definitely more than one

Sunday was a whole 'nother day up on the hill: calm, dry, high clouds with occasional breaks for sunshine.  There was a new four-ish inches of snow over everything and although it seemed kind of busy at the start, all the lifts were running, which spread the crowd out considerably, plus people cleared out on the early side to go watch some big football game or something.  (We left on the early side too but it was because we're old and tired.)

H reported that his tele skis were running much better with a new coat of wax and we headed straight to the Supreme lift to run the blues and blacks.  Apparently telemark turns are a little easier on steeper slopes because the momentum helps carry you through.  We even ventured into Catherine's Area - which was tracked out, of course, but still stuffed with snow - and I thought H was doing really well.  He was less sure of that, however, and noted that his form was suffering since he was trying to keep up with me.

Hold on.  Let me repeat that:  H was trying to keep up with me.  In all the years that we've been skiing together, that phrase has NEVER been uttered.  (Nor will again once he puts his alpine skis back on.)

After a noontime break, he suggested that we split up for an hour or so: him to the Sugarloaf chair to practice technique on the blue groomers and me back to Supreme.  As it turns out, I only ended up taking one run, really: I was taking the Cecret lift up to where I could ski over to the Supreme lift and saw a bunch of folks clustered around a gigantic porcupine who was chewing on a small tree, right beside the trail.  When I got off the lift, I went right down that bunny trail to see the porcupine close up, but he had already trundled off into the woods.  I was then stuck and had to ride Cecret again to get back to Supreme. 

My one run off Supreme was pretty good as I went into the trees in the White Squaw area, finally finding my way down beneath these big cliffs that I'd been trying to get to.  It's scraped off a bit in the narrow bits but still lots of snow to be found.  As I skied out, heading to meet H at the Sugarloaf chair, I saw a bunch of folks clustered around that gigantic porcupine who was chewing on another small tree right beside the trail.  This time I got a good look at him (huge! and completely unafraid ... altho' if I'm a gigantic porcupine I'm probably not much afraid of people either).

H was waiting for me in the lift lines and we headed out, back to Collins base where we park.  H's legs were tired from all the tele turns and mine were a little fatigued too.  My back felt pretty good, however, and I think I'm back to where I would have been confidence/skill-wise a month ago if I hadn't gotten hurt.  Now it's just killing time 'til the weekend when we can go skiing again!