A few weeks ago I went skiing with Zack in Utah, and had a great time with him. Today I rounded up a few friends and headed up to Blacktail Mountain. I love Blacktail for several reasons: it’s crazy cheap (even with this year’s price increase), it’s less than an hour from my house, and it’s rarely crowded.
The forecast called for clear, sunny skies and temperatures in the high 20’s, which is pretty much ideal for skiing. I love a lot of sunlight, and I don’t love warm temperatures turning the snow to ice late in the day. Well, the forecast was true to form and it ended up being an absolutely gorgeous day.
Here’s a shot from the lift with my friend Tom. He’s in his mid-70’s and still an excellent skiier.
And here’s Brandon, who was thrilled to have a new snowboard for the runs.
My friend Linda also joined us, although I didn’t get a picture with her. She’s about to turn 80 but in her younger days she practically lived on the mountain. She was in the ski patrol, and all her kids were really into skiing– several of them were competive slalom racers. Despite her age, she has flawless form and makes skiing look so easy.
Perhaps the best part of the day was how empty the resort was. I don’t think there were more than a hundred people in total, scattered across all the acres of the mountain. That meant we nearly always had the runs to ourselves. Here’s an example: Tom and Brandon are following me down the hill, and we didn’t meet another person the whole way down. Awesome.
Pepper spent the day shredding the slopes on her snowboard. Afterward we all enjoyed a big dinner at Tamarack Brewing, one of our favorite restaurants in the area. Today is one of the best days I’ve ever spent skiing…