Word Count: 1082

A Different Type of

White-Powder Addiction

The one and only time I ever came close to snorting that powder often referred to as, “Hollywood White Stuff” was when I attended a party during my People’s Republic of Boulder–College Dazes. Some folks in the back room of the party I was making an appearance at, had set up a few lines of the powder on a piece of broken mirror, and a few of them were indulging. Someone asked me if I wanted to try the stuff, and mentioned that I could take a small line of the powder and rub the stuff across the upper gums of my mouth to see if I’d like it.  Doing that and not liking the feel of the powder when it was rubbed across the gums above my teeth, I decided right then and there I didn’t want to snore any of it.

Right after that, and as I’ve said on a few occasions in the past, I did my usual Boy Scout-Drug Dealer thing and left the room. First off, for those of you wondering what a Boy Scout-Drug Dealer is, in retrospect I’m guilty of often telling folks my lifestyle makes most Boy Scouts look like Neighborhood Drug Purveyors. Actually, that’s somewhat boring when you realize my lifestyle is just that mundane and unimaginative. Sad, but true don’t you think?

Here in Silverton, the majority of us that like to play outdoors in the winter find ourselves addicted to a different type of white powder. Particularly if we like to ski and snowboard through it.

Doesn’t take a rocket scientist with an advanced degree to know what type of white powder I’m talking about. Freshies, nivea, Pow-, the German word – Neuschnee, Aniyu (the Inuit Eskimo word for “fallen snow”). Whatever you want to call it, some of us are definitely addicted to playing in the stuff.

In my job working for the Parks-n-Rec. Department of the Town at Kendall Mountain Ski Area, things are kind of strange. Every time it snows I usually clock-in to work before 6:00 am just so I can get an early start on shoveling the steps of the Town Hall among other excavation venues. The pre-dawn hours begin with me putting on 56 layers of clothing, a tightly insulated coat, thick gloves and two snow caps, I’m under a tremendous amount of pressure to get all that shoveling done just in time to go over to Kendall and do more of it. In order to open the lift for the day of course.

When you think about it, after doing all that snow shoveling I’d probably be somewhat tired and prematurely worn out before we’ve even started the lift, but strangely enough, I’m not. All I can think about is skiing through it. Making those beautiful turns and admiring my handy work (tracks) from a distance. Yes, I’ll admit it, I’m addicted to skiing through the stuff, and the addiction is an extreme case.

Some might be tempted to think my addiction is a sad state of affairs, but I beg to differ. A sweet addiction is more like it. Actually, isn’t that what social workers often refer to when they’re studying the details of a person’s addiction to something? The addict calls getting a fix, “Sweet”? Yup, he’s abusing the stuff big-time. Pretty pathetic from the perspective of some people, don’t you think? Could be worse. Could be addicted to the Hollywood variety of the white stuff. In that case, hopefully the guy has lots of discretionary income at his disposal. Plus, an iron-clad septum.

I’m not the only one in this town. In fact, I’d say those of us addicted to playing in the fresh white stuff department represent close to 70% of the ski/snowboard population in this valley.The other 30% are kids below the age of about ten who’re still learning to play in it. Thankfully, a large percentage of them are making tremendous progress towards achieving total addiction status by adulthood. Those that aren’t, probably spend a large percentage of their dream-time envisioning life in a snow-free environment. That’s actually a pretty scary thought (for me in particular…).

The type of powder snow we’ve got out here in the West is often light, fluffy, like floating through a cloud when you’re plowing through it, and a great deal of fun to play in. Oddly enough, the period of time when it falls out of the sky only happens for a short period. Basically, between the months of December to early March. Prior to that, and during the latter part of winters around here, the snow is often this water-logged, inclined to turn into ice at the drop of a hat, and therefore heavy to the point of feeling like a wet sledge-hammer. The type of snow they’ve got lots of in the mid-west & east. Also, out in California too (Sierra-Cement…). You ski through it with a forced smile on your face and teeth gritting behind clenched lips. More often than not in these situations, you’re primarily thinking about that banana daiquiri you’ll be drinking while relaxing in a chaise lounge on the beach.

This brings up one final, somewhat esoteric subject. How exactly does a person ski or snowboard through deep powder snow in the first place? Along those lines, someone once asked me just how they were supposed to move through the stuff in a graceful fashion? My reply was to tell them you essentially reach a point with your ability level at skiing powder snow where you sort of just turn your brain off while ripping through it. Rely on the muscle-memory you’ve nurtured over time to do this, and as that tennis shoe company saying goes, “Just go for it.” I’d tell you to also, “Trust the Force Luke,” but that doesn’t always work in these particular situations. For one thing, I don’t have any friends named “Luke”.

Besides, if a sudden Yard Sale does take place (crashing) while you’re skiing through Pow-, the fall is actually quite a bit of fun. Hopefully the snow is deep, it’s more than forgiving, soft (“Like butta…”), and as an added bonus, you’ll now have a nice story to tell your frienenemies over multiple rounds of cold fermented hop beverages later that evening. Just remember one thing; make sure that when the yard sale occurs, (and it will-guaranteed), make sure you look good while the crash is taking place.