The start of ski season

The snow came early this year. After very little of the usual Thanksgiving time teasing with flurries, we got dumped on the week following, before plummeting temperatures would send us into a freeze that has lasted about two weeks now. Consequently, after a few weeks of great trail running, we've almost switched over completely to skiing. It helps that Helen is having such difficulty with persistent running injuries to change the mindset over!


We've made the usual rounds in town, skiing first Elm Creek, then Hyland and Wirth/Loppet trails.


This past weekend we journeyed north through the Chequamegon-Nicollet recreational lakes area of Wisconsin and up to Bayfield for a weekend retreat at the cabin with friends (sans Henry and Abigail this time, adults only). Along the way, stopped to ski on the Birkie trail at 'OO'. Helen and I skiied south almost to Mosquito Brook and back on pristine early season trails. Simply awesome, and hardly any other skiiers out on a Friday afternoon.


Next morning, we gathered everyone up and ventured to Ashwabay - which still did not have the slopes open for the season - to try the new Sugarbush loop which purportedly had added a groomed skate lane to it's classic tracks. It was a great, if somewhat short, intense loop of extreme cardio trails as it turned out.





Helen, climbing the last hills up Sugarbush before the grand descent back to the chalet.

Kirk and Anne, posing after the loop downhill toward the chalet. Yes, they look annoyingly natural on the skinny skis for neophytes.

What's that look? It's vaguely familiar, though I don't recall ever seeing that on Kirk's face.

If I didn't know any better, i'd say that's the classic look of red-lining!








After Ashwabay, I drove up country to Valhalla to check out conditions on the Valkyrie loops. Frankly, they were better groomed but a bit narrower than here. Overall, a beautiful crisp day of great skiing.