Snow! Skiing at Taos and a White Frosted Campus

By A.J. Peters

I finally had a chance to make it up to Taos this weekend with the Ski & Board Club. I knew there wasn’t going to be a whole lot of snow, but I really wanted to at least get a couple of runs in before heading home for winter vacation – I had low expectations. But as soon as we got to the base I remembered just how much fun our little Saturday Taos ritual is. The skies were blue and without a cloud in sight, but it wasn’t so warm that the snow went bad. The mountain was empty (like always), so while there were only a handful of runs open, we were able to keep pushing it harder and harder. By the end of the day, I could have plotted out every little lip and jump on that run from memory. Part of the fun, I think, is that I would have normally never skied like that. I like skiing steeps – I’ve never been one to feel confident on bigger jumps – so I often ski just one or two groomed runs to warm up before spending the rest of the day hiking the sidecountry. But the steeper areas were still closed on account of a dry November, and I was forced to do something a little different. I never would have guessed it would be that much fun.

And then – here comes the good part – Northern New Mexico finally got its storm yesterday. There were a few inches on campus, and Taos saw 13 inches with more forecasted for the week (wohoo!). I always love it when it snows here; growing up outside Seattle I seldom saw much snow in town, and when there was any, it would quickly turn to slush and the rain would resume.  In Santa Fe, snow days seem to always be followed with sun, and the cold air keeps it fresh longer. There’s something special about walking around the snow-covered plaza.

Now I’m off to coffee shop for a cup of tea before finishing tonight’s reading, Maimonides‘  A Guide for the Perplexed. There’s nothing quite like walking through the snow to the library, book in one hand and tea in the other.