Double Date: Snow Work-Out Edition
Sometimes a date night(or day) is best shared with dear friends (the “G” rated part anyway!) as we make time to connect with people we choose as family - people we love who make our lives better - where stories shared bring back memories of magical times filled with laughter and fun, laying the promise for more magic to follow - some time in the future. And because it's winter and we are happily immersed in wintertime activities, today we spent some magical time with our good friends Guy and Claire - putting skins on the bottom of our skis and hiking up to the grassy knoll at Manning Park Resort, then skiing down through untouched powder!
Now as a bit of a backstory, Guy is kind of known as the Mayor of Manning, as he has been coming here to ski for the last 57 years! He is an awesome story teller and snow castle builder, building some kind of snow structure every year in the campground, as well as being HIGHLY PROFICIENT at any and all snow sports! This year, Guy has surpassed ALL previous snow castles constructed in past years! The 2023 edition, “The Crystal Palace”, is a massive snow and ice structure with multiple levels and twinkling fairy lights! It just makes us happy looking over to their campsite once darkness falls, seeing the Crystal Palace quietly twinkling in our snowy world!
So, back to the story! It takes us up to an hour to hike up to the grassy knoll, depending on the depth of the snow. There is something about this activity, well this EVENT, really, that I love and hate. First, it is a HUGE work out. We put skins on our touring skis and walk to the top of a small peak (which to THIS 63 year old lady feels a lot like I would imagine the first ascent up Everest). As a disclaimer, for you younger folk who are reading thinking “Oh my gosh, she is an elite athlete!” over here, in actuality the trek up is probably not much more difficult than your average stairclimber workout.
I’m not gonna lie - there are steep sections where I think to myself “What the hell are you doing this for? It’s too hard!” But I gut it out and then, just on the cusp of certain death by heart failure and lack of oxygen, we emerge out on this beautiful snowy knoll (grassy knoll in the summer), where we spend some time patting each other on the back, just because we did it, and breaking out the champagne minis (for me and Claire) and cold beers (for Kevin and Guy) Guy has a very special connection to this place, and he regales us with stories of his childhood Manning experiences with is dad and brothers, and we all feel a special connection. Then it’s time to go DOWN!
Now the absolute beauty of ski touring becomes clear and worthwhile; instead of crawling down like mere citizens, we get to traverse down virgin snow like absolute ski-gods. There is truly nothing like it. Guy describes this as skiing like “cartoon characters” as we fumble our way down the slope back to the main grid. A wild ride, which takes some skill and courage, as well as a great sense of adventure and an even better sense of humour, and then suddenly (much more suddenly than when we hiked up!), we are down and laughing, dusting snow off of our faces and clothes, out of our ears and eyes, reveling in the experience and accomplishment that all of us have achieved and the fun we have had while doing it.
Making memories with people we love, dear friends that share the same commitment to our life partners, playing together like kids in the snow. This kind of experience, being shared with each other, brings us closer - not only to each other as friends, but Kevin and I , and I am sure Guy and Claire too, feel closer to each other. An intimate act - accomplishing something that is a challenge, and then celebrating that we do this together. This is what grows our garden. So, for lots of readers, this kind of activity would not be your choice, but I encourage you to find something or some things that are. Again, some things are better shared with dear friends - people who bring joy to your heart and I encourage my readers to find it, try it and celebrate it. Go play - play together, play with friends. It is so very clear that we need to keep an important element of play in our lives. Got something to share? Please do! @cindisedd - tell us your story!