November and a New Season

— Posted by Mark on November 17, 2006

Well.....
After several weeks of preparation (for some of us, several months), we're open as of today. Not a huge opening mind you, just a few runs, but open nonetheless. For patrollers it means we get to start work after a season away and see old friends again. We're back on skis, back in the "cross", back doing the job we love.
November can be a fickle month here in the Wasatch. Some years she's dry and sunny; we ride our bikes, climb, and/or paddle right up to Thanksgiving. Some years the snow and cold start early and we're skiing before Halloween. Other years start like this one; some cold, some snow, and we slowly get things open. It does seem like every year though, no matter how November starts, we get a big storm around Thankgiving weekend and the season really starts to crank.
As patrollers, we're already starting to look ahead. The initial work is done, now what can we do next? What's the next area of the Mountain to open, what can we rope and pad? When can we get to the upper Mountain to get our favorite areas open? Every season is new and different. Every season is a chance to learn more about our job and ourselves. I hope you can make it out sometime this year and join us!