She said it best, so I'm going to share her words:
The First Day of Skiing Ritual
By Irene Taylor
As I thought back over rituals in my life, I realized that I have had my share of regular ones - holidays, weddings, graduations, birthdays. However, there is one ritual which has endured and been built upon for many years, one that is both informal and nontraditional. That is the ritual that surrounds the first day of
skiing each year. I hadn't really thought of it as a ritual until now, but it certainly has all of the elements, and it has become an important part of my life as each fall turns to winter.
Here then, the First Day of Skiing Ritual:
Being avid skiers, my husband and I look forward to the beginning of winter, and the start of the ski season with great anticipation. The first day on the snow each year has become an event which we anticipate all through the hot summer days and on into the golden days of fall. This is a ritual that belongs just to the two of us. There are never guests or others involved, at least at the start, although during that day we sometimes find ourselves sharing a moment or two with other kindred spirits.
We make many preparations for this ritual. Some start early in October as we watch for signs of ski area openings. In past years this might have involved scouring the newspapers or making phone calls. Now we find out all we need to know with the click of a mouse. We study all of the weather reports hoping for an early snow, or at least for cold nights to allow for the magic of snowmaking. While we wait, the next phase begins. We unpack ski clothes and sweaters that have been put away for the summer, search for socks and gloves, and test out boots and skis.
