January 28, 2023 What a Day! Bluebird and Pow Pow.

Big Boarder was up early. Barrman got his text at 8:15 At Ridge see you at the chair.

Barrman left his condo and skied to the bottom of the hill. Blue sky enveloped the alpine, the gleaming sun lit the mountain air. There was fresh snow on the ground and sunshine above.

It was a day skiers dream about.

At the lift, a line was forming. Barrman went to the ridge side, got in line, and waited for his buddy. He felt the anticipation rise. The first few turns to the chair were fresh tracks in the trees beside the run. 

He felt his spirits rise with the sun as it climbed in the eastern sky. Big Boarder walked from the parking lot and got in line beside Barrman. He mounted his snowboard and the two snow riders bounced in excitement. It was 8:25 and the lifts would start taking people to powder heaven any time. Barrman saw Braffster in the line and he waved. He glanced around and spotted other regulars. Everyone was smiling, the day would be one of those epic days snow riders waited for. After all the low cloud(aka fog) and poor vis, in the past while, Big White was alive with the bluebird conditions.

Twenty chairs later Barrman and Big Boarder slid on the lift and started the best day of the season, one of Barrman’s best days ever.

The friends laughed and watched the pristine slopes drift below them. They started with a warm-up run. Fresh corduroy turns of Perfection.

When they got to the bottom, the lines hadn’t begun to form, the Snowghost was spinning and taking people to the top. Braffster climbed up from the Ridge to join Big Boarder and Barrman on the Ghost.

It was the beginning of a beautiful day of riding.

The three buddies ventured to the Powder Chair and chased fresh tracks from the top. No one had been in the trees they explored. It was dream-like. The trees were encased in snow like ghostly sentinels guarding the untouched terrain. They descended with whoops of joy. Barrman hollered in ecstasy, answered by yelps of excitement from Big Boarder and bellows of amazement from Braffster.

They returned to the lift and giggled like little kids in a candy store. And it was almost the same. 

“It’s almost like stealing!” Big Boarder laughed as he looked around at all the powder turns. 

“Ya, but the only crime is we can’t be everywhere at once.” Braffster turned and laughed as they rode up the Powder Chair for more laps of glory.

“Let’s go to the Falcon before it’s all gone up top,” Barrman suggested to his friends.

“Whoop, Whoop! Sounds great!” 

They rode to the top of the Powder and headed to the Falcon. Another descent of steep and deep tree lines led the trio to the bottom of the Falcon Double Chair hoping to find more powder glory. They slid onto the chair and it lifted them to the top of the mountain. 

“Hey, why is it closed?” Barrman asked Braffster as they passed over the patroller putting up a rope. There were a bunch of skiers crossing the top from the T-bar and as they got closer they could tell it was a bunch of young ski racers.

“Looks like an extreme ski competition for the kids,” Braffster said.

“Look at all those people ignoring the rope and poaching the lines.” Barrman pointed at the people skiing the shin-deep snow in the bowl below them.

“I think we should leave it for the kids.” 

“Me too.”

They got off the chair at the top and waited for Big Boarder to ride off and join them. He strapped on his board and they looked at the gleaming fresh slopes below. There were lots of lines to make and they planned their route. 

It was one of those rare days, they could see forever and the snow beckoned them to carve new lines in all the fresh snow.

They rode the untouched snow all the way back to the Powder Chair. Exhilarated by the feeling of floating in the heavens they howled in delight.

Back to the top, they rode.

As they sat on the chair lift Braffster’s phone went off. Sadly, he had to go to work. Barrman wanted his buddy to stay but he understood when duty called. 

That left the two snow-riding buddies to conquer the rest of the mountain. And conquer they did, until it conquered them and their knees.

From the top of the T-bar, they rode fresh snow all the way through Narnia and down to the Gem Lake Express. From there they went to the Moonlight Bowl and found more untouched trees. They kept floating on light fluffy powder. Even the long lift lines at the Gem couldn’t dampen their spirits. They rode more steep trees back to the Falcon then over to the Bullet and down the Easter Chutes. 

It was epic. Every run greeted the snow buddies with more fresh turns in shin-deep powder. 

They also rode every lift on the mountain – twice. And took a spin on the Gondola at lunchtime so they could rest their pulsing legs.

Even at the end of the day, they found a few last turns of fresh snow. They laughed like kids and fist-bumped goodbye. Barrman almost walked home from Perfection but decided a last ride on the Plaza Chair was in order. He sat his tired body on the chair and smiled at the lady next to him. His mood was as jubilant as the Blue sky overhead. He glowed with the glory of the day.

The chair slowly made its way back up to the village. He pointed out his condo to his fellow passenger. When they got close the chair stopped and he waved to his neighbours sitting in the hot tub. The chair moved, then stopped again.

He turned to the others on the chair. “Here is where I get off.” The slope was less than five below the chair.

“No way! I thought I saw someone jump from the chair before but…” The lady on his left looked at him like he was crazy. Maybe he was.

He turned and almost jumped. But then he remembered his age and his tired legs. He thought again about his decision. Perhaps staying on the chair was the better idea. It certainly was the safer one. 

He sat back and enjoyed the rest of the ride. The lady next to him smiled and laughed, “You were going to jump?”

“Ya, but fear and common sense prevailed.” Barrman laughed in reply.

They chatted as the chair continued its ascent back to the village. Barrman slid off and wished her well. 

It was the best day ever – again.