fonixmunkee's Blog

My aim this year was to get more skiing done. While I work two jobs and only have one resort nearby that I can ski, this was going to be a feat, but I was determined at the end of last season to get out more. Little did I know that despite all these other downfalls, the weather would also hamper my efforts.
For the record, this has been the worst winter I've seen in ages. Granted, I've only been skiing for about 4 years now, so I haven't been paying particular close attention to the winter weather, this is the worst that I can recall in that time frame. This time last year, I was ducking out of work to ski 8" of fresh at Spirit Mountain. This year, more brown covers the runs than white, and what is white is actually just solid hockey-puck-hard ice.

Because of the crappy weather, I'm not on the slopes as much as I wanted. I'm up to 10 days--10 DAY--of skiing. That's pathetic. I bought a $99 season pass to Mount Bohemia this year to rage the backcountry there..but when I check their website, they have no projected opening date. Just last year, it was the beginning of February and everything at Bohemia was open...and we were killing it. I was hoping to log a full 5 days there alone. I've got 4 Lutsen trips in this year, and the rest of the time has been at Spirit Mountain. I'll have another three days at Lutsen after this weekend, and then in a week I'll put in 4-5 days in Utah. But then what? If I return home from all these trips and find that we still don't have snow, my odds of beating 42 days of skiing isn't going to occur.

And that's a damn shame.

Everyone is being positive around me, saying things like, "don't worry, we have to have winter!" and "oh, it's just getting ready to really dump winter on us." To them, I reply "I hope so." I have set the rare personal goal, and now I'm getting shut down every which way when I try to attain it.

The season is taking it's toll on all my skiing and boarding friends, but at least we can still make some turns. As inglorious as they may be, turns are turns. And no matter how painful the wipe-out, at least you are still skiing. But I'm beyond that now. I don't head out west, then come back here to the Midwest and say "skiing here will never be the same." That's just not true, you love the sport for the activity. You don't go to the White House and then return to your house and say "this house is just not the same." Of COURSE it's not the same. But it's yours, you own it, and you can make it what you want. The same applies to skiing. But damn, you can't ski on the brown stuff.

The ski shop is really feeling the burn of the season. This time last year, we were at least 50% sold off on our inventory. This year, the walls are still covered from end to end with equipment and gear. One good snowfall, just ONE, is all we need to get people back in the door and let them know that winter has really arrived. But yet, we are denied this as well.

No matter what, I'll still try like hell to beat last season's 42 days of skiing. Pretty good, if you ask me, for a dually-employed Midwesterner. But if the weather doesn't cooperate soon, it's going to be a little sketch.

Cross your fingers, and pray to Ullr with me. Everyone together now.

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