Snow Skiing Anyone?

When I was in college I belonged to a snow skiing club. It was a great way to meet people and our club was a local chapter that was part of a national student ski club organization. The organization provided its members with deep discounts off regular pricing and in some cases two for one deals. For most college students, especially me, any discount was welcome. There was some type of regular weekend trip throughout the winter. There were day trips and based on scheduling and budget there were overnight trips as well. The excursions were throughout the northeast and for the real adventurist there were occasional Colorado and Utah events but those were both over my budget and beyond my skiing ability.

I never did an overnight event with the club and kept to the day trips. Part of the fun was the drive to and from the ski resort. I had a van with roof racks so it was great for a group of four with the skis on the roof and all the other gear inside the van. There was always plenty of laughter and many stories about the great run of the day. A cocktail or two by the fireplace in the lodge was pretty much a given. Oh the days.

When I graduated, work quickly became my reality and the regular ski pricing was a sticker shock. The comradeship of the ski club was gone and coordinating trips was way too much work. I did ski occasionally after college but then another reality hit hard. I realized how much I hated the cold. I remember being stuck on the chairlift at Mohawk Mountain near a snow making machine. It was not pointed directly at me but let's just say it was not fun. That was the beginning of the end of my snow skiing career.

Now with bad knees, arthritis, bad back and an aging body and even a greater hatred of the cold, skiing is just a fond memory of an era gone by. I know many people who still hit the slopes with vim and vigor. As for me, if I am ever at a ski resort, you will find me in the lodge by the fireplace having a cocktail.

Until the Next Tom's Take...