The first day of skiing at the start of a new season is always a challenge, but Friday December 21, 2014 proved to be a difficult day. Every year when I’m poised for my first run, I wonder if I’ll remember how to perform this slippery sport.

Nice Vista

On Friday I experienced the normal misgivings and muscle fatigue that accompany opening day, but the frigid temperatures and cold wind made the day even more of a shock to my physical well being. Jane, Dan and I arrived at the Breckenridge parking lot by 9AM, and the temperature in the parking lot was 14 degrees Fahrenheit. By the time we rode the gondola to the Peak 7 exit and climbed aboard the six person express lift, it was probably single digits, and a stiff wind was present most of the morning particularly at the high elevation areas near timberline.

Jane and Dave Cruising

We spent the morning on Peak 7 and Peak 8, and then after lunch we ventured to the six chair and then transitioned to Peak 9. After lunch the sun appeared more frequently and the temperature rose a bit, but my comfort level was severely dependent on two sets of toe warmers and hand warmers. During one of our rides up the express chair that begins at Beaver Run, we spotted a striking visual image as the sun reflected off the drifting snow on several ridges on the west side of Peak 10. Somehow in my effort to capture this vision on my camera while keeping my hands reasonably warm, I dropped my ski pole. I did not realize it had slipped away until I prepared to ski off the chair at the top of Peak 9.

Nice Sun Reflection

Another skier on the chair behind us approached me and informed that I dropped the pole just before support pole number 29. We immediately skied to this area, but we were unable to locate any sign of a ski pole, so we continued to the Beaver Run base and did a second ride to the top. On the second trip down the slope, I carefully inspected the entire area beneath the chairlift, but once again I failed to spot a ski pole.

Mechanical problems plagued the Superconnect high speed quad, so Jane and I decided to abandon a trip to Peak 8 and the gondola, and instead we skied to Beaver Run and boarded the red bus for the parking lot. Before doing this, however, I used the unexpected detour to Beaver Run base to check in at the guest services hut. Two ski patrol members were in the hut, and they reported that no one had delivered a Rossignol ski pole, but they invited me to inspect the barrel full of singles that was visible in the corner. I ended up swapping my Rossignol single for two non-matching poles that were slightly shorter than my original and, therefore, and better fit for my height.

Despite the frigid temperatures and adverse wind chill, I had a fun day on the slopes of Breckenridge. I once again proved to myself that I could ski, and I began the long process of conditioning my body for the rigors of downhill skiing.