Christmas Eve may have been the best ski of my life. Up to Lost Lake on the Nansens with Elaine. The night was perfect…cold, zero wind, excellent snow. Orion raged overhead, as did the whole Milky Way. And on the way down, torches, to celebrate, well, pretty much everything.

Saturday morning we saved opening presents till late in the evening, as we were invited by our boss and mountaineering legend Gary Neptune and his wife to go for a ski. The man is well into his 60's, but it doesn't show. Of course it doesn't – he's been up a ton of 26,000+ foot peaks, including Everest, and still skis in marathons on a regular basis. We ended up going to Blue Lake, and it was good. Got home that night, cooked some salmon and blueberries, and opened a few gifts, including a one-piece, amazingly comfortable, post-ski outfit for Elaine that makes the Norwegian flag look amazing. Twas a good Christmas.

Happy holidays all!