at Aspen Sports and Joni and Mark for making our trip so memorable. You guys know what you did.

(And if you can’t schedule in a quick trip, check out the clip below.  The movie was written and directed by Patrick Hasburgh- a former Aspen ski instructor.  It’s outrageous- but pretty darn accurate about the less spiritual side of Aspen skiing.)

See you on the slopes.