My last two ski passes.

Previous to our move to Turkey, the last two times I skied was a stupendous day two years ago in the spring at Silverton Mountain Resort in Colorado, and a quick morning a year ago while visiting Boone, NC at Appalachian Ski Mountain. I decided to keep the ski passes on my jacket while in Ecuador for two years, to remind me that I was a skier, and to remind me that skiing is skiing, no matter where it is. Because, really, these two resorts couldn't be more different.

Appalachian Mountain is where I learned to ski, and later became a ski instructor. Vertical drop? 365 Feet. Annual snowfall? 60 to 80 inches. Terrain? Blacks in name only, really, it's only blues and greens. But seriously, it's a nice place to learn, because with 10 snow machines, they are able to cover the entire mountain! Their logo is of a skier cruising a mellow slope that looks to be about a 5% grade. That's about right. Contrast that with the other ski resort I last skied...


Then there is Silverton, which we headed to for spring corn snow conditions right before we left for Ecuador. Silverton only has one lift, and only had one type of run, super steep. It's lift accessed backcountry heaven. You have to sign 6 pages of waivers before you ski there, including, my favorite line, "if you cannot see snow on the horizon line, you must make a mandatory jump quickly" Vertical Drop? 3,287 feet. Average snow? 400 inches. Terrain? You must be guided through the 100% double black diamond runs during the snow-heavy winter months. Avalanche beacons, shovels, and probes, are all mandatory for the super steep double black diamond runs. The mountain logo is the classic yellow warning symbol with a person falling down the mountain. Yup, nuff said.


Those were my last two ski days. But, these days, after two years of living on the Equator, I'm back to skiing. Turkey is a bit like Appalachian, and the Alps are more like Silverton, but, I'll take any day on the mountain with my wonderful wife and friends that I can get....wherever it is. This photo is of a ski resort 2 hours north of us in Turkey. We're going to go check it out this weekend.


Today, the old ski passes come off.