The Joys of Skiing

I am continuing the NaBloPoMo challenge to post a blog each weekday in February. Starting yesterday, I deviated from my normal path by posting a poem. While skiing today, I formulated two additional poems. Both capture the essence of the joys of skiing at Keystone Resort.

I visited Keystone twice in the late 1970s before I had any children. A family trip in the mid 1980s rekindled my strong attachment to the Rockies and my love for skiing. Our four children embraced the beauty and continually asked for more. In 2000, our permanent residence became Colorado. Perhaps my passions have fueled my ability to craft poetry.

If you prefer my regular posts, don’t run away. Poetry will only be a minor diversion. It is a tremendous challenge to write 20 blogs during the month of February. To accomplish this feat, I will have to experiment with a variety of formats to keep my current readers entertained and simultaneously grow my audience.

If you are a skier or snowboarder, enjoy the ride. If you’ve never skied or snowboarded before, you’ll quickly see what you’ve been missing. It’s never too late to careen down a slope.

Ski Slow- Play Safe

Stomp Stomp Stomp

To the line

Wait

Then hop inside

 

Zoom up the slope

Gasp in awe

Majestic mountains salute

As we pass by

 

Door swings open

Everyone escapes

Trudging through compressed snow

Skis on shoulders…Skis in hand

 

Which way should we go?

Green, blue and black signs beckon

To the right signs warn

Ski Slow… Play Safe

 

Click Click

Skis are attached

Heading downhill at last

Wind washes faces

 

Gliding-  one turn to another

A wake of snow follows

Birds fly overhead

Squawking

 

Gusts of wind hurl snow

Skiers do not fret

Faster and faster

They go

 

Few heed the signs

Ski Slow…Play Safe

Racing to the lift

To wait again

 

Skiing From Top to Bottom

I’m at the top

A steep slope below

I gaze all around

 

 

Wispy clouds overhead

Like white lacey ribbons on blue wrapping paper

Each one intertwining with another

 

Rays of light

Shimmer

Through the gray filigree

 

Standing at attention

Coniferous trees line my route

Adjacent jagged mountains applaud with cheers

 

 

 

 

Lower down

Meandering streams run freely

Breaking up the monotonous field of white

 

 

Whoosh

I head downhill

Snow pellets attack my face

 

Each run

Leads to another

Then another

 

Snow bounces up behind my skis

A track is formed

My path is marked

 

Carving turns

Becomes rhythmic

Breaths become synchronized

 

Birds chirp

Trees shed clumps of snow

Chipmunks scamper to and fro

 

Stopping for a moment

Grateful for nature’s curtain call

Standing in appreciation

 

Continuing downhill

Watching everything

Smiling intently

 

 

At the bottom

Snow turns to water

As the run ends

 

 

 

Are you ready to ski?

Related Blogs:

High Altitude Balance

Keeping a Balanced Perspective

7 Tips to Play it Safe While Skiing

Can You Acknowledge a Different Perspective?

A New Goal-Daily Blogs in February

Never

Confronting an Irrational Fear

Bio

Sandra Bornstein is the author of MAY THIS BE THE BEST YEAR OF YOUR LIFE. It is available on Amazon.

Sandra’s memoir highlights her living and teaching adventure in Bangalore, India. She is a licensed Colorado teacher who has taught K-12 students in the United States and abroad as well as college level courses. Sandra is married and has four adult sons.

The memoir was a finalist in the Travel category for the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the 2013 International Book Awards, the 2013 National Indie Book Excellence Awards, 2013 USA Best Book Awards, and a Honorable Mention award in the Multicultural Non-Fiction category for the 2013 Global ebook Awards.