Weekend Trip to VA

I finally got a break long enough to explore the region for some ski hills. With the winter storm that hit the upper East coast I was hoping to see some decent snow sneak down my way. While it may not have been what I have typically grown used to in Montana, the few regional ski hills did get a small amount of new snow. The next decision was to pick where I would point my car in the morning. The two spots that I had narrowed things down to were both at least 3 hours away, so distance to one or the other was kind of a forgone point. For the advice of a friend, I decided to head north into Virginia, and make my trek to Wintergreen Ski Resort.
I got off to an early start, and was able to make it up to the hill by 9 am. I was relieved to see the conditions would allow for my new skis, and I was able to set aside my rock skis for the day. Since our move out to the Southeast, skiing has been a much less likely occurrence than when I was living out in Oregon and Montana. Which is one of the main reasons, once Mel finishes her Doctoral program at UNC, we will be heading back to the mountains I have come to love. I was fortunate enough last year to get a new pair of Salomon boots to match my two year old Scream Pilots, which are the best skis I have ever owned. The only problem was that I have not really had a chance to break in the boots yet. I know I should have been wearing them around my house, but I haven't. As a result my feet did take a beating, since this was the first time this season I have had a chance to use them. Regardless of any pain my body may have suffered, I was out to have a good time, and was successful at that. While the runs were woefully short, the short sprints to the bottoms I thoroughly enjoyed. The only major downfall of the day would be the snow machines. Dispute the perfect conditions (cloudless sky, 29 degrees) they were running the snow machines full time. And while I understand these are necessary given where I was, the damn ice crystals still stung like hell when I raced through them.
All and all, the entire outing was highly enjoyable. It may only have been a substitute until I can get back to my beloved Rockies, it cured my fix for now.