The Most Addicting White Powder

View from the top of Strawberry at Snowbasin Resort.

I can't seem to live without it. If I'm not immersed in it, it's the only thing I can think about. It's more than just an addiction, it's an obsession. Some call it pow pow, other's simply call it snow. Yet regardless of the name, we're all talking about that heavenly white powder that falls from the sky. I'm not the greatest skier, I will confess, but the thrill of speeding straight down a slope without any turns, or the burn of my thighs as I make my way through soft cushions of powder, simply cannot be replaced. There's just something about the cold wind scratching at my rosy cheeks that brings me joy. The other day, skiing up at Snowbasin, I was sitting in a gondola packed with people. The wind rushed through the open cracks of the supposedly closed window, creating a peaceful whistling sound. A women from Denmark, whom I'd been speaking to about family origins, began to explain how she's skied all over: in the Alps, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains  here in the Rocky Mountains... And then she remarked "and it's true. This truly is the greatest snow on earth."

The newest addition to my helmet.

 As much as I dream of studying in Canada or England, and finally residing in one of the many magnificent European cities, I can't imagine going one winter without loads of snow and skiing every weekend. If my fingers feel like they're about to fall off, I can always go to the lodge and sip at some hot cocoa. If I'm terrified of the steepness of the slope, I can always take some slow turns until I get enough speed and gain enough confidence to just go for it. There's so much risk in all of it, but I guess that's what gets the adrenaline pumping through my half-frozen veins and simply makes me adore it.