As the sun sits in the sky a little longer each day, Ski Patrol is hard at work closing out the season. Day by day, men and women ride the chairlifts alone. During this purgatory period before closing for a long summer, those service people are pulling bamboo poles out of the snow and returning the mountain to the state of the nature from which it came.

However, some of us are not ready for the end.

For many skiers, the dusty touring setup is brought out of its perennial hiding spot in the back of the closet. Skins are waxed and SPF 50+ sunscreen replaces hand warmers in the easiest to reach pocket of the pack. I call it “The Art Of Letting Go.”

Letting go of the resort skis. Letting go of the thick ski pants and race stock boots. Letting go of base area beers and chairlift safety meetings. Instead, I’m grabbing the cooler, filling up the tank, and parking the car on some lone trailhead.

So while others begin slipping into some flip flops, the cooler is waiting in the car and I’ll be skiing till noon. Hold my spot on the raft wontcha…? 

Also Read: The Deck Beer

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