Discovering the World in Miniature

We've had a couple of days without rain this last week so all our hopes of setting records have been dashed even though we're staring another full week of rain in the face. The upside of all this is that the mountains are getting a good dose of snow this winter for all those who enjoy the slopes. In Seattle that includes a large segment of the population including my own kids whose school has a ski/snowboard program. Four Fridays in January-February the take grades 4-8 up to Crystal Mountain -- recently ranked the #7 ski area in North America by Skiing magazine.

It's hard to imagine a nicer area than Crystal for a mid-week trip. It's a large mountain but is far enough removed from Seattle and Tacoma that it is mostly empty on the weekdays. After a couple of years of trying to keep up with my kids on my back country telemark gear last year I finally swtiched to something a little more appropriate but still in keeping with my adult taste: an Arbor A-Frame snowboard. This is one of those boards with koa and maple veneer on top instead of skulls. Luckily, my old wool knickers go with this board perfectly.

Comparing todays picture with the soft shell material we can see that these knickers will certainly breath well. But it's amazing that they also keep me warm and relatively dry. Despite all the technology involved in modern athletic fabrics some of the old standards work almost just as well. And the fashion statement they make. Ooh la la! There aren't many folks out at crystal who are as retro as I am.