A PERFECT WORLD, PART I

The sun glistened through the window as I woke from a full night’s sleep. Leaping effortlessly from the bed, I grabbed a quick hot shower, gathered my snowboarding gear and started to make my way to the mountain for a quick session before afternoon business meetings. Turning my cell phone on, I was hap-hap-happy to find there were no messages and my morning was clear of last-minute business obstacles. Incredibly the rush-hour morning drive was free and clear of traffic jams, so I arrived a bit early before the lifts opened. I decided to sit and have breakfast at my favorite local spot.

The fireplace which I had never seen lit was roaring and I grabbed a table right beside it. With a warm smile and “ Hello,” the waitress I had seen so many times looked over and asked if I wanted “the usual.” I acknowledged with a by-gosh, hearty “Yes.” As quick as you can imagine breakfast arrived and after downing my final cup of coffee, paid the tab and made my way up to the slopes when ...

I woke from this candy colored fairy tale dream and stepped back into the real world.

Waking to a daunting grey sky after another night of barely being able to sleep because of a ridiculous list of pain ridden areas and this headache that started sometime around the Carter administration, I limped into a hot shower. After shaving or whatever you would call when you leave your face with a series of bloodied cuts, I make my way down to the kitchen, throw an ice pack on my shoulder, wrap one on the ankle, put together my ratty over-used snowboard gear and make my way to the mountain for a quick session before a series of business meetings. Turning my cell phone on, I am nauseated by a horrific amount of voicemail from 9 pm the prior day and begin to slowly work through as I made my way like a tortoise through the hellacious morning rush hour. With little time to spare for breakfast I bypass my favorite local spot, parking lot was packed full, grab some hot coffee and arrive at the slopes.

A very heavy blanket of snow had fallen overnight and the little Dickens Village was just covered. The terrain park sat vacant waiting for groomers to do their gig while I was one of the first to rocket up through the dense cloud covering to the top of the mountain. Soon the lift was coming to an end, drop my board down and skated off the lift, bearing to the right which was totally empty. Anxious to hit it, I strapped in fast, pulled my bandanna up and got to it.

Tasty thick virgin powder greeted me immediately on the descent. I made my way down first, high off an embankment for a little boost, compressing the knees up and slamming down with every transition and started to catch some speed. Killin’ it with a long tight back-side carve I neared the forest to the right and then with a safe opening, I turned and shot into the peaceful tree line. The dead nothingness of silence of thickly frosted over trees surrounded me. Just me, the trees and a fresh line … pushing into the snow with a series of leg thrashing endless quick turns for what seemed like an hour down the mountain, finally under some low laying branches to a final drop off back on the last stretch of the run….Skidding to a stop, goggles up, bandanna down, ready to shoot back up the lift for another perfect run in a perfect day.