Skiing powder is my drug of choice.
The lengths I’ve gone to ski, the money spent on lift tickets and trips and the direct harm to my body are all reminiscent of a real drug addiction.
Risking jobs for a single rope drop at Alta and losing girlfriends to not run late on a powder morning.
It would seem absolutely crazy to most people.
How could one run on an untracked face be worth so damn much?
Most casual skiers can't understand getting in line 2+ hours before a chairlift opens for first tracks.
I love the camaraderie of the early risers, the countless friendships forged on frigid mornings and first trams.
Bonding with fellow junkies who fiercely debate the absurd intricacies of snow and rehash memories made on a single run at places thousands of miles away.
Skiing powder is the most beautiful high you could imagine.
The unbelievable locations and experiences it will lead you to; all culminating in these fleeting seconds of pure bliss. Dropping into a bluebird sunny steep face, the easy weightlessness of each turn as your adrenaline soars. It’s nearly indescribable the subtle sounds of gliding in deep snow and the remarkable stillness after a spectacularly violent winter storm. When the snow is light enough and above your waist, it becomes patented ‘bouncy magic’. As you catch speed downhill, the cold smoke effect overtakes your ability to see, ice crystals form dramatically on any bit of facial hair.
A bad habit of powder skiers is staring back at our tracks, hyper obsessing over the squiggly disruptions left on a blank canvas. Powder makes even the worst skier look great, those who attack it with fluidity and precision elicit a head-turning refined grace.
Fortunately powder snow does fall in some of the most beautiful natural places you could imagine. Above the gorgeous lakes of Portillo, Chile and Lake Tahoe or on the staggering mountains of the French Alps, Alaskan Chugach Range and Yotei Japan, here dreams come true. The irony of broke dirtbags chasing this high all in the playgrounds of the uber rich. Executives and CEO’s on vacation watch clueless as the locals who serve them rabidly track out the mountain.
Do I bemoan not having more money in the bank or an impressive resume at my age? Sure.
The first chair after sleeping in your car in the ski area lot is better anyways.