Day 13, OTS (On The Snow) Feb, 18 2011 Santa Fe Ski Basin

I got a call late Thursday from my buddy Ryan at my work asking if I wanted to catch up with them at Santa Fe Ski Basin for a day of play. I left the group only 3 short weeks ago to start my Sabbatical but miss my crew a lot already. I have been meaning to get some work on my snowboard but alas...12 days this season..all on the skibike. I wanted to hang with the boys and keep up so for what ever reason, I decided to put my skis on for the first time in 3 seasons. I use to be a really good skier but from the first time I rode a SkiBike I have spent less and less time on them to the point that it had been several seasons since I had them on my feet. I actually had butter flies in my stomach wondering if I could even ski anymore.

I arrived early at SF Basin and was able to get a few runs in before the boys showed up. I was pleasantly surprised at what I remembered and after only a few warm up runs, I was rolling the my skis..making turns with minimal effort. The boys showed up, Both Ryans from work and the 2 Irish boys Brandon and Allen. The Irish boys are here on temp assignment in Albuquerque from their Fab in Ireland and have been working with us for over a year now. They don't get much ski time at home as they have to fly to Europe for any skiing. Any who......we all chased each other around SF Basin, drank beer on breaks and sipped Whiskey on the lift. At the end of the day, I was very glad I put my skis on. #1, it was not near as bad as I remember, and 2, like ridding a bike, I was able to get back into it after a few runs and really had a good time on my boards. At the end of the day, after seeing a almost 70 YO snowboarder, I've decided I'm not giving up skiing and will just continue to add to my snow play abilities. I've decided its very shallow minded to commit to only one platform when you spend as much time on a snow covered as I do. Currently I can SkiBike, Ski, 3Skis, Boardbikes and Snowboards. Next.....mono board and pan lids!!! What a way to change it up!!!

I'm sitting in Durango right now getting ready to play at DMR on this Monday Presidents day to play after about 13" dump over 48 hours. Heading into SkiBike festival later this week. Time to get lost on a hill somewhere yet again and continue the dream........

Randy