Heavenly

Yesterday was by far one of the best ski days ever. Ever...ever.

You know you're in for a good day when the sun is out, the sky is clear, and the view of Lake Tahoe expands behind you on the first ride up the majestic Gunbarrel Express. You're in for a good day.

The first run of the day was around the summit, with the sun coming up over the Nevada desert. "Heavenly" was aptly named. There isn't a square inch of that mountain that isn't, well, Heavenly. If you listen to epic music on an epic mountain with epic views on an epic day, the place seems celestial.

I did a couple of speed runs to warm up on the Nevada side. The snow was absolutely perfect. It was odd though...it was definitely not powder, but it wasn't icy at all nor was it slushy in the least bit. Kind of buttery rather, it's really difficult to describe. Like a soft, slick powder slab. I'd never seen anything like it, but it was awesome.

By noon I was getting kind of hungry, and hot...it was 61 degrees. As I came up the lift on the last run before lunch, I noticed a sign at the top: "Mott Canyon: OPEN." I knew Mott Canyon was open but I really wanted to ski Kille..."Killebrew Canyon: OPEN." I turned on the lift and started choking Scott out of excitement.

Killebrew Canyon, you see, is the expert area of all expert areas. It is explored by very few, and actually skied by even fewer. Named after Hugh Killebrew, the former owner and operator of Heavenly, who was killed in a plane crash in 1977, Killebrew Canyon is legendary. It lies on the silent, powder-filled Northeastern boundary of Heavenly Valley. I was glad it was finally open, to say the least.

Completely forgetting about lunch, I traversed across the Milky Way Bowl, through the trees and over the Mott/Killebrew ridge up to Gate A. A is the highest drop-in at the summit point of the canyon. Unfortunately it was closed so I skied down to C. Gate C is a bitch of a drop-in, it's perched on top of a ledge that's so steep it's barely skiable. It's like an 85º angle. In fact, without my helmet or any spotters, I was debating whether or not to drop at all...but being Killebrew, I had to. After getting down to the canyon floor, I found a ski patroller. The guy looked like a total hick, with a full beard--the type of mountaineering ski patrol guy you would find in Killebrew rather than operating a mid-mountain lift. He was putting up signs near rocks and such, and I asked him who they were for. "You, I guess. You better let me stay in front of you so I can put up these stakes up ahead, or I might as well not be down here." He said he had a couple of drinks and asked me if I wanted one. I ended up sitting on the wall of Killebrew Canyon and drinking a Pepsi with a hippie patroller, talking about the conditions and related ski talk. It was amazing.

When I skied out of the trees at the base of Mott, the liftie did a double-take and then started grinning and doing a little dance. "Killebrew Canyon customer number one today, congratulations!" Lifties are always high as balls.

The best run of the day outside of Killebrew was the last run. Normally the last run is kind of depressing, especially if you're driving home right after. Not today. I was listening to the right song. I was on the right run, from the summit to the base along the Southern ridge. The sun was in the right place, igniting the lake with billions of flakes of light, and illuminating the snow with a golden hue. I was going the right speed, not too fast and not too slow. Just takin' my time. There are brief stints, lapses in time it seems, when everything is absolutely perfect. There's nothing on your mind, nothing to rush for, nothing planned, and no gravity to pull you back to reality. This was one of those. I can't remember when I've felt better.

Clichéd, yes, but all good things come to an end. At the bottom of my 15 minute cloud of perfection, reality called. Literally. My phone rang, and I was informed that my grandpa was back in the hospital. Fuck reality.

All in all though, a good day. A rare, heavenly, good day. Vita brevis. Carpe diem.

~

"Well I'm takin' my time, I'm just movin' on
You'll forget about me after I've been gone
And I take what I find, I don't want no more
It's just outside of your front door.

It's been such a long time. It's been such a long time.

Yeah. It's been such a long time, I think I should be goin', yeah
And time doesn't wait for me, it keeps on rollin'
There's a long road, I've gotta stay in time with
I've got to keep on chasin' that dream, though I may never find it
I'm always just behind it.

Well I'm takin' my time, I'm just movin' along
Takin' my time, just movin' along
Takin' my time, takin' my time..."

-Boston

Current Mood: Indescribable

Listening To: "Peace of Mind" by Boston