Fresh Tracks

A small storm hit the Wood River Valley. It rained at my house, however some snow fell up high, enough snow that rollerskiing became dangerous on the iced over bike path. We were left to some hill bounding intervals in a few inches of snow. Friday afternoon, we decided to head up and just check out how much snow fell. I was pleasantly surprised to see a beautifully groomed trail. I strapped on some skate ski and headed out. The days are short so I only got to ski about an hour before it became dark and very cold. It was fabulous though! The first few steps are always quite awkward as I suddenly have a ski that is 187cm long instead of a heavy rollerski that is only about two feet long, however, I had the best transition yet and after a few strides it was as if I had never even left the snow for the road.





When I got home that night, my friend Parker (U of U ski racer from VT) arrived with two of her friends that are on the soccer team. We had a great time catching up and gossiping the night away. The next day, I awoke to a couple of inches of snow on the ground at our house and big white flakes still falling. We geared up and headed back up to the mountains to ski some more. Just as we arrived at Galena Lodge, the skies cleared and it turned into a glistening sunning day. About 20km or so was groomed and despite a few hazards, conditions were pretty good. It was so wonderful to be out enjoying the snow with two great friends. The moment I hit snow is always the moment I am sure I will ski the rest of my life. It was a great weekend! I think we should be able to hold the snow through the week so I might just be packing up those rollerskis for good, but weather is crazy so I might hang on to them for just a bit longer. I will be heading back home sometime at the end of the week to prepare for the journey to West Yellowstone and the beginning of race season! o boy!