This post was supposed to be about a wonderful Martin Luther King weekend spent skiing some amazing venues with great friends, but alas, it was not to be. Last weekend, most of the original “Rippers” returned to the scene of our genesis, Powder Mountain, to ski with guides in one of the prettiest areas of Utah. It was a gorgeous, bluebird day, great snow, great guides, empty slopes. A great time was had by all. The next day we had an early start at Snowbird, where we had reserved a snow cat to take us into the backcountry for deep powder skiing. Again, there was nothing but blue sky, deep,…

This is a short post about one of our favorite weather conditions: snow. It is, after all, a prime reason for our being in Park City. We love to ski, so we cheer the “worst” forecasts. And this ski season, so far, has been, to use an overused word, EPIC! Our first measurable snow this season was on October 20. It was enough for us to take a short cross-country ski at one of our local parks. Things went dry for about a month, and then the onslaught began. Our first day at the resort was November 22, and the snow basically hasn’t stopped! Conditions have gotten better and better…

The sign of a good vacation is when you can barely remember how it started. I just wrapped up a mighty fine one and all it required was a bit of time travel, leaving me a bit confused about what day it was. I always appreciate it when a vacation is more than a week long because it allows me to fully separate from my normal routines and, I find, even begin to dream differently; yet this vacation took me even deeper. This holiday season took us back to the Poconos, to a charming community called Buck Hill Falls, a place where we have shared many good times. The community…

My suitcase came East for the holidays full of gifts, cookies, and in a side pocket, my new jump rope. A recent Dexa scan gave me the heads up that my bones needed more weight bearing exercises. So I splurged on ten sessions with a trainer at the Live Well Center at our local hospital. To my delight, my workout routine includes skipping rope three times a week.  My memories of childhood skipping include happy times singing rhymes side by side with friends and holding my breath when entering an already swinging longer rope called a Double Dutch. The rope was usually the standard hardware store variety, cut to size…