Montana Stories-2012

Stories from the Road
February 23, 2012
Big Sky, Montana

Last night we had the prime rib special at the Hummer’s. It was excellent as was the pale ale that accompanied the dish. The wind is still blowing, and the conditions are deteriorating very quickly. As usual I will be asleep early in hopes of a big day tomorrow.

The computer report from the mountain this morning says conditions are good, but we’ll see at 9:00, when the lifts open. I was thinking yesterday how different ski gear and clothing is compared to when I began skiing. Formerly we wore wool and cotton, laced up our boots, and skied on wooden or metal skies. You expected to be wet and cold.

The modern day skier uses side cut, light, composite skies. They turn fast and hold an edge. Wool is out as pile is warmer, less bulky, and less expensive. Synthetic materials are used to make long underwear warm, even when wet. Helmets are the norm now. They are warm and don’t fly off like wool caps, and they provide skiers with a degree of safety. Old goggles, an essential piece of gear traditionally fogged up. This doesn’t happen any more, a relief to skiers on stormy days. The new boots are custom fitted with orthotics and made of hard plastic. These boots are more comfortable than those of old, and they unite a skier with his boots more efficiently than in past years.

A major change for all outdoor sportsmen was the invention by a chemist named Arnie Gore. He found a way to chemically coat clothing so that it breathed but prevented water from penetrating the garment. Gore-Tex or products like it now are embedded in parkas, gloves, and shells. In raging storms skiers can keep dry and warm with current gear. I remember hiking once in New Hampshire in the late Fall, when crossing a summit; we encountered a raging windstorm and dropping temperatures. I was warm and comfortable in my Gore-Tex suit, which covered layers of pile and micro-fleece.

Peter talked with the Hawaiians last night and found they went boarding in Japan last year. These guys are high energy! This afternoon is the martini challenge, and I hope Wendy is on her game.

The ski day turned out to be excellent once we found the trails that weren’t too windblown. It snowed on and off the entire day, and Pete and I skied our last run through a blizzard. There was no one else on the trail, and we had a terrific run.