I
can't remember the last time I skied on my birthday, and I don't think
that I had ever had powder at all on this day. Asides from the fact that
it was a light and dry snowfall, it was my birthday, and was also my day
off from work. There is something about these events coinciding on one
day that makes you feel lucky you're alive and well, able to ski, and
enjoy the majestic landscape we call the Canadian Rockies.
It all began when I woke up, later than usual of course. It was my day,
right from the start, and having that with friends was great. I brushed
copious amounts of white crystals off my black Subaru, smiling with pure
adrenalin and knowing that I was about to ski without an instructor uniform
on. It was a Monday, the quietest day of the week of course, and before
the Christmas crowd rolled in; perfection unfolding.
Evan
and Brett got into the car, smiling for the exact same reasons as I. We
dashed off towards Marmot Basin, picking up Al from Repairs and Patricia
from Ticket Sales. I wasn't sure if they had the day off as well or not,
but we speculated about the snowfall quite a bit. It seemed liked the
closer we crept up the switchbacks, the more snow there seemed to be along
the sides of the road. The day looked even more promising than an hour
earlier.
Parking
the car, and walking to the locker room, you could just taste the freshness
in the air. Putting on my own equipment felt very strange, and knowing
that we wouldn't have to go for morning line up was even more satisfying.
Going up the quad chair, we could see cuts in the fresh from skiers and
snowboarders underneath.The 3 of us couldn't help but think about what
lay ahead for us.
Where did we go? The Paradise chair of course. It was as though Marmot
Basin had all this energy from the people skiing that day. Everyone was
glazed with a perma-smile on their face, and those with facial hair had
ice and snow on it. You could talk to everyone, whether you knew them
or not, it wasn't uncomfortable at all. I'm sure even if you saw your
worst enemy, you could still crack a smile at them. As we floated higher
to the top on the triple, we were overrun with excitement like a little
boy on Christmas morning. I paused to think of my friends who were at
this moment in school, or those sitting at a desk on the job, making good
money, but not enjoying the crisp air that I was.
Between
Highway 16, Show-off, Paradise, and other runs, we skied as much and as
we could, breathing in the light snow, not knowing when we would get another
chance like this. There is something about this phenomenon called powder
that makes people do things they wouldn't normally do. Take me for instance.
Going underneath the Paradise chair, I started signing happy birthday
to myself. Loud and proud, so others on the chair could know how I was
feeling, and that hopefully I could spread some of that joy to others
in the process. This was definitely the best birthday present one could
ask for, being a skier or snowboarder, there is no doubt in my mind. I
wasn't with my family this day, but I had powder, and I'm sure that's
what they wanted me to have after all. Everything about this day was so
simple, and do decisions had to be made, except for which run to take
on the mountain. I paused at one point with a few others to take in the
view, and to really think of how fortunate I was to be here with others.
I was no more special than the bloke beside me, just that it was my Birthday
this day, and things just happen to fall into place unexpectedly. Although
I didn't stay there to whole day, I valued the 3 hours that I did ski
there.
That
night my housemates and some other guests got together and cooked up an
unreal meal. It was so secret that they wouldn't let me go into the kitchen
at all until everything was done. For appetizers, my best friend Jenny
bought my favourite - smoked salmon with cream cheese on crackers. She
knew that I would love this. We had chicken a la king, with pastries to
boot, a rice and bean dish, quiche, and a nice spinach salad with homemade
dressing. It was nice of them to put so much effort into my birthday,
when all I expected was the usual of spending time together at the bar
and getting drinks from them, which we did after dinner. Having a birthday
can be full of surprises, and mine was for sure. First the powder, then
the amazing dinner that night. I really couldn't ask for more on this
day, and I don't think anyone else could if they had this happen to them.
I hope that on your birthday you have many positive things happen to you.