10 new inches of snow made for an excellent base, much improved with the arrival of the neighbor kids and their sleds. Their inability to stop before the creek is a bit of a worry, but they seemed to do OK, and their big, flat sleds turned a semi-crusty surface into a perfectly groomed packed powder. I took about a dozen runs, and each was better than the last. Every time I was just about to quit, I yearned for one more, and up I went.
My dreams of the rope tow are reignited, although it's already late in the season. But this was the first true ski day at Yoshi, not just an experimental run or two. It was enough to realize the potential of getting to take a few dozen runs without too much effort, and without the hour and a half drive to seven springs or beyond.
I almost bought a 600' spool of rope I found on Craigs List, but it was nylon and after a bit of research I realized that it would stretch about 20 percent under load, which is equal to 120 feet of slack. In other words, I'd have one long bungie cord instead of a rope tow. I'll figure it out eventually. For now i've got that post-ski glow for real, and all in the comfort of my own yard.
