It’s Thursday, December 31st, 2020 and this last Tuesday we had a fairly decent powder day. Mornings usually start pretty early for us, and this is especially true for powder days. Waking up before the rooster’s crow has become the routine for us and it allows us the opportunity for getting that first chair…ok, maybe third chair, but you get what I’m saying.
Ski days are the days my son and I get after it and it’s made possible by our routine. Our routine is really no different from any other day except for the bonus of a day spent on the mountain. We’re big fans of routine because it allows us to take our time and not feel rushed, so we wake up every day as if it’s a ski day. This way, when it’s actually a ski day, we do what we and go. My son and I have a little fun with it too. We camp out in the living room watching ski movies in anticipation of the day that follows.
Since we stay on the mountain for essentially the entire day, I feel it’s important to start the day off right. We wake up a 5:00am, do our morning bathroom rituals and rendezvous in the kitchen where the cast iron pan that is the center-piece of the stove top patiently waits for the flame to begin the daily routine of cooking a most proper breakfast. Within minutes, the smell of bacon frying and coffee brewing fills the kitchen with a warm greeting to the morning. The toasting of waffles and washing of fruit shortly follow. Strawberries and blackberries are the usual fruit staple; in case you were wondering. The kitchen during this time is a whirlwind of activity that results in us convening at the breakfast table for the most basic form of celebrating life, which is food. The breakfast is served, the coffee poured, and we share a moment where we give thanks and show our gratitude for the wondrous thing we call life. We sit and enjoy our breakfast pondering what this special day between dad and lad will bring. “Which lift are we going to get on first?“, ” Which runs will we do first?”, are just some hard-hitting questions that we ponder in between bites of crispy bacon. After breakfast, we clean up, pack a cooler with the day’s lunch and head out the door wearing nothing but our base layers and skis, boots, poles and gear bag in tow.
The car ride to the ski area is a fun ride with hype song after hype song being played. Awolnation, The Glitch Mob, Odesza, The Fouls and Chainsmokers are just a few artists that my son digs and have become the soundtrack to his life on these ski day mornings. I often wonder if “SAIL!!!” is going through that little noggin of his as he launches himself off of the many jumps he enjoys doing on certain runs, but I digress. We usually get to the parking lot around 7:30am and we’re typically one of the first cars there. If there’s anything I’ve learned from my son’s younger years when he first started skiing is that parking closer to the ski lift and/or lodge that serves hot cocoa will make for a happier, more fun day. Upon our arrival we set up our little base-camp and taking our time, we begin the ritual of outfitting ourselves for the day. We slide on our ski pants over our base layers, followed by mid-layer jackets and waterproof shells, which then followed by sliding into our ski boots and buckling up. We slide our buffs over our heads, followed by our ski helmets with goggles strapped to them, grab our skis, and head to the chairlift for that coveted 9:00am first chair.
One day, as we were in our little base-cam gearing up for the day, another parent in a somewhat perplexed questioning manner says to me, “You know, you’re usually one of the first ones to arrive at 7:30, but your son’s ski team doesn’t start until 10:00.”, to which I replied, “I just like getting a good parking spot.”, but the truth is that on ski days, starting from 5:00am to the time my son sets off with his team at 10:00am is a special time. It’s time that the memory of it will blind side my son when he’s my age and he’s helping his child with their ski boots. It’s our routine that he will remember. One day, when he’s 40 something, he will not place much emphasis on the material things our family had (except for maybe skis and mountain bikes) but the memories that will stand out are the special moments we shared on those early morning ski days filled with ritual and routine; routine that was established early and often, long ago, so that the best of powder days can be enjoyed thoroughly.
Video link >>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKbJ2dLydqs&t=37s
