Each day was somewhat different from the others. Monday was a great day to start off a multi-day ski trip. Skies were kind of a mixture of clouds and sun.
And, there was several inches of fresh powder!
It made for some excellent tree skiing.
As well as bowl skiing.
We covered most of the mountain in variable conditions, including the ever enjoyable Rough Rider Fun Zone.
It was another fantastic day of primarily tree skiing, particularly in the Storm Peak, Morningside, and Pony Express areas.
The only issue was the variable visibility and cold temperatures.
Tuesday the sky was clear!
In fact, it took on a deep blue color later in the day.
It was a great day for all kinds of skiing, from going fast down groomed trails
to more adventures in the Aspen Glades.
Perhaps because of its relatively low elevation for the region, I have never seen a resort with more Aspen Glades than this one!
Also, it was the day we got our best views of town.
Clear skies, great visibility, and a lot of new snow mean fantastic conditions for all types of skiing. What could possibly be wrong? Well, clear skies also often mean cold mornings, especially right after a big storm.
Morning temperatures at the base of the resort were well below 0°F (close to -22°C).
Wednesday we woke up to more fresh snow and a day similar to Monday.
It was a perfect day for some first tracks in the morning, as well as more adventures in the Aspen Glades.
Seriously, we could not get enough of the Aspen Glades on this trip.
Thursday brought more new snow than Monday or Wednesday. The powder was quite deep on some places.
Powder skiing can be quite awesome and also quite exhausting. Turning in powder requires more energy than turning on snow that is more packed down. It is also easier to lose one’s momentum and even get stuck in places. There is still nothing like a good powder day. Many in Colorado drive hours out of their way and sit through horrendous traffic just to ski in conditions like these. So, we were most fortunate to have experienced a day like this one.
With the powder came some dense fog and poor visibility.
Nearly every run had poor visibility near the top of the ski lift. In some places it was tough to see more than several feet in front of me!
It was, however, on Thursday, when temperatures reached their most comfortable levels.
Over the four day trip, the experience varied quite a bit from day to day. It was a good reminder of what people who love the outdoors, whether it is for adventure or just admiration of natural beauty, understand. No two experiences are exactly alike. Destinations can vary quite a bit from year to year, season to season, and even day to day. Therefore, there are still plenty of new experiences to be had visiting the same places multiple times.
When activities are dependent on forces of nature, weather or other natural phenomenon, it is easy to fall into the trap of waiting or searching for ideal conditions.
There will always be this idea of a perfect day or a perfect situation or setting for an activity. For skiers, that may be a clear day after a major snowstorm. But, what is the consistency of the snow? Could it be too dry or wet? What about temperatures? And wind?
The “perfect day” becomes illusive. For all factors to line up in their most ideal state at the same time has the potential to become an exceedingly rare phenomenon.
This is the danger of perfectionism. Perfectionism has the potential to become paralyzing. If someone were to wait for this potentially unattainable perfect day, they would have missed out on a lot of amazing experiences.
This concept applies to so many other areas of life. When to try something new. When to launch a product. When to ask someone out. When to go out into the world and put yourself out there. There is always going to be something about the timing or conditions that are less than ideal, or theoretically could be better. I need to lose ten pounds, then I’ll try to meet people. I’ll try something new when I save some more money. Someone said something mean to me and now I am in the wrong frame of mind. The problem is that as soon as that weight is lost, that money is saved and that mean comment fades into memory, there will be something else, ready to become the new barrier. The key is not to think about this theoretical perfect scenario and just determine if taking something on, whether it be a day of skiing or bringing life to a new chapter, will be worthwhile.