Game on

Sunday night in west Boulder Country.

What a turnaround! What was the slowest starting ski season I've ever seen suddenly has taken a massive positive leap forward. It started snow Friday and it hasn't really stopped. Nothing huge, but it's been consistent, and the weather forecasts are looking super positive for it to continue through December.

It was a great week. A race at the basin on Tuesday, a return on Thursday for a dawn patrol skin with Stella, and then three days of outstanding skiing. Thrilled to have invested the money in the Eldora pass as it's definitely helping get our skiing back to where it belongs. Got to hop on the Nunataqs this morning, and I must say they're the best ski I've ever been on. Incredibly powerful for such a light weight plank.

We went on a couple afternoon tours the past few days to sample the backcountry and see exactly how scratchy it is back there. Quite, actually, but much better today than yesterday. Yesterday we skinned all the way back down, whereas today we took some highly cautious yet fun turns. There is a bit more base today than yesterday. It'll improve each day and I wouldn't be surprised if by next weekend a reasonable backcountry lap is possible.

Through the November drought, I didn't lose hope on this season. I don't know – I have a good feeling about it. Let's just call it a hunch. It's going to be memorable, and in a good way. Already, it feels better than last year. Last year was sort of forced, as I got bogged down by the race for 200 days and didn't really enjoy a lot of it. This year, it's a more natural flow, taking what comes, having a lot more fun, not being so rigid. Maybe it's a result of an incredibly long off-season, but the energy is good.

Lots of skiing in the evening light, my favorite time of the day, especially when the snow is coming down. Hope you had a great weekend playing in the snow wherever you are!

Thursday AM skin up A-Basin as the storm starts to roll in. Awesome they allow dogs!