Mid Week Ski Days Are The Best…..

When I was younger I used to ski every chance I got. And, because I was in school I could only ski weekends and holidays and then only when I’d scraped together enough money to get up there.

With only those options available, there were days when I’d ski that were less than ideal. I found myself skiing on bad snow, in the middle of snow storms, on days when the top of the mountain was closed due to wind, on days it was so crowded you spent more time in line than on the runs and even on an occasion or two when it rained.

As I got older though, I skied less and less. Whether the result of having a family, or work or lack of finances. Even though I ski less days than I used to, the days I do ski tend to be better. This is a direct result of being able to pick and choose what days I ski.

The week before last is a perfect example. I had planned a mid-week ski day with my daughter and several friends. I looked at the weather and picked a day and began setting it all up. Christina and I were going up since she’s out of school now. My friends Lynn and Jack were going to take the day off and I was hoping to talk my sister into meeting us for lunch.

Well, as they say the best laid plans of mice and men…..when the day came, Christina wasn’t feeling well, Jack was too busy to take a day off and it turns out my sister was still down in LA. So, just Lynn and I headed up to Kirkwood.


As it turns out it was a spectacular day. The snow was great (although they still need more) the sun was shining and there was no-one around. As a matter of fact when we went down the backside of the mountain to Chair 4, I was actually concerned that we had missed a closed sign and there wouldn’t be anyone manning the lift.

We made run after run, exploring the various trails and lifts and finally about 11:00 with my legs burning, we decided to stop for lunch. It’s nice to get so many runs in that you’re stopping because your legs are tired and not because you’re sick of waiting in lines.

At one point it was so empty Lynn and I were wondering how the resorts made any money. Well, after ordering lunch we realized how they make their money. 23 dollars for a burrito, a baked potato and two drinks…


After filling our bellies we headed back out to try to burn off some of the lunch. Again, it was more of the same. No lines, good snow, great weather and run after run, till our legs were wobbly.

I’m pretty sure we skied every open run at the resort, most of them several times. And, we never once had to wait in line. Ski down, jump on the lift, ride up, ski down, jump on the lift, ride up...a perfect day!