Christmas has come early. By Christmas I of course mean ski season and it has come very early. This past week calmed much of my ski anticipation with film premiers and even some crowded first runs.
I’m sure anyone who actually reads a ski column already knows, but Loveland opened on Oct. 7, the earliest that it’s been open in 40 years. A-Basin was not far behind with tailgaters at the Beach on Friday, celebrating the first day of a longer season than we have had in quite a while.
With only five runs open in the entire state, the fanatics, enthusiasts, partiers and gapers all get crammed together to celebrate their first tracks. So if you’re not able to dodge, dip, dive, duck, and dodge I wouldn’t recommend rushing too fast into the early season’s carnage.
I don’t consider myself a professional gaper dodger and a broken leg from an out of control body sliding down the slope doesn’t sound to me like the greatest start to the season. For this reason only I didn’t make the trip up I-70 quite yet. However, with snow continuing to fall in the high country it won’t be long before dropping everything for a few runs will make complete sense. After all, playing hooky on a powder day is so much more rewarding.
It wasn’t really the opening of the season that was the most calming for my ski anticipation syndrome. It had a lot to do with the fact that we saw the first bit of snow under six thousand feet. But most of all it was the amazing production job of everyone at Sickstickz and all their helping sponsors at the premier of Rage Films’ new movie “Pretty Good.”
The film was great. The only problem I ever have with new ski movies is that each sick trick the pros throw down makes me realize how far from “good at skiing” I really am.
The progression and extremity of most of the terrain in the movie was, and I think any true shredder will agree with me, humbling. Check it out, and thank you once again to Sickstickz and everyone else that made the entire night possible.
Don’t worry too much if you missed out, it’s the season for premiers and in fact TGR’s new movie “Re:Session” is playing at the Gothic on Thursday. Until then, stay hungry and cross your fingers for snow.
