Cross Training

I went skiing on Sunday evening at Blue Mountain in the Poconos of Pennsylvania. The weather has finally cooperated and been consistently cold enough to manufacture snow (there hasn't been much in the way of the natural stuff . . . yet). You really can't beat $19 for a 4PM-10PM ticket.

I was really surprised at how little time I needed to 'get back in the groove' and be able to carve turns like I used to. Usually it takes me a day or two of pretty consistent skiing to get that natural feel back. I pushed myself pretty hard for about three hours and crashed a couple times -- one of which was definitely not my fault. Anyways, I always feel like I can rationalize a day off the bike substituted with skiing because it can really work the quads and core muscles.

And did it ever. Wow, I felt pretty sore on Monday. Tying my shoes was pretty painful, but that good kind of painful that tells you, "oh yeah, you worked me over last night." Then today came. Holy hell, I thought yesterday was sore. I could barely climb a flight of stairs. What does all of this mean? It means I am honestly and truly getting old. Not good, not good. But back to the skiing and its highlights.

Skiing is an absolutely fantastic way to meet the ladies (note to self: never invite NinjaDon skiing). There are two arenas for this activity. First, the chairlift. The chairlift is like being in a crowded bar, where you basically talk right into the other person's ear -- very close physical proximity. Unlike the bar, however, the other person can't turn back to her drink/go to the bathroom/pretend she didn't hear you. It is a perfect forced encounter. I've also found, in my many, many days of skiing, that conversation is generally welcome. Even the most awkward statements seem to go over better than an entire chairlift ride in even-more-awkward silence. The second arena is at the chalet/lodge/deck. Here you have the advantage of the other person being so tired from skiing all day that they can't move, even if they want to. Very convenient. Plus, there's the added benefit of having the fire to set the mood, the bar to smooth out any awkward moments and of course the many, MANY exits available should you somehow find yourself a real 'winner' (and by winner I mean loser).

One final note about chairlifts: I am a rather good skier. I can say with 99.9% confidence that I have the ability to ski any marked trail on any mountain and ski it well. For some reason, my skiing ability does not translate to getting on the chairlift. You couldn't distinguish me from a first-timer if all you observed was my chairlift-boarding abilities. I think this explains the looks and exclamations of surpise when I ride up with a stranger and head for the most technically demanding trail at the top. Thank god for gondolas.