Saturday was an amazing day in the Notch. The place gives you back what you put into it. I dug deep and put in more than I had originally intended, and I was rewarded for my efforts. These past three days included some of the best Thanksgiving skiing I’ve ever enjoyed. And I enjoyed all three of those days at Cannon.
After earning pre-Thanksgiving Dinner turns on Thursday, I returned on Friday for Cannon’s first day of lift service. I enjoyed fantastic skiing on the same trails that I had earned turns on the day prior. But despite three straight hours of mostly untracked powder skiing, I couldn’t help but think that something was missing.
The thrills came fast and furious. Run after run of untracked powder. My heart was pounding and my breath was short as I skied fast and hard, tracking up as much virgin snow as possible. There was no frenzy, there were no crowds. But it was still a rush. The lifts do that to you… they are like life: they instill a certain eager and unsatisfied mentality. As if just one more run of untracked will somehow refute our vapid existence.
Standing atop Mount Jackson after skinning up Mittersill, nothing was missing. The sky was a brilliant and cloudless blue juxtaposed against the mountains of the Franconia Notch, caked in white. I was sucking wind, spent from three days of skiing and skinning. Overweight and out of shape, I lamented to a fellow skier that I didn’t have anything left in the tank.
But the sight of Taft Slalom beckoned. Across the saddle, only three sets of deep trenches marred the brilliant surface. I couldn’t resist. Perhaps it was the amazing vista or expectant powder skiing. Or perhaps it was the camaraderie with fellow skiers or the indescribable nature of inspiration. Whatever changed in that moment had me redefine my definition of fatigue and exhaustion, looking at things differently and pressing onward.
This is more of a metaphor than a trip report. It all started as a bunch of trip reports but it became a public journal detailing a personal journey. A flash of artistry, style, and self expression from an isolated and uninspired place. But days like this return me to that moment when I completely altered my surroundings and direction in the single minded pursuit of this passion.
