There are few physical activities in the heart of Mother Nature that can be more fun or more bonding than Colorado’s specialties, Skiing and Boarding– families become stronger as kids learn, friends get to catch up and business deals are sealed.

Last Friday, having the both of us caught up on grading, I hit Loveland with my friend and former ACC English Prof colleague Leah Rogin-Roper. We shared stories of new humans and took to the Continental Divide with much gusto.

I love every mountain my pass accesses: Copper, Winter Park, MJ, but there is nothing quite like dropping off the top of the Continental Divide. Water flows west to the Pacific Ocean off one way, and east towards the Atlantic the other. It’s an easily-accessed bowl/peak/drop run that is manageable even from Blue-level  (head to the far skier-left).

We hit the skier’s-right drop all three times we dropped it, in different parts of this pitch:

On a idealistic day, old friends rode up chairlifts and down mountains. This is how it is and how it should be. You can go a while without seeing someone, cruise a mountain and time becomes irrelevant.

My highschool homeboy Dave is coming out from North Cackilacki for Spring Break. We’ll ride El Dora and Winter Park/MJ. Haven’t seen him in two years, but it’ll be like old times.

(I’ll report back on conditions.)

Nature and skiing and snow and sun bring us together.