Skiing
Mimi and I went skiing today at Crystal Mountain, about two hours from Seattle. We got in plenty of runs on reasonably challenging slopes; the snow was excellent, if a bit heavy—(it snowed the entire time we were there)—the lift lines were manageable, and even the process of renting equipment and getting lift tickets was relatively painless.
All in all, we had a good time, enjoyed each other’s company, and hardly ever argued at all: in short, a successful day of father-daughter recreation and bonding, the kind of time spent together that the Mastercard commercial would call “priceless.”
Still, I can’t help being ambivalent about the whole thing, mainly the vast amount of preparation and organization it takes to get up in the morning, get out to the mountain, get geared up, and get on the slopes.
Thankfully, our neighbor, Elod, drove; I’m sure, especially after staying up till 1:30 last night, that I’d never have been able to manage two hours behind the wheel of a car at 6:45 AM to get there.
And then, of course, it’s not cheap, although I guess if it costs $25.00 an hour to play video games at Gameworks, $100 bucks a day for two of us to rent skis, boots, and bindings, and ski all day long is kind of a bargain.
Part of my discomfort with alpine recreation is feeling like some sort of cow herded here and there as I move through one line after another all day long: there’s the queue for parking, the one for renting equipment, the one for the ski lift, the one for getting lunch, another to use the bathroom and so on and so on.
I do still love sliding down the mountain on two boards, and I get a deep sense of joy from skiing with my kid; I just wish the whole thing was as simple as simply getting on a bike and riding down the street.
All in all, we had a good time, enjoyed each other’s company, and hardly ever argued at all: in short, a successful day of father-daughter recreation and bonding, the kind of time spent together that the Mastercard commercial would call “priceless.”
Still, I can’t help being ambivalent about the whole thing, mainly the vast amount of preparation and organization it takes to get up in the morning, get out to the mountain, get geared up, and get on the slopes.
Thankfully, our neighbor, Elod, drove; I’m sure, especially after staying up till 1:30 last night, that I’d never have been able to manage two hours behind the wheel of a car at 6:45 AM to get there.
And then, of course, it’s not cheap, although I guess if it costs $25.00 an hour to play video games at Gameworks, $100 bucks a day for two of us to rent skis, boots, and bindings, and ski all day long is kind of a bargain.
Part of my discomfort with alpine recreation is feeling like some sort of cow herded here and there as I move through one line after another all day long: there’s the queue for parking, the one for renting equipment, the one for the ski lift, the one for getting lunch, another to use the bathroom and so on and so on.
I do still love sliding down the mountain on two boards, and I get a deep sense of joy from skiing with my kid; I just wish the whole thing was as simple as simply getting on a bike and riding down the street.
posted by Professor Dave at 7:06 PM
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