This weekend's ski trip was one of the most enjoyable we've had in years. It didn't start out to grad though. We were about 30min down the New Jersey Turnpike when I realized I had left my season pass at home. It took us an hour to double back and retrieve it, but my Dad said the roads were easier to travel at the later hours. I'm not sure if he was just trying to keep me from feeling bad, or if this was actually true. We arrived in Killington around 1am, shared a few post drive drinks with Rob and Raja, then to bed.
Skiing the next day was cold but fantastic. We were concerned that the sleet and freezing rain on the ride up may have ruined some plush snow from earlier in the week. Luckily, this was not the case. We took some top-to-bottom runs, and spent some time on Bear Mtn. It was cold, but not nearly as bad as the last trip. The temperature hovered around a manageable zero degrees. We skied the better part of the day before quitting to make a Long Trail run.
We arrived at the Long Trail about 20min before the kitchen is slated to close (5pm). We were a little panic stricken. The place was mobbed, and the likelihood of us securing a table for 12 in time for Yaki Wings and Onion Rings seemed grim. I secured a few pitchers of brew from the bar and we were fortunately squeezed in at the very last minute. The yaki wings were AWESOME and the Onion Rings were the very taste of beer battered perfection. Combined with some Hibernator, some Hit-The-Trail, and some Long Trail Ale, these delightful eats were the 'perfect' après-ski treat. We managed to get back to the condo, made for the hot tub, and enjoyed a nice soak before a little dinner/snack and sleep.
Sunday was an awesome day of skiing. Rob, Raja, and I woke of reasonably early and were out of the slopes a little after 9am. Not stopping for anything, we managed to ski 6+ hours. Eating on the gondola made things a little easier, and meeting up with the rest of my family on the mountain helped keep things at a workable pace. Raja was kind enough to capture a few videos with his new digital camera. I will be sure to post them as soon as he sends them to me.
Sunday was also my mothers Birthday that meant plenty of festivities for the evening. After packing in the ski-day we dressed and headed for the Goombay capital of the world "The Grist Mill". A few rounds of Goombay goodness had us all feeling really groovy. The Happy Hour beef ribs, and the 3 orders of nachos also helped to remove any edge that dared to rear its head. The Grist Mill was followed by another two hours at the Back-Behind. This restaurant/bar was the 1st place I had even been served a beer when I was a young 13. 14 of us filed in for dinner, and ordered up another round of drinks (beer & wine). I distinctly remember my 4ft tall cousin looking me in the eye and saying "YOU'RE TRASHED!!". He might have been right. Dinner was good, but all the alcohol in my belly made it hard to put any 'quantity' down. Toward the end of the evening my aunt and Kelly began putting away quite a bit of wine - They "overachieved".
When it comes to drinking - "ACHIEVE and MAINTAIN --- do not OVERACHIEVE"
Everyone predicted a slow moving c0rk for the next morning, but I was my eager, energetic post-drinking self. I was up around 8 and ready to ski around 9. Aside from some body fatigue from the previous days of skiing, I didn't get the sense that the alcohol had any effect on my head. --- no hangover. Monday was a sunny and reasonably warm day of skiing. The wind, however, kept a significant portion of the mountain inaccessible. No worries though, we found other ways of amusing ourselves. My uncle, my oldest cousin, Rob and I tackled some glades and other wooded ski elements in search of moguls and tight-turning powder in steep spots. A run down big dipper glade had plenty of moguls and a nice patch of ice for me to fall/slide down. We visited Lowrider, and enjoyed the trees along with the powder which made any mistakes just a little less painful. I finished up the day with a few sweet GS turns down Rams Head. The ski day was followed by a quick tub a shower and a little grub.
:::::on the road:::::
We arrived back in Voorhees around 11:15 last night, and despite getting to bed at a reasonable hour... I'm feeling pretty whacked today... dragging anchor as it were... Not to worry... There are a lot of interesting things coming up for me to write about, and some more political discussions ahead... ;-)
Comments