Kevin M. and I joined Barry B. for a quick little ski-trip getaway this weekend. We met up after work Friday and drove up to a cabin near Mt. Baker, so we were in line waiting when the lifts started up. The epic drifts of fresh powder we had heard about did not materialize, but it was good snow and the place never got crowded, so we had a great time. We spent most of the day bombing down a single run, over and over, stretching out and encouraging the muscle memory to come back. I missed last season, so I definitely felt rusty, but I had my carving down again after a couple hours, and was working on balance by the time my quads started to give up.

We all got tired around the same time and left an hour and a half before the lifts closed. There’s something to be said for pushing yourself, but there comes a point of exhaustion where your body just doesn’t respond properly anymore, and there’s not much fun to be had after that.

I wore my new ski jacket, of course, and the experiment was a definite success. I stayed warm and comfortable all day, had no trouble moving around, and got a number of enthusiastic comments from the resort staff. The material worked, the style worked, the design mostly worked, and I will definitely wear it again. That said, of course I learned a few things that will help me do a better job next time:
– there is nowhere to hang the lift-ticket tag. needs some kind of loop stitched in along the bottom hem.
– the collar is too snug – it works fine when the jacket is all I’m wearing, but it doesn’t close when there’s a layer of fleece underneath.
– the front flap tends to blow open in cross-breezes: needs more weight or some kind of closure to keep it positioned. Next time I might use a longer zipper and add some side vents, instead of using the front for range-of-motion.
– the hardshell material keeps the wind and water out but doesn’t really keep heat in; the jacket is not much use without a fleece layer underneath. Next time, why not incorporate a microfleece lining?