Early Morning Skiing

Yesterday was a very busy day, but that means it was also very rewarding. I had a lot of work to do and so it was nice that I was invited to help the Snowbird Ski Team train early in the morning. I had to be at the mountain at 6:30 am and ready to ski. Yes, it was still dark and so it was a very surreal feeling going up the chairlift without being able to see much. My companion on the chairlift was a bundle of 20 slalom poles or gates. There were 2 more bundles being carried by other coaches on other chairs.

It was snowing just a little and the snowcats had smoothed out the hill the previous evening. That meant I got to ski on an inch of new snow covering perfectly groomed hills. It was like flying on a magic carpet.

I wish I could tell you that the sunrise was spectacular. I'm sure it would have been if the clouds hadn't obstructed the sky. I can say that it was nice to finally be able to see once the sun did come up.

I helped the coaches maintain the course while the ski racers had a nice 2 hours of course training before the general public was allowed on the mountain. When 9am came around, I helped take down the course and pack all of the slalom gates back down the mountain.

Several of my neighbors get up early to exercise and I have always thought they were crazy. Yesterday I found it very beneficial to ski for a couple of hours before starting to work. I was able to focus all day and managed to get a lot done. If you find yourself working in front of a computer for most of the day, it may do you some good to get out an exercise before going into the office. You just have to be careful not to over do it. Otherwise you will get to the office and need a nap.