Winter is coming.... and I couldn't be more excited
Firstly, shoutout Game of Thrones because winter is coming. Thankfully it is not white walkers and the Night King marching into Utah (hopefully). For me, the winter is going to bring my first opportunity to ski "The Greatest Snow on Earth"!
Last year I skied seriously for the first time at a ski resort in Wisconsin called Granite Peak. I invested in my own gear and fully utilized my season pass throughout the winter. My roommate and I would hit the slopes in the morning on a random Tuesday before coming back to our college courses. It was truly a blast.
I am so pumped up to take the next step and ski some mountains. I expect this to be a totally different ballgame that I might not be fully prepared for. Still, that doesn't diminish my excitement, and I cannot wait to strap into my boots and get out there.
Skiing changed my outlook on winter
Getting into skiing gave me something to look forward to in the winter. I always thought snow was beautiful and the changing landscape was novel for a short period, but the cold weather and worse driving conditions got old fast. In Wisconsin the roads got slushy and were littered with salt to prevent ice. Temperatures often dipped below 0 degrees. I never was the largest fan of winter.
Adding skiing to my repertoire changed my outlook completely. I began to look actually forward to the large snowfalls. My concern for shoveling and having events cancelled was replaced with excitement for the fresh powder that I could blaze through. I had a new reason to be outside again during the months where I was normally locked in my warm house.
The Ikon Pass
Naturally, when I decided I was moving out to Utah, one of the first things I started to plan for was the skiing. Living in Salt Lake City puts me within an hour of some of the greatest ski resorts in the country.
After researching, I landed on purchasing the Ikon Pass as you could probably tell from the featured picture of this blog. I haven't been thinking about skiing a lot recently, but coming home to a package from Ikon certainly caught my eye. I opened it up to find my Ikon Pass, stickers, and some other bits and bobs.
Now my brain is again all over the place. When am I gonna get to ski Alta/Snowbird? How often will I ski Solitude? Let's start to plan ski bus routes. Hmmmm when will I be able to drive through Idaho and grab my friend on the way to a trip to Big Sky in Montana? Just had a friend move close to Lake Tahoe so when would be the best time to ski Squaw Valley with her? Needless to say I am excited. Just from a small package in the mail. Crazy how something can improve your mood like that.
Anyways, I have rambled enough. Catch ya on the slopes in a few months!
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Until next time!
-Hawkin
