Ski repairs

When I showed up for work today Alicia told me that I’m already nearing overtime again and can’t get a full day’s work. Not that there would have been any for me: there was only one instructor on duty at each level today, and nobody had a full class. She asked me to hang around inside to help kids get their gear, but there was nobody to help. In less than an hour, I was released to ski. Judging by this, I don’t expect any work tomorrow either.

I would not have wanted to take a class today: it was dazzling bright without a cloud in sight, but bitter cold. My nose stung from it so I had to wear a full-face mask. My breath in the mask began to fog my goggles and when I lifted them to wipe them off, it froze solid before I could! I tried to explore new trails but my fingers froze up before I got beyond Peak 5. I took advantage of the great visibility to take some photos off the top of 9990, the highest peak in the resort, which I hope to upload soon. The north side of that peak was closed for avalanche danger so I couldn’t get back to the Red Pine area from there, but the runs down the east face were sweet. 9990 lift only services challenging black and double-black runs: steep valleys filled with trees and choppy snow. I spent most of my skiing time today in the shade of the trees where it actually felt warmer, perhaps because of the still air.

The only way back was from Tombstone lift, where I happened to find Emily in the line with five boys. At the top they went left and I returned through Grande, a tough double black wood with confusing dips and rises of terrain, and a few rock hazards I spotted too. Eventually I got into the end of Pinball Alley from there. Because I would rather go up a lift and ski down it than walk or skate for even a few meters, I went up Saddleback again before entering Red Pine Lodge. I tried The Aspens twice today: the run exactly opposite The Pines. It still had a “thin cover” sign turned backwards and holding up a rope, but by now that was a bald-faced lie. There was a treasure of thick fluffy snow between the narrow trunks, which were packed together more tightly than in The Pines. The aspens were just wide enough apart to let me weave through, and keep snowboarders out.

It hurt to try to thaw my fingers in warm water, but they eventually warmed up as I ate a giant oatmeal raisin cookie for lunch in the Red Pine Lodge. I’m thoroughly convinced my glove liners are worse than nothing. I met Emily there; she had already frozen her toes and fled inside! I gave her a dollar so she’d have enough to buy both toe-warmers and a hot chocolate, and I borrowed some of the drink. Her “crew” came there for lunch but Emily was broke then and I didn’t want any lunch, so she and I took a couple of runs down The Pines together, then she went back in and I took Short Cut lift up so I could ski Doc’s Run all the way down to the bottom. It finally has snowmaking on it, and had been groomed with the new snow, so it wasn’t nearly as bad as it looked before now. If it remains that nice a run to the bottom, I might never have to take the gondola down again.

In the locker room I finally did some badly-needed ski maintenance. I've been working my skis hard and it shows. I meant to tune and wax my skis before but I realized I need a lighter first. All the patch jobs on my base have broken off by now, and so I had to patch up all the deep old gouges again. Yesterday I borrowed a lighter from Josh to melt the P-Tex. I dripped some of the flaming material on myself, mildly burning and blistering a finger: incidentally, the same fingertip that’s still sore from getting a binding snapped down on it on Thursday. I didn’t do a very good repair for the deep holes, and I may need to take it to a professional repair shop again. Everyone told me the weather's supposed to heat up tomorrow but I applied cold wax anyway. I also tried to sharpen my own edges for the first time using the handy beveling tool in my kit... they still don’t feel very sharp, and I just hope I haven’t ruined them.

Nobody was home when I got back, even after I stopped to make a big purchase at the supermarket. I beat the terrific video game “Bioshock” but first I had to find the power cord to the Xbox, which someone had inexplicably hidden. I hid it in the same place when I was done. I enjoyed yesterday’s three-course turkey dinner so much that tonight I cooked thin steaks with a side of mushrooms, steamed asparagus, and rice. The loin steak was on sale for less than half price today. Since I don’t use sauces, that meal was unbelievably simple to cook. It always amazes me how the vegetables cost more than meat here. I also bought a box of oatmeal raisin cookies, having developed a craving for them, and ate a third of them tonight.