When the winter season started I saw a lot of people sporting hoodies and T-shirts that said something to the effect of, "I like big dumps" and initially didn't really get it. I was quickly clued in to the fact that 'big dumps' around here is not the potty-humor kind but rather the kind that refers to a huge dropping of snow. Today Queenstown had an epic big dump and it was all anybody would talk about.
For the first time since I've been here, the snow actually reached all the way down the bottom of the mountain and into town. This made for beautiful views and the strange feeling that although we are halfway through September, it finally feels like winter.
The morning of the 'Big Dump' we were slammed at the mountain - not with tourists but with powder-hungry locals. There were happy exclamations of "waist deep powder" and lots of "freshies." The snow was beautiful but I found myself unable to get as excited as everyone else. Perhaps this is because when you grow up with daily big dumps and have to shovel them, clean them off your car and get soaked wading through them on the way to school and work they become more of a chore than a cause to celebrate. Thank you Lake Michigan Lake effect snow.
However, downhill skiing in powder fresh snow is something else altogether and is quite a lot of fun. For me it was a bit hard to get the hang of after only ever skiing on groomed runs and man-made snow. At least falling on fresh powder doesn't hurt a bit!
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| Dropping heli-bombs for avalanche control |
Although I'm not going to go out and buy a hoodie advertising my enjoyment, I have definitely become a fan of big dumps.
This post made me giggle. :)